Three green Canadian beauty brands you need to know
Evelyn Iona
In 2012, Brandi Leifso was living in a Vancouver safe house recovering from a violent relationship. Little did she know, the shelter would become the birthplace of her beauty brand and the beginning of a new chapter. “That experience was hugely impactful on how I came to see the world and what my life has become,” she says. Seeking to empower women, she launched a makeup line and learned about the business as she went along. “When we started, our stuff was full of chemicals. Then, someone suggested we go green and I thought, ‘Oh man, this is embarrassing! We’ve committed to elevating women, meanwhile we’re covering them in chemicals.’” The line now offers a range of natural products that are good for the skin, planet and community. “We’ll never forget our roots, which is why we donate $1 from every sale to the Canadian Women’s Foundation.”
LaSpa
The story of LaSpa started with motherly love. It all began when Susan Mey couldn’t find a sunscreen that worked for her daughter Alison. “She suffers from allergies and skin sensitivities, so it was extremely difficult finding an effective sunscreen that wouldn’t cause a reaction and was also cosmetically pleasing,” Mey explains. She decided to take matters into her own hands and developed a natural formula that’s not only hypoallergenic but also enjoyable to use. The key is high-quality zinc. “Many mineral sunscreens are white and pasty and not very popular with women for this reason. We use a zinc that’s very fine and spreads evenly on skin.” Her products have become a hit with green beauty lovers as well as with her daughter. “She’s still a product screener and our model as well!”
Graydon Skincare
Sometimes it takes hitting proverbial rock bottom to find your best life. Such was the case for Graydon Moffat. The Toronto native was working as a pastry chef when she realized her job was contributing to an eating disorder. “One day, I was absolutely burnt out and (had) an anxiety attack and fainting spell that resulted in a trip to the hospital,” she remembers. Her loved ones staged an intervention and urged her to make a change. The road that followed was neither simple nor pleasant, but Moffat was determined to get healthy again. She took up yoga, became a vegan and started mixing up oils and lotions in her kitchen. “Recipe development came naturally to me from my culinary days,” she says, noting that moisturizer reminded her of buttercream frosting. Today, her luxurious products seek to nourish skin with the same plant- powered superfoods that got her thriving again.