Put your best face forward
Three entrepreneurial women who stand for all-Canadian lotions and potions
Canadian women are changing the face of skin care by leading the charge into clean, green entrepreneurship.
From makeup to skin care to hair care, all-natural beauty is on the upswing and contributing millions in economic activity. Beautiful things are happening in the world of beauty and female entrepreneurs are creating pure brands that are making their way into mainstream beauty routines.
Meet three leading ladies that stand for all-Canadian lotions and potions that are good to the last drop:
Throw out harsh, nasty cleansers and toners, with ingredients you can’t pronounce, and that overprocess and strip our skin of their natural calming flora and fauna, and protective oils. Dr. Elena Brei has engineered a rejuvenating skin care line NuVsio, made from mineral deposits from the Canadian Shield, to make skin look and feel great.
Brei dug around for five years to come up with the perfect active mineral technology to put your best face forward — “clean and pure formulas, free of the nasties.” Her endeavours as a PhD researcher in water technology at the University of Toronto allowed her to work hands-on with clays and other minerals and water purification, which then spilled over into a personal passion of purifying skin.
“The Canadian Shield mineral deposits are unique in the sense that they are almost four billion years old, are very rare, and highly pure,” says the biochemist and a microbiologist with a degree in chemical engineering.
For her all-natural Purifying Mineral Mask and Mineral Enriched Balm Concentrate, she has scientifically blended minerals for long-term protection, preserving the skin’s natural restorative capacity.
The minerals are extracted using environmentally responsible methods.
“We use the purest, most concentrated, natural and organic ingredients we can find. And our products are always made fresh,” says the mother of two young children.
Business is growing — NuVsio is on the shelves of some very well known eco spas, including Pure + Simple, as well as online boutiques AHAlife.com and NuVsio.com.
B.C. resident Karen Johnson turned from pumping up muscles to plumping about faces with her k’pure natural body care line.
The former fitness studio owner first ventured into the all-natural beauty biz with her organic Get Closer deodorant six years ago. Now there’s the all-natural scent of success: Clients are also getting closer to her Drenched Body Butter and Face cream, and her magic sleep spray, Settle Down, too.
Business is booming since launching her website in 2016 at kpurenaturals.com — Johnson is moving production out of her Mission home and into a new space where everything will continue to be handcrafted in small batches.
K’pure uses only all-natural and organic ingredients, including pure, certified organic essential oils, says Johnson, adding that her products work double-duty: Organic foaming baby wash that doubles as a face wash, hydrating toner that also works as a calming pillow spray, and Dead Sea Mud masque as a detoxifying facial masque and armpit detox.
Mom to four young children and currently a one-woman show, working 18 to 20 hours a day, she has now assembled a team to help in her with growing demand.
K’pure also helps with eczema, stretch marks and wrinkles, she adds.
Two young Quebec sisters are offering “farmgirl chic” with their Smith Farms all-natural skin-care line made on their family farm, including the incredibly popular Marshmallow Face Cream.
While beauty brand competition might be fierce but “there’s always room for an excellent product,” says Julia Sinclair-Smith, of smithfarmproducts.com, who, along with her sister Becky, got into making a line of natural, feel-good products over concerns about unrecognizable ingredients in skin creams.
“Our products are made with wholesome, hard-working ingredients that are very effective, and give your complexion that farm girl glow without the hard work!
“Our ingredients are simple, time tested, and clearly identified, so consumers can understand exactly what they are putting on their skin.”
She adds that their products aren’t magic, “so no, they won’t turn back time, however, they will give your skin a wonderful, healthy glow which makes you look youthful.”
Items include body butters, hand cream, soap, lip balms and more, and can be used on sensitive skin, including rosacea, eczema and psoriasis.