Building her own brand
Summerside aesthetician finds success in locally-made holistic skincare line
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Ever since she can remember, Sharon Quann has dreamt of owning her own business. Not only has she done just that, but her businesses – QuannSpa and Quannessence – have allowed her to make a living doing what she loves: aesthetics and treating people's skin.
“I only do what I love,” said Quann, a practicing aesthetician and founder and CEO of BioSpa (Quann) Cosmeceuticals. “We put every ounce of love into our products in order to have healthy, beautiful skin. That's my main goal.”
Her journey began when she attended a one-year aesthetic program in New Brunswick, fresh out of high school.
When she was 18, she moved to P.E.I. and began working as an aesthetician at Silhouette II in Summerside.
Shortly after, she found herself wanting to learn more about aesthetics, taking trips to France to learn more about the makeup industry and Germany, where she unlocked a love of holistic skincare.
“I really love the work and I love people,” she said.
The trips and her background led to Quann creating QuannSpa, which offers treatments including facial treatments, aesthetic services, and holistic massages.
“That was just a dream,” said Quann with a laugh. “I was driving home to Miramichi one day and then a mystical touch came into my head.”
Throughout the years of operating her spa, Quann used many brands but felt they often fell short.
One thing led to the next, and by the early 2000s, Quann started brainstorming how to put ingredients together to create skincare products she was proud of.
Eventually, Quannessence, a holistic skincare brand, was born to help Quann give people – her spa's clients included – the skin she thought they deserved.
“I wanted more natural and non-toxic ingredients to apply to the skin,” said Quann. “Products that really work. Things that make a difference in people's lives.”
LOCAL AND NATURAL
For the ingredients and formulas side of the business, Quann looks to Thora Christensen, general manager at Quannessence.
“Sharon is the mind, she is the creative side,” said Christensen. “She sees gaps and says ‘OK, we need this kind of product with these qualities.' So, then I'll work to develop those.”
When crafting the products, Quannessence focuses on natural ingredients and, when possible, local ones.
Some ingredients come from overseas, but, said Christensen, most can be sourced from North America.
For example, said Christensen, the company uses abyssinian oil (also called Crambe oil), which they get from Natures Crops International, based out of Kensington.
The company, Christensen added, is working to use more Labrador tea in its products.
“As we grow, we would love to go and harvest our own and do the processing,” Christensen said. “The space that we have now doesn't exactly allow for it, but that is one of our goals as we do grow.”
For Christensen, keeping it local is important to help give back to the community that's supported them over the years. “We're really wanting to help promote other businesses and individuals who are trying to get themselves going.”
Every Quannessence product is made and manually packaged at their facility in Central Street in Summerside.
The products, said Quann, are spa-grade and sold directly to spas and professional aestheticians. One can't find them at markets or drugstores, although they are available on the Quannessence website.
BUSINESS GROWING
Since starting her skincare line, Quann is thrilled to see how much it's taken off, particularly with her online store.
Quannessence can be found at spas across Canada and has recently begun exporting into the United States.
Recently, her items have caught the attention of people as far away as Thailand – per a comment on her Facebook from a person saying they had bought a product for a relative there.
The long-term goal is selling internationally; even so, Quann was delighted to see that it's already getting a start.
“I was actually overwhelmed when I read that,” she said.
Due to increasing demand, Quann is also moving both Quannessence and QuannSpa from their current location to a larger building in the city's business park.
“The spa would kind of be in the front and then the production facility would be in the back for shipping out packaging, and storage, and all that stuff,” said Quann.
“It's so much better to have the two of them together.”
After decades of putting her passion into building up her brands, Quann can't help but be proud when she sees the outcome of all her hard work.
“I am very grateful for all of the support, all of the help we've had along the way,” she said. “It's been an amazing journey.”