Putting skin, hair care in the gender blender
Brother and sister duo Brandon and Kaleena Morrison gravitated to being business partners quite naturally. Their father owns a natural and organic ice cream business on Canada’s East Coast. So it wasn’t a huge leap to creating United & Free skin and hair care products. Kaleena says they even use similar formulations.
Q What was the genesis of the brand?
A I had moved from the East Coast of Canada to Vancouver and started a family. After becoming a mom, I started experiencing major skin and hair issues. I developed adult acne and suffered hair loss. I could not use products that contained fragrance and the products I did use had to be very mild. The problem I found was that most mild, natural products were not very effective.
In 2015 Brandon, our co-founder, started to grow a pretty big beard. ... Because his beard grew thick and wiry he couldn’t find a good product on the market to suit his needs. At this point, Brandon decided to take matters into his own hands and start formulating his own natural beard products. Brandon and I con- versed about our issues and decided that we could do better.
Q What is your process for developing products?
A We always start with a brainstorming session. We look at similar products on the market and see how we can improve on them. We make a home test batch and then consult with our chemist. Once we come up with a workable formula we make a small test run of the product. We test the products on ourselves and then we ask family and friends to test the products so we can get feedback. It can be a pretty lengthy process. For example, it took us nine months to develop a shampoo that meets our criteria and standards.
Q Where do you source your ingredients?
A Our ingredients are sourced from all over the world.
Two ingredients, which we have grown fond of, are red raspberry seed oil and hydrolyzed baobab protein.
Red raspberry seed oil contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and has been shown to reduce the effects of oxidative stress in skin. It is also known for improving skin elasticity, suppleness and flexibility, while softening and smoothing the look of wrinkles, fine lines and sagging skin. Raspberry seed oil is a staple in the Absolut Face & Body Lotion.
The baobab tree is known as the “African Tree of Life.” It produces a natural, nutrient-dense superfood called the baobab fruit. Instead of using silicone in our shampoo and conditioner, we use a vegetable protein extract made from the large seeds of the baobab fruit called hydrolyzed baobab protein. This protein provides anti-aging treatment, damage recovery, protection from damage, nourishment, strength and recovery.
Ethics are of the utmost importance to us when we source our ingredients, and when we label our products we are always transparent about what goes into our products.
Q Are all the ingredients natural? What kind of preservatives do you use?
A Natural is so wide based. We decided to create a set of stan- dards for United & Free products that we believe to be honest and ethical. A United & Free product must meet the following criteria before we sell it to market: cruelty free, vegetal (plant-based), effective, must smell appealing to both sexes, feels good on skin and/or hair, tried and tested on willing family and friends; does not contain sodium lauryl sulfates, parabens, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrance, perfume or harsh chemicals.
All ingredients are derived from vegetal (plant) sources. Our products are water based, so we must use a preservative system. We studied preservative systems for a long time before we found a system that worked for us and our product. The preservatives used are benzyl alcohol and dehydroacetic acid and are classified as naturally derived compounds. Preservatives keep our products fresh and stop them from growing bacteria, mould and other harmful microbes.