Our mission is to provide easy access to our products that are made with passion to create experiences for our customers to connect with nature on a daily basis.
Tell us about yourself?
I am a Red Seal Journeyman, NACC Esthetician, a teacher with a B.A., B.Ed., and an entrepreneur most of my life. I now forage, formulate, and commercialize our formulas to sell DTC in grocery stores and pharmacies (mostly in Canada at this time.) I finished my degrees at Harlow in Essex, UK. It was there I was introduced to aromatherapy. My grandmother and aunt introduced me to making floral waters at the age of five. I am an avid environmentalist and animal lover. Being near the ocean is my happy place.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
To meditate, breathe deeply, and relax more every day.
What problem does your business solve?
We offer naturally derived, proven, science-backed solutions to counteract acne, aging, and sensitive skin issues. We offer rituals for our customers to connect to nature in an authentic way.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
I have had acne most of my life, since the age of 13. The skin disorder was not pleasant to deal with. It depressed me, and the reaction from my peers in high school was cruel. I vowed to help whoever I could to feel happy and beautiful. Everyone has their own beauty. We all need to feel that we belong. I believe true beauty is seeing the real person, their beautiful spirit, in their twinkling eyes and personality. Confidence is true beauty. Caring for people, lifting them up, and seeing them shine makes me happy.
What is your magic sauce?
I love what I do, and we worked through third-party scientists and in-house to create a brand based on proven botanical research. Through innovative, rigorous research and development, we have created a collection using unique botanical extracts that work exponentially to improve skin on contact without irritation. Our formulas include our exponential extract blends that improve skin on acne, aging, and sensitive skin reactions. ( see our blog for more precise info)
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our vision is to make our brand as close to zero waste as possible by 2026. Using more eco-friendly materials in all our product SKUs like glass, aluminum, paper, and biodegradable film.
We plan to expand across Canada in grocery stores, pharmacies, and through independent retailers.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
I borrowed a quarter of a million dollars in 2014 to launch in Loblaws in 2015, but they never did place an order. My mother passed in 2015, I was lost in my grief, and the business was in a tailspin. That was the most stressful time in my life, but I finally got the strength to go back to work with more drive to succeed. We got other clients. We added Fogo Island Inn and Sobeys to our customer list, and that stabilized us to grow, work on paying back the loans, and focus on what I love to do most – help people look and feel better.
Over the years, we have grown more slowly due to the Loblaws loss, but that experience made me and the business more resilient as a result. When the pandemic hit, it required pivoting, but we coped with it fairly well. I completed a full rebrand, and we grew our business overall by 25 per cent.
How can people get involved?
If you are looking for a quality Canadian-made brand to add to your retail store, we would love to speak with you. You can reach me at lisa@islandskincare.ca or 709 689 4458 to become a wholesaler, collaborate, or for media enquiries.