The cosmetic industry in Canada traces its golden roots to the days of Make-up Art Cosmetics (MAC) that was founded in Toronto in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. MAC was among the first cosmetics companies in Canada, and it set the pace for many other outstanding companies that later followed.
Over the years, numerous other cosmetic companies have risen behind the leadership of able and popular men and women in the cosmetics business. Some of them have featured in Peoplepill profile as notable game-changers in Canada’s business field.
So, why has the Canadian cosmetic industry grown significantly to attract global attention over the years? All the main answers point back to the founders of these companies we've found interest in and discuss below.
The 5 Most Famous Canadians in the Cosmetics Industry
While you have been enjoying the services of the top-notch cosmetics companies, have you ever bothered to know who the guys behind the leadership of these companies are? Here are some of the most famous Canadians in the cosmetics industry.1. Susanne Langmuir – Bite Beauty
Susanne Langmuir founded Bite Beauty in 2011 and has done tremendously to bring this company into today's top position. Her company makes some of the top-quality food-grade lip products that have braced the beauty markets over the years. The company lives the words of her motto by ensuring the lips products they sell are not only for beauty but also good for your health.The company uses natural and organic ingredients to make them harmless when you apply and, by chance, ingest them. They also use some protective antioxidants like resveratrol to add more to its quality. However, Langmuir never intended to stay at Bite Beauty for a long time. She sold Bite Beauty to LVMH in 2014.
In 2018 after leaving the brand, she suffered some chronic pain in her hands, back, and neck, which was a great setback to her beauty business. She is now at SL&Co. She is advocating for natural, eco-friendly, and inclusive formulas for better skincare products.
After her health setback, she re-evaluated her beauty and personal care products. In her evaluation, she studied her product's ingredient lists to discover they have been using preservatives and water to pack the products. She later travelled to Japan in early 2020 to explore amino acids as a healthy alternative to traditional skincare preservatives.
2. Jenn Harper – Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics
Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Jenn Harper later relocated to Niagara Region, where she developed and cultured the passion for cosmetics. Her belief that makeup as a means of expression and had incredible power pushed her to create the Cheekbone Beauty cosmetics.After feeling the need to have a brand that offered the latest trend, she created it was super easy to use and met real people's needs. She saw a gap that she needed to fill as quickly as she could. Before her company, none in Canada was tested on animals, giving back to the First Nations community.
Today, Cheekbone focuses on sustainability, which means the company will be doing less packaging on everything. One of the company's outstanding products is the Warrior Woman Liquid Lipstick, an ultra-pigmented lip product in various colours. Every shade is given a name after a different woman activist. The profits from the sales get portioned out, and some are shared with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.
3. Brandi Leifso – Evio Beauty Group
In an interview with Flare Magazine in 2018, Brandi Leifso, the CEO and founder of the Evio Beauty Group, stated that she created her big break while referring to her company. Her journey to this remarkable success in the cosmetics business is one aspiring story. She sought refuge at the young age of 21 when her marriage turned into a violent scene, and she couldn't take it anymore.That bitter marriage was after her tough life, which led to her dropping out of school at 14. Her going to the shelter to seek refuge turned out to be the blessing she enjoys today as the thought to do something to keep her busy visited her there. She had admired venturing into the makeup business and drew inspiration from her environment. She wanted to open a cosmetics company that would help women directly, and she went for it.
While still at the shelter, she created Evio Beauty in late 2014, without money or even experience to run the business. Her condition did not deter her from moving on with her dream. She used her savvy sales skills and the upfront payments she could get from her clients to drive her business. She researched designing a product catalogue and website while still at the shelter.
Today, Evio Beauty has backing venture capitalists and partnerships with the licensed marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis. The partnership will see Brandi's company produce new hemp and cannabis-infused skincare products.
Every sale Brandi's company makes is slashed a dollar that goes directly to the Canadian Women's Foundation to promote equality projects.
4. Barb Stegemann – The 7 Virtues
Following her soldier's severe wounding best friend, Barb Stegemann, decided to launch the 7 Virtues right from her garage. She wanted to help the war-ridden nations rebuild, and the best way she thought of doing that was through her perfume company, The 7 Virtues. Her company's motto, 'Make perfume, not war,' is a drive for peace that pushes forward her desires and dreams for opening the company.She uses her company as a link for peace restoration and for discouraging war. She sources her essential oils from countries going through turmoil like Afghanistan, Rwanda, Haiti, etc., to show how business can create peace.
Barb became known to the country and the world when she secured a venture capital deal on CBC's hit show, the Dragons' den. She became the premium woman from Atlantic Canada to ever make such a move.
Her perfumes collection and herself have been celebrated in major media companies worldwide, including CNN, CBC, Forbes, Vogue, The Cut, Women's Wear Daily, Fast Company, and more. She has also been mentioned as one of the most powerful women by WXN among Canada's Top 100 Powerful Women list.
Apart from her successful business in perfume dealings, she is also a great author of the bestselling book, 'The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen'. The book is now in its 8th edition.
5. Celine Tadrissi – Cela
Celine Tadrissi is known for her two outstanding businesses: The Hammam Spa and the Cela Skincare. While Hammam Spa is well-known for its world-class massage services, we will get biased on Cela today.Cela is Tadrissi's venture that she launched in 2020 following her desire for hotness in the beauty industry. She also listened to what customers need and went ahead to shape her services into high-quality skincare.
The business and accounting graduate agrees that she wanted to be in business and her love for the beauty and wellness sphere saw her venture into the business. When she merged her business management skills with her passion for beauty, she couldn’t hold it but create Cela.
Cosmetics consumers are already finding her company's products unique, and this fact can be attributed to the clean, plant-based, and cruelty-free nature of these products. She sources most of her ingredients in Canada, with blueberry, juniper berry, elderberry, rosemary, and lavender topping the ingredients' list. You can always pass by and have a massage done for you or get orders for your skincare.
