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| Her Campus at uOttawa’s Beauty Awards series shares the best skincare, haircare, and cosmetic product recs that our chapter has to offer. We hope that our favourites will become your favourites too. |
Perhaps the first place you run to for makeup is Sephora or Ulta. Or maybe it’s your local drug store. And while I can’t blame you (it can be easy to forget about small businesses in the presence of big names like Maybelline, NARS, and MAC), there are many fantastic, yet underrepresented, beauty brands that deserve your attention — especially those that are Indigenous-owned. These brands are both beautiful and affordable, and you can easily shop them online. Look no further than these six brands for all the beauty inspo you need.
- CheekBone beauty
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This flourishing St. Catharines-based business may be one that you have come across in the past. Cheekbone Beauty was founded in 2016 by Jenn Harper, an Anishinaabe woman, after she received funding on Dragons Den. Cheekbone’s most famed product is the Sustain lipstick, which is packaged in zero-waste tubes. Cheekbone also donates to a variety of charity funds for Indigenous peoples.
- wildcraft
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Wildcraft is a 100% natural skincare company based in Toronto, Ontario, and is owned by Laura Whitaker, who is from the Mohawk nation. Whitaker founded Wildcraft in 2014 with the belief that natural products yield the largest benefits for the skin, and the desire to offer luxury items at an affordable price. Wildcraft uses only glass and aluminum over plastic in its packaging in an effort to protect the environment. Wildcraft products retail on the company’s corporate site and at a few beauty stores across Canada.
- Skwálwen
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Pronounced “skwall-win,” Leigh’s company Skwálwen creates beauty products with traditional Indigenous plants and medicines. Leigh is a trained ethnobotanist, which means that she has plenty of knowledge about how plants are used in Indigenous practices. She is deeply connected to her family and hopes to inspire her children to use plants in beauty and medicine. During her creative process, she spends time with the land to grow her plants and always approaches the natural world with respect. Skwálwen processes only the highest quality clays and oils, and sells a wide range of products to meet all of your skincare needs.
- Ojibway natural
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Ojibway Natural is a beauty brand based out of Northern Ontario that believes in the connection between healing, medicine, and beauty. Many of its products feature traditional medicines that can help you to develop balance and peace in your daily life. All of Ojibway Natural’s products are natural, handmade, and affordable.
- Land of Daughters
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Land of Daughters is an Indigenous perfume company founded in 2018 by Métis women. The company’s founders believe that every day offers the opportunity to celebrate life, and advocate for community connection. These central beliefs serve as inspiration for the brand’s diverse range of scents. Besides perfume, Land of Daughters has also begun to offer candles and room diffuser blends. Shop Land of Daughters to find the perfect new perfume.
- The Yukon soaps company
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Last, but definitely not least, is the Yukon Soaps Company. As suggested by its name, this beauty brand is owned and operated in the Yukon. It was founded by Joella Hogan in the small town of Mayo, Yukon. Hogan prides herself on her company’s hand-crafted soaps, community building efforts, and preservation of the Northern Tutchone language. The Yukon Soaps Company has been around for over 20 years, and offers a vast range of soaps to choose from.
| Do you love what we love? Check out the other articles in our Beauty Awards series:
Read about our favourite haircare and cosmetic products. Learn about the woman-owned beauty brands that inspire us. |
May your beauty shine from the inside out.