my skincare journey started when I was fairly young. as a teenager, I developed cystic acne. I tried every acne product on the shelf, but none worked as advertised. by the end of my first year of university, I was finishing my first course of isotretinoin, and things were clearing up. but two years later, the acne was back. I started the search for a cure all over again. things were different the second time around, however. I learned that my struggle with acne was about skin and overall health not just hygiene. skincare can only do so much. recognizing that was the biggest step I took on the road to treating my acne which to this day is a daily struggle. but skincare can do something – at least when designed to improve skin quality, rather than to keep up with marketing fads.

in the blink of an eye, I applied, was accepted, and moved from ottawa to toronto to start my new journey. I was ecstatic. I formulated cosmetics (skincare and makeup) and learned about cosmetic markets, advertising, safety, and regulation. the program gave me the opportunity to work in toxicology for the government of canada, investigating the safety of cosmetic ingredients entering the canadian market. and after graduating, I landed a job in cosmetic product development at a biotechnology company. it was my dream job. I was to design, formulate, and market cosmetic products. I developed 3 signature products within 1.5 years, worked on business planning, packaging design, marketing, brand development, material sourcing, and more.