Meet the Brand: The Canadian Beauty Brand Changing the Future with Purpose & Planet in Mind
Written by Haley Porter
Makeup should bring you joy, not make you feel less than. Elate Cosmetics achieves this all while providing eco-friendly packaging and customizable palettes. Choosing only what you need is the most sustainable thing you can do.
Meet the Brand
Choosing a makeup brand isn't as easy as it once was. Not only are the options endless, but consumers are more savvy about ingredients and where their products are made. As a makeup artist based in Canada, there is a specific set of criteria I focus on when choosing products to add to my makeup bag.
When I first started researching makeup with more conscious ingredients, Elate Cosmetics was the first brand that grabbed my attention. Not only were they a clean brand with a gorgeous product line, I was thrilled to see that they were based in Victoria, British Columbia. When I received my first order, I was immediately impressed with their thoughtful packaging and minimalist capsule approach. Their focus on sustainability includes providing refillable, customizable palettes, because choosing to buy only what you need not only is better for the environment, but it makes it easier to decide what products to use.
My 3 Makeup Bag Essentials
I love this product because of the ease of application and the built in ‘healthy’ skin glow. It is a cream blush with versatility that can also be used on the eyes & lips! The formula is very hydrating & nourishing thanks to Evening Primrose Oil & Bamboo Stem Extract.
This lipstick is a 2 in 1 liner & lipstick powerhouse that provides major hydration and colour payoff. Plus a zero waste lipstick? Yes please! Made with Rice Bran and Coconut Oil it feels lightweight and comfortable on the lips.
This powder adds a healthy subtle glow to my skin while setting my foundation for the day. It is an illuminating loose powder that can be worn on its own for a sheer touch of coverage or (and this is how I love to wear it) as a setting powder. Kaolin Clay helps to balance the oil keeping the glow only where you want it.
Meet the Founder
I had the privilege to sit down with Melodie Reynolds, the founder of Elate Cosmetics, and learn more about the brand and the passion behind it. After being in the beauty industry for years, Melodie had experienced the typical ways brands operated and marketed their business. After purchasing a new lipstick one day, she got home, unwrapped it, and realized a pile of garbage remained from all of the unnecessary packaging. Even the lipstick would eventually end up in the landfill. And from that frustration, Elate was born.
Q: What motivated you to take the actual leap from the idea to action?
A: The thing that drove me is the shame-based marketing in the beauty industry. It was an “aha” moment of being responsible for this company’s garbage, but looped into that was the reason why I bought the product to begin with. Like so many other products I bought as an impulse purchase or as an antidote to that feeling of not being pretty enough or good enough. That is where I made the connection of the vicious cycle of overconsumption. The beauty industry, like most industries that make products for women, are preying on our insecurities and creating problems we don’t have to sell us products to solve those problems. So, I didn’t want to just make another product. I wanted to make something that made you feel good. I could choose to make them as sustainable as they can be. Less waste. More joy.
Q: What was the first product you launched?
A: The very first product that I launched was Universal Glow which is now called Blush Balm. It’s a cream blush formula because as a makeup artist, I like mixing and multi tasking products. Being an alchemist, I wanted to create a multi-use product that would minimize the number of products you actually needed in your beauty bag.
Q: What do you want people to know about your brand?
A: It’s not what I want people to know about my brand, it’s what I want them to know about the industry at large and also about themselves. The products we choose to use every single day may seem really small, but those small choices add up to a global impact. If we are choosing to bring products into our lives that do good, are positive, that leave less footprint but also makes us feel more joy…that benefits everyone. It’s not about what you make, it’s about how you make it. I’d like to think that’s where customer loyalty comes from. They know I’m a real person, making real products for you. I understand what your mornings look like. I understand what putting your makeup on means to you. I want to continue to make that a joyful experience while doing better for the planet.
Q: What is your top selling product?
A: Hands down, our mascara. We probably sell 6 mascaras to every 1 other product. It’s why I can’t keep it in stock! I don’t ever want to make too much because I don’t want to waste it but I’m also aware that we have people banging down our door for mascara. And they should, because it’s a fantastic product.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a Canadian Beauty Brand?
A: It means a lot. When I first launched in 2014, there weren't many other Canadian-owned and Canadian-made brands around. We were also the first Canadian B Corp certified beauty brand. I had seen other brands start in Canada and eventually move to the US. I remember thinking to myself, I really don’t want to do that. I want to make all my product here because we are a Canadian brand. I think it’s so important to represent Canadian small businesses. Also, kindness is one of Elate’s core values. I think that’s an inherently Canadian value. I am also a founding member of the Canadian Indie Beauty Collective and one of the values I instilled is that collaboration is always better than competition. At the end of the day, there’s enough room for everyone. If we can help each other, then we are the ones that actually win because we’re driving the industry forward.
It doesn’t get more Canadian than that. You can find Elate products online or at various partner locations across North America.
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