If you’re looking to support produced-in-Canada skincare and makeup, look no further.
Canada has a history of really good skincare and cosmetics lines. M.A.C, of course, then there was B. Kamins, Cover FX, Consonant Skincare, Annabelle and Cargo. Some haven’t survived, (RIP, Stellar Beauty), but some manage to endure and thrive.
One of those is Vasanti, a Canadian beauty brand that is entering its 28th year with a rebrand that promises luxury and results.
The brand was started by four women, three of them sisters and one childhood friend, who couldn’t find makeup that looked good on them. They started with concealers to hide dark undereye circles and had their first kiosk in Fairview Mall in Toronto, Now the brand is available in over 300 Shoppers Drug Mart locations across the country.
“We’ve had so many iterations of packaging throughout the years,” says Pinki Patel, one of the founders of the company. “A couple of years ago, we looked at our lineup and realized it was starting to feel disjointed. We needed to elevate our brand, make it more cohesive, and ensure the outside reflected the quality of what’s inside.”
Monal Patel, another founder and CEO, says that they sought to create a more cohesive identity by standardizing packaging and refining their overall presentation. “We realized we were too focused on individual products rather than the brand as a whole. Even though each product looked great on its own, we needed a unified look that screamed luxury and sophistication.”
Part of their rebranding journey started by asking their customers what they wanted to see with the brand. One colour theme and look emerged as the favourite, minimalist in shape but with a blush colourway.
“We initially considered a green palette to evoke a more eco-friendly feel and tie in with the meaning of our name—spring—but the blush tones won overwhelmingly,” says Pinki. “Our customers told us this colour would look beautiful on their counters, and that mattered.”
As part of their line expansion, Vasanti has several hero products including the under eye colour corrector Liquid VO2 – For All Warm To Medium Skin Tones. Other products are their dark spot serum and daily moisturizer which are designed to be universal and effective for all skin types, from oily to sensitive. “We’ve built in brightening and evening-out properties into every skincare product,” Pinki says. “Our goal is to simplify routines while delivering high-performance results.”
They’re also launching a sunscreen, which took five years to develop. It will have SPF 40, not be ashy or leave a white cast, have UVA UVB protection, and has an active complex that targets and treats dark spots.
“We have a slight color correction [in the sunscreen], because we’re known for our hero products that colour correct under the eyes and around the chin.”
Entrepreneurship in Canada’s beauty space can be tough for small-to-medium businesses. The founders say it’s definitely harder than doing business in the United States as there are more opportunities there and people are more willing to take chances there, and there’s more funding.
“A big chunk of our business is in Canada,” says Monal. “So we don’t expect that to slow down, in terms of all this talk about tariffs. I don’t think it’s going to impact us too much.”
They feel confident about the coming year.
“We’ve been clean and vegan-friendly before it was trendy,” says Pinki “This rebrand is about showing the world what we’ve always been about, luxury, inclusivity, and performance.”
