6 Canadian Beauty Products You Can Substitute For Big-Name Brands & They're Still Top Tier
Shopping local for beauty products like skincare, haircare, makeup, and fragrances can be hard, but it doesn't have to be.
There are plenty of Canadian beauty products you can use instead of big-name brands, whether you're looking to spritz on your morning perfume, wash your face or apply your lipgloss.
Canada is filled with amazing entrepreneurs who have created blooming beauty brands that you can find online and in stores across the country. You just have to know where to shop.
So instead of reaching for a French perfume like Chanel next time you're in need of a new scent, you could try Libertine Fragrance which is made right here in Canada, according to their website.
Canadian Jean-Luc Palumbo, owner of the TikTok-viral brand Jean-Luc Cosmetics, told Narcity that buying from smaller Canadian companies can make a real impact on those in your own city.
"Shopping smaller Canadian brands helps build the dreams of people in your community! It creates real connections between brands and their customers. Customers get to be a part of the brand's journey by following along in real-time."
So if you're looking to invest your money in Canada, here are six Canadian beauty brands you can shop for right now.
Jean-Luc Cosmetics
Brand: Jean-Luc Cosmetics
Product: Makeup
Why You Need It: Jean-Luc Cosmetics is a Canadian-based queer and inclusive makeup brand run by Torontonian Jean-Luc Palumbo.
Palumbo launched the company in 2021, offering vegan and cruelty-free makeup products like lip glosses, blushes, eye shadow palettes and more.
His products, which are all cleverly and playfully named as odes to queer community and pop culture, have even been reviewed by beauty mogul Mikayla Nogueira.
So instead of grabbing a lip gloss or blush from Fenty Beauty or Rare Beauty, you may want to consider shopping locally.
At Jean-Luc Cosmetics, you can get lipgloss for $15 and an eyeshadow palette with 15 shades for $25, so you'll probably save some money too!
Nudestix
Brand: Nudestix
Product: Makeup
Why You Need It: This makeup brand is widely popular and well-loved by celebs like Sofia Richie, so you'll be in good company swapping to this brand.
This Canadian brand was started by sisters Ally and Taylor Frankel and their mother, Jenny Frankel, in Toronto back in 2014, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Nudestix makes paraben-free, gluten-free and cruelty-free makeup with vegan options like blush sticks, bronze sticks, highlighters, foundations, eyebrow pencils and more.
So, instead of gravitating to an American brand like Too Faced, you might want to consider checking out Nudestix, where products start at $16.
Cheekbone Beauty
Brand: Cheekbone Beauty
Product: Makeup
Why You Need It: This Canadian company was created by Jenn Harper, an Anishinaabe woman and is based out of St. Catharines, Ontario.
This clean makeup is vegan, sustainable and cruelty-free, with a focus on high-quality colour, so if you're looking for a pigmented product, look no further.
Cheekbone Beauty has been gaining traction since appearing on CBC's Dragons Den, and you can find a wide range of products from the brand, from Empower Eyeliners to Warrior Liquid Lipsticks, Fearless eyeshadow and more.
When you shop here, you are also doing a lot of good since the brand does give back to the community through "product donations, monetary donations or project-focused donations," according to their website.
So instead of reaching for a big brand like Revlon, you may want to swap out your big-name lipstick or eyeshadow for one of Cheekbone Beauty's products.
Libertine Fragrance
Brand: Libertine Fragrance
Product: Perfume
Why You Need It: Anyone can walk into Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart and pick up a name-brand perfume, but why do that when you can purchase a scent made right here in Canada?
Libertine Fragrance makes unisex fragrances "blended by hand" in Edmonton, Alberta, according to their website.
Libertine Fragrance is vegan and cruelty-free and comes in a variety of scent styles like woody, floral, spicy, green and sweet.
You can even choose your scent based on the season with warm and cool options. So no matter what type of scent you're looking for, they'll have you covered.
Province Apothecary
Brand: Province Apothecary
Product: Skincare
Why You Need It: You can buy skincare products from big brands like Neutrogena or Laneige, and sure, they may be great, but why not keep your skin looking fresh with a brand that only uses ingredients sourced from Canadian products?
Province Apothecary is a "plant-powered" skincare brand created by Julie Clark in Toronto to help treat her own eczema with organic products over steroid creams, according to their website.
The brand is dermatologist-tested, cruelty-free, vegan and ethically sourced, so you can feel good about using these products on your skin.
Products range from a Repairing + Conditioning Lip Balm for $8 to a Nourishing + Revitalizing Moisturizer for $79, so no matter your price range, you'll find something to buy here.
The Silk Labs
Brand: The Silk Labs
Product: Silk scrunchies and scarves
Why You Need It: Haircare starts with the products we use, but using the wrong elastic or hair tie can also cause breakage, so picking good hair ties can go a long way.
Silk scrunchies are known for minimizing breakage when wearing your hair up compared to other hair ties like elastics, and at The Silk Labs, you can buy scrunchies "ethically made" right in Toronto.
The Silk Labs makes 100% silk scrunchies with silk that comes from silkworms who have developed into moths, and then the textile is sourced from the moth's cocoon that's collected from the ground where it dropped, according to an the brand.
The shop also sells silk scarves you can wear in your hair and silk pillowcases if you want to protect your luscious locks while you sleep.
Prices range from $47 for a silk scarf to $48 for a set of four silk scrunchies.
So before you order from Amazon or hit up a big beauty brand like Sephora, you may want to buy from a Toronto-based brand instead.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
