How We Got Here

How did we start a Canadian Tallow Skincare Company?

Well, let's start at the beginning...

Here's the story of how we met and how we got to the point of starting a Canadian skincare company in 2023. We started working together many years ago as creatives, one in a marketing role, one a photography role. The day Marsha showed up to talk about working with Karlee, they instantly clicked. The dream began..."wouldn't it be sweet if we could do this together, but for a product/service we are actually passionate about?". In 2021 Karlee left for maternity leave and Marsha left as well to follow her own passions in photography + flowers. A few years later, Karlee took the deep dive into finding a solution for her baby's eczema (you can read more about that here)...and discovered Tallow. After formulating her own skincare and becoming instantly obsessed, light bulbs went off. She presented the idea to Marsha - fast forward, here we are!

We are thrilled to bring this idea to the Canadian marketplace (albeit also terrified, 100% imposter syndrome). There are many challenges for small businesses in the Canadian marketplace, from raw material and shipping costs to scale and inventory. We're hopeful that with the support of our amazing customers that our small business will thrive. We're so confident in our products that there's no better time to start than now!

We wouldn't be doing all this without the surety that our products are absolutely the best. They are completely clean + natural, with ingredients that are actually good for you, truly healthy and healing.

Meet Karlee

I never thought I'd be, here, writing a bio about myself for my skincare company, but here we are! I'm an Ontario transplant that has been living in the Fraser Valley of BC now for over a decade. I've spent most of my career in marketing and graphic design. I finished my education in interior design shortly before ending my 9-5 and going on maternity leave. Never felt the pull to return to that 9-5 and by God's goodness I've been given this opportunity after a few years of mom life (the absolute best) with a side of mixed design work! I thoroughly enjoy researching and can often be found down a nutrition, hormone or toxin rabbit hole. I've always had super sensitive skin, even as a kid, so as a result I have spent a lot of my life searching for good skincare. Clean + natural products are now a necessity for me and my family, so formulating skincare has become part of that. I spend most of my time with my family that I love and when I'm not doing that you can find me growing all the dahlias and veggies or thrifting!

Meet Marsha

I was born and raised in the Lower Mainland, BC. After high school, I earned my Unit Clerk certificate and was hired at VGH at the age of 18. I worked there for a few years and during that time, married my wonderful hubby and was blessed with our first daughter. Returning to VGH with a 1 year old was not a good fit for our little family, so for the last 16 years, my main focus has been navigating the fulfilling journey of raising a family and keeping a little photography business on the side, which I continue to love and do. However, a new and exciting chapter begins as I delve into the world of skincare, a venture driven by a love for minimal and clean ingredients. As a mom to 3 girls this feels more important than ever. Outside of the realms of photography and skincare, you'll often find me in my garden growing flowers, on the sidelines cheering on my girls in their sports, camping and soaking up every bit of family time!

If you had to choose only one OWN product, what would it be?

  • Marsha's Choice

    Hard to pick when they are all so good!! I love our Lip Balm and the Better Balm but if I have to choose just one item it would be the Vanilla Whip. I’m not a huge product person so I love that this feels light, airy and effortless…and I’m always a sucker for a good scent - especially when it’s the good for you, non synthetic kind!

  • Karlee's Pick

    My preference is usually for unscented products so hands down, NUDE Whip. The OG product that started it all. It's like nothing I'd ever put on my body - I use it head-to-toe. Close second would be NUDE Balm, works wonders on scars + my fave for a concentrated face moisturizer before bed.

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So Tell Us More...

Q: What made you want to start a skincare brand?

K: Honestly, this isn't something that was ever on my radar. Marsha and I had been talking about starting something together for years. Once discovering tallow + formulating some skincare with it, it was really clear to me that this was a wicked product that I wanted to share. I called Marsha to an emergency meeting and here we are today!

M: Starting a skincare brand was not something I ever pictured for myself. However, when Karlee presented the idea to me, I was intrigued. After learning about the insane benefits and superhero qualities of Tallow, it didn’t take me long to get excited. As someone who is overwhelmed by all the products on the market and picky about how they feel on my skin, I was pumped at the idea of being able to offer a clean “do it all” option!

Q: What are your hopes for OWN Skin Co.?

M: My biggest hope is that tallow skincare will create a bit of a buzz and that people will get as excited about it as we are. One day, I’m hoping customers will have their OWN product that is a must have! You know, like that lip balm you don’t leave the house without.

K: I'd love to see Tallow Skincare become super popular. I see the shift where people are looking for clean options (that are actually clean) to replace what they use. They (and me included) want to be confident that the things we put on our bodies and our family's bodies aren't negatively affecting our health. I hope OWN Skin Co. can provide just that for years to come!

Q: What were your initial thoughts on Tallow?

M: My first thoughts on Tallow were skepticism. Knowing very little about it, I just thought it was animal fat for cooking. After doing some research I was shocked more people didn’t know about it (if you’d like to read about the benefits, click here). My skepticism very quickly turned to excitement and eagerness to get OWN skincare out into the world!

K: I initially was looking for a natural eczema option to help with my baby's skin (you can read more about that here). I couldn't find any so I formulated it myself and man, it was so good. So good I started using it on myself and instantly became obsessed. Once I researched the benefits, I became even more crazy about it.

Q: When you first learned about the benefits of tallow, were you shocked?

K: Yes and no....I'd already done the deep-dive into oils and figuring out that there are many oils out there that are less-than good for you (looking at you sunflower, soy, vegetable + canola oil) so I wasn't surprised a natural product would be so great. But I was surprised at the extensive benefits that tallow brings to the skincare table!

M: Yes, I was totally shocked, tallow has such an impressive list of qualities including many vitamins and minerals, it feels like a hidden gem that no one really knows about…until now!

Thank you!

We truly want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We so apprecaite you supporting our Canadian small business.

We couldn't bring these amazing Tallow skincare products to the market without YOU, our amazing customers!

Please share the love + follow us on Instagram!

And as always, many many thanks for shopping our Canadian tallow skincare!

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