What does Vancouver beauty look like? Much of it is environmentally-conscious, locally aware, and backed by the latest science. From spa-worthy body care to high-performance skincare, it’s time to recharge your beauty routine by adding some homegrown, must-have brands to your product collection. Here are four of our favourites…

Skoah
Skoah is a Vancouver-based personal skincare company that states its focus is creating ecstatic customers, “one face at a time.” Integrating science and nature, their powerful skincare products are loaded with effective high-performance plant extracts, vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds, but leave out heavy mineral oils, uses only paraben-free preservatives, and are free from sulphates. We really appreciate that this unisex beauty brand promises results and stands behind this promise: if you are unhappy with the way your skin looks or feels any time within 60 days of your purchase, Skoah will replace your products or refund your money – with a Skoah smile.

Beauty Through Balance
If you’ve been pampered at Sense, A Rosewood Spa at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, you’re probably familiar with Beauty Through Balance as the spa uses products from this local company. Since the early 90s, Beauty Through Balance has offered a range of beauty products that contain ethically and sustainably harvested ingredients from around the world renowned for their curative properties, including BC glacial clay and Canadian salts. The Green Tea Seaweed Salt Glow is one of their most popular items and a must-try. Packed with fresh local Pacific seaweed, this scrub promises to help improve skin tone and texture, leaving skin smoother in appearance.

Spruce Body Lab BodyCare
Available at the Spruce Body Lab Spa or online, each of Spruce Body Lab BodyCare’s products contains natural ingredients, is free of parabens and sulphates, and is blended and bottled locally in Vancouver. The items that you’ll find in our shower are the Be Fresh Alpine Body Wash (containing coconut oil, rosemary leaf extract, green tea extract and essential oils) that has a wonderful fresh scent, and the Be Smooth Exfoliating Body Scrub that gently exfoliates the body with British Columbia white sugar and an uplifting blend of blood orange, lavender, and vanilla essential oils.

Belmondo
From the Italian words meaning “beautiful world,” and last name of creator Daniela, Belmondo is a luxurious organic skincare line popular with North American beauty aficionados. All of the products are lovingly made by hand in small batches, using organic, wild-harvested and natural ingredients – each ingredient having been carefully chosen for its reputed potent healing and nurturing effect on the skin. The key component to the Belmondo line is olive oil – sourced from Italy where Daniela’s family tree has roots (pun intended) – and infused with organic calendula, chamomile flower, lavender, and rosehip. Belmondo was created out of a desire to share the incredible natural properties of olive oil, and we’re glad that it was.

Have you tested out any of these local beauty brands?Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.