How One Mom’s Struggles With Eczema Inspired Her To Create her Own Natural Skin Care Brand
In CafeMom's monthly series, Work It, Mama, powerful moms detail how they navigate their professions and home life.
After struggling with severe allergies and eczema all her life, Julie Clark was tired of trying to cover up her eczema with steroid creams. She knew there had to be a better way to live with allergies and eczema.
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and that was definitely the case for this new mom. Armed with a spatula and a mixing bowl, she began formulating her own natural, organic skin care products. Despite her busy schedule as a costume designer and stylist, Julie found herself drawn to holistic healing and plant medicine, and she used her time off to experiment with oils, waxes, and herbs, all in pursuit of healing her own eczema.
Long story, short: It all worked out. In helping people achieve radiant and healthy skin, Julie found her passion and calling. In 2010, she began studying aromatherapy, holistic health, herbal medicine, and esthetics in Toronto, Canada. There, she formed the foundation of her skin care expertise, and the Province Apothecary skincare line and spa was born.
CafeMom had the pleasure of interviewing the Province Apothecary founder for Eczema Awareness Month, which is October, and we know that you'll find her journey as inspiring as we do.
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As a mom and the founder of Province Apothecary, how do you manage to balance the demands of running a skin care business with the responsibilities of motherhood?
"Being a working mom is no easy feat," the founder of Province Apothecary tells us. "I thankfully have a wonderful partner that has more flexibility with his work than I do, so from the get-go he has been extremely supportive of me and my career and has been able to pick up a lot of the child care (pickups, drop-offs, bedtime, etc.) when I wasn't able to be there with our son. We sadly don't have any family nearby to help us and have been fortunate to find nearby babysitters to help us on the weekends and the evenings when we need some extra support."
Your journey from a costume designer to a holistic health practitioner is fascinating. Can you share a bit more about the pivotal moments that led you to explore holistic healing and create your own skin care products?
"I've had eczema since I was born and it was always a huge problem and concern for me. In my late 20s I got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and had a realization that just putting prescription creams on my skin and hoping it would heal was not really a solution. There were deeper issues causing my skin issues. I wanted natural products to help it heal, once and for all.
"This led me on the journey to becoming an aromatherapist, holistic health practitioner, and holistic skin therapist. I fell in love with making products, and slowly my skin started to improve as I began to incorporate everything I was learning. Now, 13 years later, I love helping people with their skin issues (premature aging, inflammation, acne, eczema) and I tap into all the knowledge I have gained and experienced over the last decade in my healing journey."
Having struggled with severe allergies and eczema, you've mentioned formulating your own skin care products was a turning point. How did this personal struggle shape your perspective on skin care and influence the ethos of Province Apothecary?
"This has been the driving force behind everything we do at Province Apothecary. Without my own personal struggle there would be no PA or products."
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You mentioned gathering inspiration from your team, customers, and seasons for your product formulas. Can you share a specific instance where an unexpected source inspired a unique skin care formulation?
"Our Clear Skin Advanced Spot Concentrate was inspired by our team and our facial clients. I had a spot treatment before this one that was focused on healing acne spots but wasn’t focused on healing cystic, inflamed pimples. I noticed a change in people's breakouts and still do today. Most breakouts I see are caused by internal reasons and generally need to be healed by healing the inflammation first. I am so grateful for my time in the treatment room with clients because it is where I learn so much!"
The brand name Province Apothecary is deeply connected to Canadian provinces. How do you decide which local ingredients to incorporate into your products, and how has this commitment to local sourcing influenced your brand’s identity?
“When I started the brand, I was obsessed with finding local ingredients because I wanted to celebrate what was grown across the country and I knew that it would be beneficial for our skin, because it is where we live. I am always on the lookout for locally grown Canadian ingredients and get so excited about them. We recently updated our moisturizer and I wanted to add a Canadian ingredient to the new formula if we could and it made sense. Willowherb was brought to my attention, and there was no way we couldn't add it in because it has amazing results," Julie explains.
"Canadian Willowherb is a powerful skin soother, antioxidant, and free radical scavenger that’s clinically proven to reduce skin redness within 30 minutes of use and blemishes within four weeks."
Could you elaborate on why certain Canadian ingredients, like organic seaweed from Nova Scotia or maple syrup from Quebec, are your favorites? How do these ingredients contribute to the effectiveness of your skin care line?
"Province Apothecary is a plant-powered skin care line that is made from potent and beautiful plants. Seaweed is so wonderful for the skin because it is jam-packed full of nutrients and will help nourish and revitalize the skin. Maple syrup is one of my favorite skin softeners. It is a sugar and helps gently exfoliate the skin, leaving it so soft and smooth.
"I care about eating a whole food diet, and I care about putting whole plants on my skin. I personally think they are more effective than any synthetic alternative."
You've mentioned that your formulas are 'founded on plant medicine and holistic wellness and are backed by science.' Can you provide an example of how you strike a balance between traditional plant-based remedies and modern scientific principles in your formulations?
"As an aromatherapist, I have studied the power and effectiveness of essential oils, and essential oils have been studied for centuries and have a lot of amazing clinical results. We also add in clinically proven ingredients to our products that have scientific studies behind them such as well – like willowherb, lupin and quinoa peptides, Bakuchiol oil, hyaluronic acid, and more. All of our products are examples of plant-based remedies with modern ingredients in them."
How does Province Apothecary contribute to local communities and the planet through its practices? In what ways do you ensure that your products align not only with the well-being of your customers but also with environmental responsibility?
"At Province Apothecary, we are committed to contributing to a reduced environmental footprint and giving back to our communities. We donate a percentage of sales to several different organizations each year. These organizations are selected by our team and strive to benefit our community and the planet at large," Julie explains.
"We have high standards when it comes to our environmental footprint, and we ensure that we have sustainable packaging, plant-based ingredients, responsible and ethical sourced ingredients, packaging and tools, have a recycling partnership, and use renewable energy."
Entrepreneurship is often a journey of challenges and triumphs. Can you share a specific challenge you faced while building Province Apothecary and how you overcame it?
"Starting Province Apothecary was one of the biggest challenges for me because starting a company just seemed so never-ending. I was overworked, exhausted, and working on PA while waitressing to support starting the business. It took me over two years to get PA off the ground and in a position that I could quit my waitressing job. I was so fortunate to have so many amazing friends and clients supporting me in this journey, egging me on to continue and reminding me of the bigger mission I had in starting this company," Julie shares.
"If you are an entrepreneur and feel like starting your company isn't happening the way you wanted it to or fast enough, do not give up. Keep working hard and great things will happen."
As part of National Eczema Awareness Month, what initiatives or messages does Province Apothecary plan to share with its audience? How do you envision contributing to eczema awareness and support during this time?
"Our message has always been that we are there for you and we know that eczema is challenging. Province Apothecary has an alternative option for you if you are interested in trying a non-steroid cream," Julie tells us.
"Our mission is to help people with their skin and help the skin heal the best way it can for the long term. We try to share before and after examples of how our products have worked for other people, as well as tips and tricks because applying a product is only part of it," she says.
"For me and many of my clients, lifestyle plays a huge role in eczema flare-ups. Some of my favorite things to do to support my skin, body and reduce my internal and topical inflammation is to sleep at least eight hours a night, drink lots of water to keep my skin hydrated from the inside out, and process my stress and minimize it as best as possible. Lastly, I eat a diet rich in whole foods and minimize the amount of processed foods I consume."
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