Indigenous beauty brands go beyond skin deep – The Globe and Mail

Ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph has fond memories of being outdoors as a child. Growing up in B.C., she picked fresh fruits and vegetables from her late uncle’s garden along the Nanaimo River.

“I write about it in [Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness] – feeling the sun on my back, the breeze on my face and just how held, safe and calm I felt in those moments,” said Dr. Joseph, a member of the Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.

Those experiences helped nourish her connection to nature and inspired her to launch a skin-care company in 2017: Sḵwálwen Botanicals. The brand, which translates to ‘Heart’ in Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), pays homage to ancestral plant knowledge, inviting customers to connect with nature through small-batch lotions, cleansers, oils and salves.