Why Buying Canadian Beauty Products Is One of the Most Radical Things You Can Do

Every dollar you spend at a locally owned business recirculates in your community roughly 2.5 times before it leaves. Every dollar spent at a multinational brand recirculates roughly once before most of it leaves the local economy. These aren't estimates — they're figures from economic multiplier studies conducted in dozens of cities over thirty years.

We're not going to pretend that buying Kasandy face oil is an act of radical political economy. But we do think it's worth being honest about what the choice actually means.

The carbon argument

A product made in Vancouver and sold to a customer in Vancouver has a dramatically shorter supply chain than the same product made in a factory in South Korea, warehoused in New Jersey, and shipped to a customer in Vancouver. The packaging, the product, the energy that made it — all of it has a carbon footprint, and proximity reduces it.

This is not the main reason we make things locally. The main reason is that local production gives us direct control over quality, labour conditions, and the ability to iterate quickly. But the environmental argument is real and worth naming.

The support-what-you-love argument

Granville Island is one of the most distinctive creative and artisan communities in North America. It exists because people chose, for decades, to shop there — to pay slightly more for handmade things from local makers than for mass-produced things from large retailers. That choice, made repeatedly by enough people, sustained the ecosystem.

The same logic applies to anything you buy from a small local producer. You're not just buying a product; you're voting for the existence of that kind of maker, in your city.

We find this kind of buying more satisfying than the alternative. Your mileage may vary. But we think it's worth at least being aware of what you're choosing when you choose.