Entrepreneur and scientist Evelyne Nyairo knows the importance of ethics when it comes to esthetics. Her company, Ellie Bianca, is a sustainable and socially conscious skin-care line that sources the majority of its natural ingredients, such as shea butter, from women-run co-ops in Africa. Nyairo’s serums, oils, lip balms and other products can be found at Sobeys, Safeway, Calgary Co-op, Blush Lane Organic Markets and Community Natural Foods. Last year, Ellie Bianca was also picked up by Hudson’s Bay Canadawide.
While Nyairo’s professional brand might be successful skin care, her personal brand is supporting success for women. In 2019, the Ellie Bianca foundation launched its inaugural scholarship to encourage single mothers to enrol and graduate from post-secondary studies. Nyairo was inspired by her own experiences with the women in her life supporting her through the birth of her daughter so that she could continue to pursue academic and professional aspirations. “Having my daughter as a single mom, there was a commonality that I saw: women would be there for me and support me,” she says. “A lot happened that gave me that energy and willingness to want to support others and build our brand around women-empowerment.”