portia-ella wouldn't exist without the visionaries behind our partner brands. These are women who saw something missing in the Canadian market and then found the courage and ambition to make it available. Or perhaps they had a dream to create something to call their own and change the course of life for themselves and their families. We are eager to champion them as individuals - powerful and full of passion. We are proud to offer their creations here at portia-ella; the largest selection of clean-beauty products in Canada.

Today we sit down with Graydon Moffat, founder and mind behind Graydon Skincare. "We exist to be an alternative to the legacy beauty brands our mothers used, and our legacy is one of age-positivity, transparency, sustainability, and, of course, efficacy. We create products you’ll be proud to use on your skin and pass on to others."

about business

What was the inspiration to start your brand? Before I was creating skincare, I was a vegan chef with a deep love for both cooking and baking. Cooking fostered my creativity and allowed me to experiment—I was constantly trying new flavour combinations and ingredients. Baking, on the other hand, required precision—every measurement had to be exact, every technique perfected. Some days, I felt more like a chemist than a pastry chef. This balance between experimentation and precision carried over when I began creating superfood skincare. But it wasn’t just my culinary background that led me to skincare. It was actually my experience as a yoga instructor that truly sparked the shift.

That’s because I was surrounded by women who felt comfortable opening up about their insecurities, especially the hormonal changes that came with aging and the impact that had on their health and appearance. I listened as they shared their frustrations with legacy skincare brands that pushed “anti-aging” narratives and made them feel like their skin was “flawed”. They wanted skincare that was natural and reliable from a brand that encouraged them to feel empowered and confident in their skin.

Hearing their stories made me realize there was a real need for the kind of skincare I was passionate about creating—products rooted in my knowledge of plant-based ingredients and superfoods. With some much-appreciated encouragement from my father, I took the leap, and Graydon Skincare was born.

What is your involvement in the creation of your products? I’m very involved in the product development process. It’s one of my strengths as a founder, translated over from my time as a vegan chef. Instead of dishes, I’m now cooking up plant-powered skincare! With the help of our chemist, Ivy Phung, I love the process of selecting innovative natural ingredients, refining a formula’s scent and texture, and perfecting the production process so that each product we put out is effective, imaginative, and a genuinely enjoyable sensory experience each time you apply it.

Add in that it’s important to me to source sustainable ingredients and ensure each product is suitable for sensitive skin, and each product becomes a thrilling challenge for me to puzzle out. Every step of developing a formula reminds me of the thrill of perfecting a dish. That’s actually why I’m sometimes called the Skin Chef!

Beyond my own personal love of the formulation process, it is gratifying to know I’m creating something that will have a positive impact on someone’s skin—and their confidence! That’s why I place so much importance on getting our formulas exactly right, even if it takes more time.

Amid all the challenges of owning your own business, what motivates you to continue chasing your dream? I’m motivated by the people who use my products. It pushes me and inspires me every time I’m reminded—whether through a kind word at an event, a good review on our site, or an encouraging message in my DMs—that I created this brand to be exactly what my former yoga clients were seeking; something they could trust in terms of efficacy, sustainability, and transparency, that didn’t prey on their insecurities, that approached their skin sensitivities with gentleness, and that felt good to use.

My dream is to offer skincare that is multipurpose, gentle, effective, and age positive so that every person—no matter what stage they’re at in life or their skincare journey—can have simple routines that positively impact their skin’s health and longevity.

Every time I’m reminded that Graydon Skincare is making the act of self care easier and better for someone, that is what gives me motivation!

about clean beauty

Is there a star ingredient in your product range? I’m excited by many of the ingredients in our products, but lately I’ve been especially fascinated with Torula Oil because it is the very first “biotech” ingredient we’ve used. It’s in our most recent launch, Moon Boost Serum.

Torula Oil is made using naturally occurring microorganisms through a process called “precision fermentation”—think making beer, yogurt, or even kombucha.  It sits at an interesting intersection of natural and lab-made because Torula Oil comes from natural sources like yeast, but is created in a lab to ensure consistent potency.

To me, it’s the next step forward in natural, ethical, and sustainable skincare, acting as an alternative to ingredients like palm oil that, while natural, also have a tremendously negative impact on the environment.

But when it comes down to it, I love Torula Oil because it’s great for your skin. It’s an oil that acts both as an emollient and an occlusive, making it phenomenal at moisturizing the skin. It also promotes a healthy skin barrier, has soothing properties, is a powerful antioxidant that firms skin, and is full of skin-loving components like carotenoids and pro-vitamins. What more could you ask for?

What is your favourite product from your brand? This is such a tough question to answer. All my products are my babies, so it’s hard to choose. I can say that lately, I’ve been using Aloe Milk, Moon Boost, Face Food, and Face Glow the most.

I’m a big fan of the creamy gentleness of Aloe Milk, and usually I’ll use a sponge to get some light exfoliation while I cleanse. Then, I’ll spritz with Face Food—I love how protecting and soothing the minerals in the mist are. I also find it great to dampen my face before applying Moon Boost. It helps make sure I spread our brightening multivitamin serum across every inch of my face. I love a subtle glow, so I’ll follow it up with Face Glow. It leaves my skin looking radiant and has a slight blurring effect.

Share your favourite clean beauty product you use regularly from another brand. I use Bathorium’s Golden Hour on the regular. I love a long, luxurious bath and I adore the scent—I feel rejuvenated every time I use this product.

Another fave of mine is Everist’s Quick-Dry Hair Towel. I’ve noticed that whenever I dry my hair with it after a shower, my hair looks silkier and smoother. I’m a busy person, so I also appreciate how quickly it dries my hair.

about you

Describe a “day in your life”. As a founder, I can definitely say work never gets boring! There is always something new to do, so my day-to-day life can vary a lot depending on what’s on my plate. But in general, I always try to incorporate self care into my day, finding moments here and there to take care of myself—both physically and mentally.

A day in my life usually starts with waking up and taking some time to meditate. Then, I’ll make a tea or a smoothie. Lately, I’ve been loving a coffee smoothie in the morning. I’ll spend some time checking my emails and replying to work messages. Any other work I can sneak in there, I’ll do it before it’s time to take my two rescue pups—Odie and Elf—for a walk. Then, it’s time for more work before I make myself lunch. I aim for something healthy, plant-based, and fresh every day, but I’ll never say no to some yummy leftovers, either.

In the afternoon, it’s time to work again. You’ll likely find me in back-to-back meetings at this time, but I also get to test products that are in development and spend time connecting with other brands and founders, which is always exciting!

Next up, another dog walk, dinner, and some time to myself. And I’d love to say work ends for me in the evening, but I’m a bit of a night owl, so I’ll usually spend some more time working. Thankfully, research is part of being a business owner, and I love diving into the latest industry news for some nightly reading.

Believe it or not, but in between all these daily activities, you’ll probably find me applying skincare 😉

Do you have any tips to maintain balance in your day-to-day? Any life hacks you would like to share? My number one tip is: make time for self-care in whatever form suits you, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time.

To me, this looks like taking time to stretch if I’ve been sitting at my desk for a while, practicing brain balancing breathwork, doing facial yoga and massaging my pressure points when I do my skincare (very helpful for centering myself in my body), and my daily dog walks. They're just as good for me as they are for my pups!