the life cycle of green beauty

Just like everything else on our beautiful planet, our beauty products have life cycles too. From each product's inception, ingredients are sourced, packaging is designed, and labour is required to bring the product to life. Once we have finished using the product, it reaches the end of its life and whatever remains must be disposed of.

But what if doesn't have to end there? What if there's a way for us to renew this life cycle ourselves? And, are all product life cycles equal?

One of portia-ella's founding pillars is revolutionizing the life cycle of beauty products. Our logo, a 'p' for portia meaning "an offering" in latin, and an 'e' for ella meaning "the feminine", come together in a round shape, representing the circle of life. portia-ella represents an offering to the feminine within each of us, while respecting our planet and the circle of life. Enjoying beauty in our own individual ways is a great pleasure of life, and we're passionate about offering you a way to enjoy it with a smaller carbon footprint, and by putting your wellness first.

In celebration of Earth Day, we wanted to share what green beauty means to us, and how we strive to respect the Earth through the life cycles of our products.

ingredients

We are committed to using ingredients that offer the best of nature throughout the entire formula. From the base of the product to the powerful actives that create the results you love, our products are filled with ingredients that prioritize your health and the environment at every stage. We rely on plant oils, butters, extracts, and actives, many of which are recognizable upon reading your bottle, and abstain from including a long list of ingredients known to cause or linked to adverse health outcomes or negative impacts on the environment. Our brands make a conscious effort to focus on ingredients that are renewable or are upcycled from a different industry, further shrinking products' carbon footprints. Using high-quality ingredients result in a concentrated product that stretch a long way, meaning that you get more for less when compared to watered-down or filler-heavy products.

Read more about upcycled ingredients here:

Graydon | Three Ships | Étymologie

Read more about sustainably sourced ingredients here:

Graydon | Plume | Pure Anada

sourcing & ethics

Green beauty requires sustainable and ethical sourcing as well. It's our responsibility to consider the product pre-production, as well as post-production, considering everyone who was involved in the supply and production chain. We are mindful about how the people who grew, harvested, and processed the ingredients were treated, that children were not exploited mining for ingredients, and that animals are not being harmed while being tested on.

While over 95% of our collection is plant-based, we do offer a small selection of animal-based products that are sourced from small local farms for those who enjoy having that option. Use our filter feature on each page to shop based on your values.

packaging

For brands Pura Botanicals, Cocoon Apothecary, Malechemy, Elate, Graydon, Routine, and Zyderma, we accept back your packaging so that they can be returned to the brand and to PACT, with whom these brands have partnered with to help close the loop and life cycle of packaging. Please ensure that items brought back are fully cleaned. Learn more about PACT and the brands that they partner with.

For all of our other brands, please keep in mind that plastic indicates whether it is recyclable on it itself, and most glass is recyclable. Plastic components are not recyclable in some cases, but after being cleaned, could be utilized for other purposes in your home if you so desire. Please bring any cleaned portia-ella empties back to us for repurposing, recycling, and upcycling. At this time, we are not accepting any other brands' packaging for disposal. With many of our brands offering refills or refill sizes of their products, we are truly heading in a new direction, a positive one, filled with continued innovations, ideas, possibilities, and beauty.

Each of our brands approach their sustainability missions based on (no surprise) the products they make. A packaging strategy that's genius for deodorant won't necessarily work for lipstick. The packaging for a facial moisturizer, although fantastic, may not work for a foundation.

Instead, each brand is continuously testing, innovating, and receiving feedback from their customers to reach the best solution. What might be low waste and sustainable in theory may not be any more sustainable than single use plastic. How?! Because if no one can functionally use this product, if it's not an enjoyable experience, no one will choose to use it. So we aim for balance and the best possible options from all perspectives.

Some of the ways our brands consciously package:

locally made, fully recyclable boxes made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper
no boxes on some or all products to minimize waste
soy or vegetable ink used on boxes, which are less harmful to the environment
labels printed directly onto glass or plastic to avoid extraneous paper/plastic labels
package-free options (soaps, hair bars)
biodegradable solutions (compostable makeup wipes, eyemasks, sponges) shop low-waste
refillable makeup, skincare & body care shop now
choosing dark glass bottles that help keep products fresh and protected for longer.
packaging in PCR (Post Consumer Recyclable) plastic
repurpose-able glass packaging (come visit our boutique to see how we repurpose product packaging in store!)

refilling

We're thrilled to offer over 30 products as refills at our boutique on Lilac Street in Winnipeg, where you can refill your original product bottles (or any bottle of your choice), saving disposable packaging from ending up in the landfill. But the benefits don't end there, as you can save 15-30% when you purchase refills! Explore refills.

For those who can't refill in person, we have over 300 more products that come in refillable packaging (think refillable magnetic makeup compact), low waste packaging (think cardboard tubes, pencils, and compostable packaging), and much more. Explore low waste.

cruelty-free, organic, fair trade & certified clean

While many of our brands have earned eco certifications like Leaping Bunny, COSMOS Organic, CertCLEAN, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, USDA Organic, and more, some of our brands are hyperlocal young organizations that haven't gotten certified in all of these areas yet. Despite this limitation, all of our brands strive to uphold the highest green standards with respect to ingredients, supply and production chains, and being cruelty-free. As the green beauty industry grows in Canada, more brands are able to earn these certifications, and continue raising the bar for the entire beauty industry.