Alumna, scientist, and entrepreneur Antoinette Nguyen (’10 BSc, ’16 PhD). Photo credit: Dawn Graves
When you think of beauty and skin care, does your mind think skin deep? Or does it go a little further beneath the surface?
For alumna and entrepreneur Antoinette Nguyen (’10 BSc, ’16 PhD), it all comes back to science—and that means digging deep into the details.
“I want to consider skin care at the cellular level,” Nguyen says. “When it comes to your skin, you want to make space for young, healthy cells. These cells are functioning well, and this is what gives skin a soft, supple texture. Otherwise, older, even dead, skin cells will clump together at the top layer of the skin, causing dullness or rough texture. Scientifically, youthful cells are generally healthier—so why not make this the goal of your skin-care routine?”
In November 2018, Nguyen launched her own skin-care company. Her mission? Bringing authentic, natural, and effective skin care to her community in order to foster self-care and acceptance. And Nguyen set out to accomplish this the scientist’s way—through intensive research and rigorous testing. Before launching her business in November 2018, she put a great deal of thought into its moniker. The skin-care company pays homage to a well-known symbol of longevity in some eastern cultures.
“I wanted a name that matched the experience of using all-natural skin-care products—something that people could feel when they said it out loud, something that brings to mind softness, luxury, and warmth. So, we came up with Velvet Crane.”
The science of self-care
A self-described enthusiastic researcher, Nguyen began her journey in science and academia during her undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Science in 2010, majoring in biological sciences and minoring in psychology. Following that, she completed a PhD in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, where she now works as a postdoctoral fellow by day. By night (and weekends and evenings and every other moment she can spare), she is the one-woman operation behind Velvet Crane.
“We’re a boutique skin-care brand. We make everything by hand in small batches. And we examine every ingredient that goes into our products.”
Throughout her academic career, Nguyen has studied the role of natural health products in pregnancy, as well as wound healing and scarring. Her rich knowledge of the skin combined with her enthusiasm for research leave her well positioned to develop innovative and effective skin-care products. It means that each ingredient used in Velvet Crane’s products is meticulously and methodically researched.
“I’m able to take my background in research and experience putting together literature reviews and apply it to the process of selecting ingredients,” Nguyen explains. “For example, I wanted to determine which base to use in the lip balm and what ingredients would be most naturally moisturizing for the skin. I chose to work with beeswax because it forms a natural seal, keeping the natural moisture in your lips inside, and forming a protective barrier.”
And the work doesn’t stop when she lands on the “perfect formula”—because in the world of research, the job is never really done.
“It’s evolving, which means that we’re always working to assess, examine, and refine both the ingredients we use and the ways in which we combine them.”
For Nguyen and Velvet Crane, natural and sustainable ingredients are part of the company’s core mission to foster self-care in the community.
“The mission of Velvet Crane is to deliver self-care and self-love through our products. The products are really just a delivery system. The whole point is for you to take a little bit of time, practise mindfulness, and focus just on yourself. For example, when I talk about the lip exfoliant, I describe it to people like this: It’s taking just 30 seconds, once a week, to be with yourself. It’s not just about physically exfoliating your lips. It’s also about taking time for yourself, and the mentality of looking after you.”
Spreading their wings
Since its launch in November 2018, Velvet Crane has continued on a steady upward trajectory. In the spring of its first year, the brand was showcased—not once, but three times—in the British edition of Vogue magazine.
And in late 2019, the company expanded to begin offering products at local Edmonton retailers, in addition to its online and market sales.
“Right now, we’re a business of one. I create the products, fill orders, drop items off to our local retailers—though I do rely on support from my family, friends, and other creators and small businesses in Edmonton,” explains Nguyen. “Eventually, I want Velvet Crane to be an outlet through which I can contribute to causes that are important to our society, such as clearing plastics from the ocean. I hope this company grows to a place where philanthropy is in our future.”