Trinitae Toronto Voted One of the TOP 10 Skincare Stores in Toronto!

The top 10 skin care stores in Toronto

Posted by Natalia Manzocco / APRIL 8, 2015

26 Comments

Skin care stores in Toronto are there for you when you need something a little more heavy-duty than whatever's on the shelves at Shoppers Drug Mart (and want to shop for it in an environment less overwhelming than Sephora). Breaking away from the bigger chains can open your mind (and your pores) to a whole new world of possibilities. Whether your skin craves fragrance-free, all-natural formulations or world-renowned boutique lines, you'll be able to find that glow you're looking for.

Here are my picks for the top skin care stores in Toronto.

Cure Apothecary
This new Queen West shop is low-key, welcoming, and brimming with all-organic beauty products for guys and gals. Products tend toward the light, soothing and easily absorbed, with plenty of fragrance-free options available for sensitive skin. (Be sure to check out the locally-made face and beard oils from F. Miller.)

Gee Beauty
If you've got a high skin care budget, book it over to (where else?) Rosedale. This Yonge and Roxborough salon, in addition to a menu of luxurious beauty procedures, will sell you some of the skin care world's best brands to go, including Eve Lom, Rodin, Skinceuticals and Dermalogica.

Consonant Skincare
This Canadian skin care line started as a pet project for a longtime sufferer of skin ailments, and morphed into a major success story, with a flagship boutique landing near Yonge and Eglinton in 2011. Since then, the company been converting Torontonians to its line of eco-friendly, all-natural products, served up in clean, minimal packaging by knowledgeable staff.

Husk
This Yorkville shop, founded by a nutritionist and personal trainer, merges a hippie naturalism with Mink Mile luxury. Though marquee skin care companies like Tata Harper are represented, the focus on all-natural, holistic products extends to local lines like The Parkdale Butter and finds from further afield, like The Body Deli's fruit-infused cleansers and Hurraw lip balm.

Trinitae
All of Trinitae's skin care products are derived from the fruit, herbs and minerals of Jordan, with Dead Sea mud and aloe vera front and centre in their masks, creams, and cleansers. (Another bonus: Naturally occurring scents like vanilla, lavender, rosemary and patchouli.)

Saje
This Vancouver-based line, a recent Toronto transplant, has the distinction of using absolutely zero synthetic ingredients in their products, from toners and cleansers to serums and moisturizers. (They're even refusing to roll out their forthcoming haircare line until they find botanicals that work just as well as the synthetic stuff.) 

Kiehl's
Though they might set themselves apart from Toronto's skin care boutiques thanks to their international chain status, it's tough to leave Kiehl's Queen West flagship store off of the list. The New York-based company has long been a favourite of no-nonsense men and women looking for unfragranced, unfussy skin products that get the job done.

Miracle10
This Toronto-based line, and its accompanying Yorkville boutique, were dreamed up by plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Lista. They dispense with the straight-from-the-earth focus for a medically-driven approach in a sleek, glossy boutique, but their products have drawn rave reviews all the same - and though there's a strong anti-aging focus, those with acne and other skin issues will find something to like.

MenEssentials
On top of being one of the best sources in town for shaving gear and men's fragrances, this Danforth shop has plenty of range when it comes to skin care. Their thousands-strong inventory, featuring a mix of new and old-school brands (including Baxter of California, Anthony Logistics and D.H. Harris) makes them well-suited to hit a number of price points.

Pure + Simple
They made their name as a Toronto chain of skin-oriented spas, but it's worth stopping in for a spot of shopping as well. They've formulated a number of natural in-house lines, including an ayurveda-focused collection and one geared toward men; in addition, you'll find products from Aussie line Jurlique, Germany's Martina Gebhart, and Kaia Naturals, based right here in Toronto.

Nabulsi All-Natural Soap Featured on 1LOVET.O

Nabulsi Soap is an all-natural, olive oil based soap made up of just four ingredients: 100% pure olive oil, water, salt and lye. That’s it. No additives, no preservatives, no harsh chemicals and no perfumes; only pure, natural ingredients straight from the earth. Ideal for those with sensitive skin, it is gentle enough to use on babies’ delicate derma. In fact, many people even wash their fruits and vegetables with it. How’s that for all-natural?

Co-owner of Nubi Trading Co., Ariane Laezza, has recently opened the Trinitae flagship store in Toronto that offers unique, all-natural skincare products and Nabulsi is also sold exclusively there.

“The Nabulsi Soap is where Nubi Trading Co. started, it’s something I feel very passionate about. This is part of one of the oldest soap making traditions in the world that traces back about a thousand years,” Ariane expressed.

“It’s from Nablus, which is a ancient Palestinian city. The Nabulsi soap is still made the same way as it always has been; handmade, hand cut, and hand wrapped.”

Traditionally made by Palestinian women for household use, Nabulsi Soap is made up of 100% virgin olive oil, water, salt and lye. The mixture is then heated with water and olive oil in large copper vats over fermentation pits. The solution of water and the sodium compound becomes increasingly concentrated in a series of 40 cycles repeated over eight days. During that time, an oar-shaped wooden tool known as a dukshab is used to stir the liquid soap continuously. Once the ideal level of concentration is reached, the liquid soap is then spread in wooden frames to set and then cut into its classic cube shape and stamped with the company’s trademark seal; the ostrich. The soap cubes are then stacked into their distinctive cone-shaped structures until they are completely dry.

The final product is ivory in colour and is unscented except for naturally subtle hints of earth and olives. The result is a beautifully balanced, naturally moisturizing product that is ideal for all skin types.

“It’s a nice neutral product and it’s better as it ages because the soap loses some of its moisture and it’s more concentrated,” Ariane said.

Being that the holiday season has come to an end and the month of love is just days away, the Nabulsi Soap makes for a nice little addition to your Valentine’s Day gift.

“Holt Renfrew picked up Nabulsi for the holidays and listed it on the Toronto Life Gift Guide,” she added.

Well, there you have it – the one stop soap for all natural purposes: from head to toe, to fruit and veggies and from floor to ceiling. Treat yourself, your home and your loved ones for just $6 a bar. Visit Ariane at Trinitae (254 Niagara Street).

It’s the simple things that matter. Live natural. All natural. 

Posted by Christina Cheng

Previously: Trinitae All-Natural Skin Care Opens Flagship Store In Toronto

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Bathe Yourself In The Best the Jordan Valley Has To Offer

First published on iamjvtvs.com

Who said that aromatherapy had to be just for the women. With the the best ingredients that the Jordan Valley can offer all-natural cosmetics line Trinitae debuts to their Canadian customers a line of products proven to invigorate, relax and scrub away the dirt of the day.

Curated with locally sourced herbs and fruits Trinitae offers inventive ways to get your body clean with an infused soap loofa (our personal favourite of the line) offering both a scrubbing and cleansing action, perfect for the overeager man on the go. Also notable products are their Dead Sea Mud which brings the benefits of the sea’s healing properties leaving your skin cleared of impurities and a Rosemary Mint massage oil perfect for pleasurable times with your lover.

Trinitae also celebrates the opening of their flagship store in the trendy and ironic Trinity Bellwoods area on 254 Niagara St. For those not in the Toronto area Trinitae offers the entire collection online. Either a great gift or staple to your bathing regime Trinitae offers a wide array of products that will change the way you look at bath time.

Heavenly Vanilla Aromatherapy Soap 

Invigorating Rosemary Aromatherapy Soap 

Invigorating Lemon Grass and Neroli

Sweet Orange Aromatherapy Soap Loofa

Herbal Citrus Aromatherapy Loofa 

Lavender Aromatherapy Foot Loofa 

Herbal Citrus Aromatherapy Loofa 

Dead Sea Mud

Rosemary Mint Aromatherapy Massage Oil 

Toronto Life Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Homebodies →

We're so excited to have Nabulsi Soap featured in this year's Toronto Life gift guide!. Read what Hilary Weston from Holt Renfrew has to say about this beautiful soap-making tradition:

"Handcrafted and made with pure olive oil, these soaps are lightly scented, antioxidant rich and naturally moisturizing." - Hilary Weston, Holt Renfrew

Nabulsi Soap is available at multiple Holt Renfrew locations around Canada as part of the H Project.

The Culture Of Clean: A History Of Artisan Soap Makers

"Painstaking, beautiful processes are employed to maintain the legacies of such soaps—pouring, cutting, stamping, and curing handled with the utmost care. While the tradition of soap-making has thrived in some of these cities (bricks of Savon de Marseille are familiar imports), it barely survives in others. Sadly, war and sanctions have created near-impossible working conditions for the artisans of Syria and Palestine." 

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