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WATERLOO — While scouring local shops as a new mom, Jen Freitas couldn’t find beauty and skin care products that were well-made and truly clean.
The Waterloo native has been conscious of what she consumed, not just in terms of food, but what makeup she wore, for “as long as she could remember.”
As a single mom raising twin toddlers, she wanted to find a way to merge her desire for sustainable living and bring in an income for her family, which is how The Truth Beauty Company was born.
“What really concerned me growing up was the use of petroleum products in everyday makeup and skin care and doing my best not to use products with them,” said Freitas. “I was planning on having children well before I had (them) and wanted to make sure I was doing my part when it came to sustainability.”
She started her business in 2010, selling beauty products that don’t include parabens or petroleum byproducts, were cruelty-free and had packaging that was recyclable.
Within a couple of years, she realized her products were not entirely inclusive of all hair types and skin tones, so began to expand the lines she sold.
“Clean beauty should be accessible to all, not just people who use fairer shades and don’t have curly hair,” said Freitas. “It was also important for me to have offerings at affordable prices to make sure finances were not a barrier for those trying to get into clean beauty.”
Three and a half years into running her business, she moved from her first location further down King Street to her current storefront in Uptown Waterloo’s old Princess Twin Cinemas.
“It was scary at first because my current space is double the size of my original store and I felt that I didn’t have enough stock to fill out the entire place,” said Freitas.
As a single mother running her own business, Freitas says she struggled to get the financing she needed to expand the business, but was eventually able to secure it, with her father co-signing on the loan.
“From Day 1, I wanted to source products myself and dive deep into not just educating myself on what my clients need but how to share sustainable living with them,” said Freitas. “I needed the capital to source what I thought people would like and need.”
The Truth Beauty Company was a pioneer in clean beauty, Freitas says, selling many brands of sustainable beauty products early on that are now sold at large retailers like The Bay, Indigo and Sephora.
Like many businesses, Freitas’ storefront quickly had to pivot when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
Just before the pandemic, she opened a second store in Guelph, but because of public health restrictions, she changed gears to focus on having a strong e-commerce presence and concentrate on the original store in Waterloo.
“It was definitely an adjustment because I started out my business when e-commerce was barely a thing,” said Freitas. “However, having so many loyal customers at our physical store helped drive organic traffic to our online shop when they were in need of some replenishment.”
Freitas says her business and general way of sustainable living is a form of activism for her that she feels makes an impact.
“I am incredibly selective of what I buy and what I offer at my store because I want to make sure the products people consume are truly beneficial to not just themselves but the environment,” said Freitas.
“Rather than just saying I believe in something, I wanted to create change within myself and in my community and I think I have done just that.”
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