EVIO BEAUTY

Meet the millennial mogul who is taking the beauty industry by storm and empowering women along the way.  Brandi Leifso is the founder and Chief Executive of Evio Beauty, a brand that is as ethically conscious as it is aesthetically beautiful. Founded with a purpose of social impact, this brand, spearheaded by Brandi, is on a mission to break down stigmas, promote female entrepreneurship, and eradicate animal cruelty and testing within the beauty space. Sounds like a tall order but for Brandi, it's essential with her mission of "Creating a conscious future." 

In what is absolutely a remarkable achievement, Brandi was recently chosen to speak at the Forbes Under 30 Global Women's Summit being held on March 31-April 4, 2019 in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Selection for this event aligns her with the most powerful business leaders and inspiring minds around the world who are recognized for the change they create throughout society and in their own communities.  At 28 years old, this is nothing short of impressive, but that's not to say her rapid success came without prior hardships. 

At the age of 21, Brandi was living in a women's shelter and had been out of the school system since she was 14. During her time at the shelter, her love of cosmetics and her passion for social change collided and the concept of "Evio Beauty" was born. Since then, she has been on the fast track to success and there has been no turning back.

Among her many entrepreneurial successes Brandi has established lasting relationships with over 50 coveted retailers including QVC, Credo, and Aillea as well as a direct to consumer model. She has secured a highly coveted spot as a 2018 alumni member of the esteemed Sephora Accelerate program (the only Canadian company to do so), and she has even raised more than $1.4m in pre-seed funding through her many strategic alliances and strong relationships.  

Her most recent alliance gained national acclaim when it was announced she had secured a partnership with one of the world's largest cannabis companies, Aurora Cannabis.  The partnership between Evio Beauty and Aurora is aimed at creating a new line of approved hemp seed oil based product formulations, as well as approved CBD based products and the brain-child of the partnership is launching in short order.  Two new product lines respectively called Evio Skin and Evio Beauty will utilize the healing and rejuvenating properties of the hemp and cannabis plants. 

As the burgeoning cannabis and hemp industries are met with skepticism and appreciation, Brandi is full steam ahead with her endeavor.  She views any uncertainty as yet another stigma she can help break down.  With this new business venture, Evio Beauty will continue to maintain its ethical standards by ensuring that their products are vegan, cruelty free, and gluten free. Implementing hemp has even improved their ability to be ethically conscious.  They've eliminated animal by-products, increased ingredient transparency, and reduced overall the use of plastic.

Brandi doesn't just talk the talk of women's empowerment, she walks the walk day in and day out.  As a Toronto native, she jumped at the chance to support the Canadian Women's Foundation and even partnered with them to donate $1 from every sale to the foundation. When you buy a new lip-gloss or mascara from Evio Beauty, your money is championing the cause of the foundation that helps women in Canada move out of violence and poverty, and move into roles of confidence and leadership.

As the world continues to evolve and millennials continue to advance into positions of power, keep your eye on Brandi Leifso.  The mark she will leave on the beauty industry will be indelible, and the impact she will have on the next generation of women who hope to be in her shoes one day will be profound.