With a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication, Heather Lux, founder of True North Beauty, spent 20 years working for progressive Fortune 100 consumer good manufacturing and sales companies.
But after years of working “crazy hours,” Lux said she had completely lost all direction.
“I made an effort to reconnect with myself and define my life goals. I ended up rediscovering my confidence and purpose in life and redefined my passions.” Soon after that journey, the True North Beauty skin care and makeup brand was born.
“I am fully committed and passionate about True North Beauty and its mission. My vision for this company is to create a nationally recognized, leading skin care and lifestyle brand within the next five years. I feel so strongly that I will achieve this, that I left my full-time career in November 2017 to pursue this full time and have been running it on my own with help from my husband and a part-time marketer.”
Question: True North Beauty is a “second act” for you. Why did you decide to start this company?
Answer: I had a successful career in corporate America for decades, and although I was good at what I did, I had lost my passion for it. Deep down I knew that I wanted something of my own—I wanted to build a company with a culture that I fully believed in; with a mission to connect with, help, and inspire others in some way. The skin care aspect initially was to meet a personal need on my end. I was disappointed with the products on the market and wanted to create a product that was clean and effective to address my skin concerns, yet luxurious enough to feel like I had been to the spa without really going to one.
Question: Chaga, a black fungus that grows on birch trees, is not what one might consider a pretty sight. How did you discover it, and what made you investigate its possibilities for a high-end beauty line?
Answer: My partner, Michael, a former Maine Forest Ranger gets all of the credit of introducing me to chaga. He had heard about all of the amazing benefits of chaga from a friend and being a forest ranger, it was easy for him to spot. It was during a backyard walk with Michael that I was telling him how I was in search of a unique and powerful ingredient to formulate my skin care products with. He then pointed out chaga to me and told me all about its amazing properties. Quick research on my own helped me to appreciate the value of this ingredient and I knew I had to figure out how to incorporate it into my skincare products. Michael harvested a piece from our back yard and I formulated some products with it. After some trial and error, I finally came up with a patent-pending way to extract the powerful properties, like B vitamins and antioxidants, from chaga and turn them into high-end skin care.
Question: Where and how are your products made? Where is the chaga sourced?
Answer: We proudly formulate and produce all True North Beauty skin care products in our lab and production facility in Milo, ME. A lot of research and testing goes into producing our formulas and I personally test each product myself for months before I allow anyone else test them. In addition to harvesting from our own backyard, Michael’s relationships with large landowners has allowed us to sustainably harvest from some of the most pristine forests, deep within the wild woods of Maine. We are fortunate to also partner with the forest industry to harvest from trees that have already been cut so we can further reduce the impact of harvesting on the environment.
Question: Who is your customer? How is chaga beneficial for them?
Answer: Our customer is the person looking for the confidence that natural ingredients brings to their life, without sacrifice of luxurious textures or experience. Chaga and other powerful ingredients in our products help people achieve clear, healthy skin by addressing skin issues like redness, acne, fine lines and wrinkles, discoloration, loss of elasticity, and helps to restore your skins’ natural youthfulness and glow.
Question: What is next for the True North Beauty line?
Answer: We have always been about helping and empowering others, and this year, we’re really going to focus on making personal connections with people by expanding our retail reach and online presence. Our goal is to take natural, national and show the world that True North Beauty is a brand you can trust.
www.truenorthbeauty.com
Instagram: @DiscoverTrueNorth
Facebook: www.facebook.com/truenorthbeauty/
