Just The Goods
Just The Goods is a Canadian bath & body brand and local Winnipeg shop. They create a variety of natural products like body butter, bath salts, lip balm, face cleansers, serums and lots more.
Scroll down to learn more about Just The Goods and what inspired them to start their business.
What inspired you to start your business?
Just the Goods developed from a hobby started around 2007 upon realizing the skin issues my partner and I were experiencing were quite likely from the ingredients in the drugstore products we were buying. I wanted to explore natural, plant-based options but, with so many priced beyond reach, I thought I’d try my hand at making a few things, instead. As I created more and more things and shared them with friends, feedback inspired me to start selling online. I opened an Etsy shop May 2009 (it’s no longer active, but still online for archival purposes), and received my first sale within a few days! I had no idea what it would cost to ship such a heavy jar to Florida so I lost money on that sale, but it was still a tremendously validating experience! 😀
I quickly taught myself the ins and outs of developing a comprehensive product line useful to others, making items available to clients worldwide, managing inventory, etc. But, things really kicked off when I registered my creations with the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database because I liked the idea of grading my work against a high standard of safety. In 2011 I was amazed to discover my products were recognized with Champion Status by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, one of few makers in the world that signed onto the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and *actually* followed through! I was still working as a curator of contemporary art, at the time. In fact, I was guest at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm and sitting a seminar room with others when I received the news *ha ha* I was shocked and amazed, and no one I was with knew what on earth I was talking about, but I had a feeling something would change… and it did!
By 2015 I decided to make Just the Goods my full time occupation, and I’m so grateful for the confluence of events that led me here. Over 150 new formulas later I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to all the people across Canada, and around the world, who have taken interest in what I do. Knowing others feel the care I put into my formulas is one of the most rewarding things I could have ever hoped to experience — I really truly do feel like I’ve built a community of friends that transcends borders!
How would you describe your business?
I handmake plant-based products for skin, body, and hair informed by my previous work as a curator of contemporary art motivated by social and political context. Whereas my previous work hoped to be a platform for connecting people, I try to make Just the Goods an intersection of the same topics: society, culture, economy, and the environment. I offer my primary range of Just the Goods products at public wholesale prices and I offer transparent insight into my decision making processes with respect to packaging, policies, etc. For example, my website has a section on the history of free shipping by summarizing the early years of e-commerce. On Instagram I’ve posted research on supply chains, cradle-to-cradle sustainability, and so many other things. Nerdy? Yes! *ha ha* Informative? Hopefully, also yes 🙂
As far as my training is concerned, I have a masters degree in Museum Studies that I sometimes think of as a degree in research methodologies because it helps me gauge the credibility of research, which is helpful when reading about ingredients while developing new products, or answering questions by email.
BUT! In more recent years I’ve had the opportunity to study plant based medicine with a few different teachers online, especially Toi Scott through their School of Liberation Healing and Medicine program known as BIPOC Herbal Freedom School. I am not a registered herbalist, so I never try to offer medical services, but I sought this and other learning opportunities to deepen my understanding of plants and enhance my creativity and I’m so glad I did. I’m a forever student, in that sense.
I was scheduled to attend a two week perfume training intensive at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery in France in 2020, but that period of study was cancelled for obvious reasons. I haven’t had an opportunity to reignite my further study in that area, but hope it will arise again in the near future 🙂
What’s your bestselling product?
Just the Goods face wash for normal/sensitive skin, most likely because it’s simple, effective, and affordable. Interestingly, that is often paired with a product from my premium organic range: petal, leaf, root. by Just the Goods’ facial serum for normal/sensitive.
Why do you think it’s so popular?
I think similar popularity between two so differently represented items meas that, even though the original range is designed to be as affordable as possible, it can still hold space with and nicely compliment higher end luxury items made from premium ingredients 🙂
What’s your personal favourite product from your shop?
I love Just the Goods’ deodorant — I use it every day! It took two years to formulate and test, and it was worth every minute! The best part is that it doesn’t stain clothing, which was the biggest problem I had with ALL deodorant I used beforehand (natural and otherwise) — I wear a lot of dark items, and the white/yellow crystallized stain that ruined so many shirts and dresses was so frustrating. I haven’t had to think about that problem in over 14 years! Yay!
What’s your favourite local Winnipeg business?
Winnipeg has so many amazing community-centric businesses that it’s impossible to choose one! But, if I had to, I would choose Organic Planet Worker Co-op not only because of our longstanding partnership but because I value their operating model, the products they sell, the delicious food they make, and the fact that I appreciate every single person who works there! Truly community builders in the most wonderful way!
Visit them at: 877 Westminster Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
They carry Just the Goods products in-store, and they are the site for local pick up of anything purchased at my website 🙂
