London Inc. March/April 2023 - 16

Upfront Retail
A NATURAL EVOLUTION
Two sisters craft an entrepreneurial journey
in the cosmetic and skincare space
WHEN SISTERS ARIEL and Leeona Emerald established
Delizioso Skincare (www.deliziososkincare.com) in 2008,
the fledgling - and very young - entrepreneurs began
selling their line of self-produced, all-natural cosmetic,
hair and skincare products online, primarily to American
clientele.
Over the next few years, the duo happily nurtured steady,
if unremarkable, growth. But in 2014, they were taken by
surprise when U.S. demand for Vegaline, a skin lotion the
sisters developed as a vegan alternative to petroleum jelly,
exploded.
" We found out that someone had used Vegaline after
getting a tattoo and blogged about how well it worked, " says
Ariel. The sisters were kept busy with orders and went on to
develop a specialized version dubbed Inkaline that has extra
anti-inflammatory ingredients for tattoo aftercare.
To keep up with demand, the Emeralds secured production
and retail space on Sovereign Road in 2015. They were now
selling to customers all over the world, but realized that here
in London, their products remained relatively unknown. To
help remedy that, they moved to a more visible storefront on
Oxford Street just west of Quebec Street in 2018.
16|londonincmagazine.ca|MARCH / APRIL 2023
Delizioso Skincare founders Leeona and Ariel Emerald
Their boutique shop Nature's Hub sells the full line of
Delizioso Skincare products in addition to jewelry, crystals,
candles and a small selection of giftware. Delizioso's
production, packaging and shipping are done in the back
area of the 900-square-foot space.
Delizioso products are freshly crafted as they are ordered,
and then sent out to clients as far away as Australia, Africa
and Saudi Arabia. " We wholesale to some small boutiques in
the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, " says Leeona, " but most
sales are directly to customers. "
The sisters have no formal training, but learned about
natural plants from their mother, Dr. Mila Emerald, who
had learned from her mother when she was growing up the
Ukraine and went on to complete degrees in biochemistry/
biophysics and cellular biology. After moving to Canada, she
eventually started her own phytoceutical company selling
essential oils and raw ingredients.
" Our mom inspired us to do this work, " says Ariel. The
sisters say that because of her, at a young age they became
http://www.deliziososkincare.com
London Inc. March/April 2023

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