University of Alberta students develop all-natural lipstick

Two University of Alberta students have created an all-natural lipstick using their knowledge of chemicals. Akash Gupta and Sravya Kalyanapu are chemical engineering students who were surprised to discover what chemicals are used in lipsticks; chemicals they couldn’t even pronounce, so together they decided to make a change.

“I was really shocked because I have been wearing lipstick since I was 14 years old, so to find out there are all these harsh chemicals like lead and petroleum bi-products, it really caught me.” said Kalyanapu.

Instead of using harsh chemicals in their products, Gupta and Kalyanapu use household ingredients such as coconut oil, cacao powder and avocado oil. To hold the lipstick together they use beeswax, and for colour, ingredients such as Australian red reef clay and beetroot powder are used.

Gupta and Kalyanapu currently have six lipsticks shades and hope to expand their collection soon. They have been creating the product in a kitchen, but they plan to move to a manufacturing facility.

“Most of our sales so far have been online, but going ahead we would like to look into some retail space as well,” said Gupta, co-founder of Seleste Lipsticks. They have also sold their product at farmer’s markets in both Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

A portion of Seleste Lipstick’s profits is used to empower and educate women in third world countries. Their company is working towards building a safe & secure environment and provide the resources for women to grow and become successful.

Their products slogan is, “Smile, you’re making a difference.”

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