Lowen’s Natural Skincare is a family-owned natural skincare brand based in Calgary. The company is named after Lowen, the daughter of Chad and Lindsay Zelensky. The brand began with an innovative solution for treating diaper rash and expanded to offer high-quality products, including lotions, balms, scrubs, and more.
With a commitment to using locally sourced organic ingredients that meet fair trade standards, Lowen’s Natural Skincare produces unique skincare products that are safe, effective, and affordable. Learn more about the brand’s creation and operations on calgarynka.
Demand Sparked Innovation
Chad Zelensky showed an early interest in chemistry and entrepreneurship, conducting “research” experiments as a child. In 2001, he moved from Saskatchewan to Calgary to begin his career as a pharmacist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. Four years later, Chad met his future wife, Lindsay.
In 2010, the couple welcomed their daughter, Lowen. Struggling to treat her diaper rash and having tried all available commercial products, Chad began searching for an alternative. He developed an innovative natural diaper balm, Lowen’s Skincare, using only organic, unrefined, high-quality local ingredients. The formula cleared Lowen’s rash in days, with long-term preventative use ensuring it never returned.
Recognizing a shared need among other parents, the Zelenskys decided to sell their product. They launched the Butter Balm and expanded their product line after extensive research, adding other balms, lotions, washes, hair care products, scrubs, and creams. Chad’s knowledge of chemistry and his business education enabled him to develop and market effective cosmetic products with ease.
Chad had considered starting a business since Alberta’s financial crisis in 2009. The brand provided a platform for pursuing his interests in entrepreneurship, technology, politics, social justice, and science.
A Name with Meaning
The idea to name the brand after Chad’s daughter came from his cousin. Initially hesitant, Chad later realized that the name would serve as a constant reminder to prioritize the brand’s principles, focus on helping people, and care for their health.
While Lowen wasn’t thrilled about seeing her name on every product, the arrival of a second daughter, Simona, led Chad and Lindsay to consider rebranding to include her name as well.
Caring for his daughters inspired Chad to develop new products. Parenthood and entrepreneurship became inseparable in his life, as he aimed to create an environment fostering both creativity and financial literacy for his children. The business provided a platform for the Zelensky girls to learn the basics of business from a young age.
Productive Partnerships
Collaborating with Soma Hammam and Spa, Chad developed a range of spa products, including a vegan sea salt scrub, clay mask, soap, and body butter. These products are available in the spa and Lowen’s Natural Skincare retail locations.
Additionally, in partnership with the Canadian nonprofit organization REAP, the company created the Be Local lip balm using local beeswax, honey, and certified organic canola oil.
Completely Safe Ingredients
Lowen’s Natural Skincare creates highly effective products suitable even for those with sensitive skin. The company specializes in using harmless natural ingredients sourced locally—even the emulsifier in their clay mask is produced in Calgary. All products are tested by friends, family, and the founders themselves before being sold.
Most products are hypoallergenic. They contain no dairy or fish-derived ingredients (including shellfish). Lowen’s products are free from sulfates, fragrances, parabens, phthalates, BPA, 1,4-dioxane, and other harmful substances.
For gluten, allergenic sources like wheat, barley, and rye grains are absent, except for potential accidental contamination during manufacturing.
Similarly, soy allergens are avoided. The brand uses GMO-free lecithin derived from soy as an emulsifier. While allergenic proteins are removed during lecithin production, trace amounts may remain. However, the amounts are minimal, and the products are non-ingestible, posing no harm (lip balms do not contain lecithin).
None of the products contain peanuts or tree nuts. The only exception is the Get Buff exfoliating product, which uses finely ground walnut shells—an eco-friendly byproduct of tree nuts that rarely triggers allergic reactions. Instructions recommend that those with nut allergies avoid Get Buff.
EWG and PETA Certification
To confirm product safety, the company joined the EWG Verified™ program. EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., advocating for environmental protection and specializing in research on toxic chemicals and water pollutants.
Chad began using EWG’s Skin Deep database, which provides safety information on ingredients, early in his formula development process. This database allowed him to source safe ingredients confidently while ensuring that formulations were allergy-free and environmentally friendly.
EWG’s rigorous standards ensure certification only for truly safe products. The EWG Verified™ mark assures customers that the products contain no harmful substances and meet strict safety requirements.
Lowen’s Natural Skincare is also certified by PETA, a nonprofit organization promoting ethical treatment of animals. PETA opposes industrial farming, fur farming, and other activities deemed exploitative.
As a pharmacist, Chad opposed animal testing. For personal care products, he believed sufficient scientific literature existed to understand the effects of ingredients on humans. Therefore, Lowen’s Natural Skincare products are not tested on animals, and the company avoids purchasing ingredients tested on animals.