Creating a natural skincare brand

Bull and the Bee Skincare emerged out of the desire to use as much of the bison as possible at the time of harvest at Keytone Ranch. On average each bison carries about 5 pounds of tallow, a special layer of fat surrounding the kidneys. In most cases tallow is considered waste, a by-product in the butchering process and ends up on dog food. However, when bison are grass-fed, grass-finished, tallow becomes an essentail skincare ingredient.

To understand this secret ingredient we need to take a closer look at our skin. The easiest way to understand your skin is as an organ. An organ made up of a permiable double fat layer. Your skin also has two types of glands - sweat, and sebum and tallow is very similar to to sebum, the matter that lubricates and waterproofs our skin.

This similarity is also what allows tallow to transfer all of its nutritional properties to your skin, like vitamin A, D, K, and E.

Just like any other organ, your skin will show signs when it isn’t healthy, like dry patches, rashes, brown spots, etc. In many cases it is as simple as a vitamin deficiency. When you apply skincare products you are nourishing your skin with the vitamins it needs, in other words you’re feeding it.

This train of thought guided the production and branding of The Bull and the Bee Skincare products. Made with no more than 8 simple (and edible) ingredients each product is organic, sustainable, and incredibly effective.

Bull and the Bee skincare was the first line of tallow skincare products across the entire Edmonton Farmers Market scene and has been sold across Canada. You can find them at the St. Albert’s farmer’s market and online at www.keystoneranch.ca

The brand name was derived from the two prevelant products tallow and honey. Amber glass jars were chosen to communicate a traditional, medicinal, but luxurious product. Pastels on crisp black labels presented the product as clean and elegant.