Upcycling of Winemaking Waste By-Products into Sustainable Cosmetic Product Formulas

Cheekbone Beauty Inc. is an Indigenous Canadian-owned beauty company with a mission to transform the lives of all its
consumers through sustainable products and business innovation. The proposed project involves repurposing wine-making
waste (grape pomace) from local Niagara Region wineries into high-value added ingredients with anti-aging, anti-pollution, and sun protection properties, for cosmetic applications. This circular and sustainable economy project directly aligns with the company’s mission, and it integrates and honours the Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Doing.

The project interns will gain useful skills including technical advanced analytics (e.g. HPLC, GC-MS), and professional skills through the interaction with entrepreneurs as well as to expand their knowledge in the field of cosmetic science and technology. With this project, Cheekbone Beauty hopes to aide in the reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous people while allowing Indigenous people to lead themselves to a better path of healing and prosperity. The upcycle of high-valued active ingredients from winery waste will contribute to Canada’s growing circular and sustainable economy.

Faculty Supervisor:

Barbara Allen;Kari Kramp

Student:

Partner:

Cheekbone Beauty INC

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Retail trade

University:

Loyalist College

Program: