What motivated you to start your business and what is your vision for the future of the company?

More than 55% of women suffer from thinning and damaged hair due to styling, over-processing, and using harmful haircare products all their life. Women’s hair loss is still a taboo subject today, and we’re on a mission to kick outdated, greenwashed, hormone-disrupting haircare. After seeing friends and family using chemical-based hair processes and products that gave them adverse side effects, I set out to create a natural, safe alternative. My vision for the future of Luna Nectar is to be the go-to brand for safe, high-quality, performance-driven natural haircare solutions that actually work.

Why do you deserve to win the Best Youth Entrepreneur Award?

Luna Nectar has won awards for our main flagship products: Moon Boost Lash & Brow Enhancing Serum (Best Vegan Lash Serum of 2023 by The Independent, named as Top 10 Lash Serums by Women's Health Magazine, and a finalist for Best Hair Treatment by CertClean Awards), and Renaissance Hair Oil (Best New Hair Oil by The Zoe Report.) We formulate with sustainability in mind: We follow the UN Sustainable Goals of:Responsible Consumption and Products, and Quality Education- all of our products are waterless in line with our mission to reduce our water footprint and global water stress, and come in recyclable packaging. We also aim to provide our customers with full transparency into the ingredient sourcing and supply chain. We also are certified Plastic Neutral+, in which we prevent ocean bound plastic with contributions that goes beyond our total annual plastic emissions. We are also very mindful of diversity and inclusivity - we are 100% BIPOC woman-owned, and we are part of Founders For Change, which pledges to have a diverse and inclusive team and board. I also envision a work environment that emphasizes rest and play. I believe this improves overall well-being and happiness. Currently, our team is composed of entirely women, and we have a Dutch model in our workplace, in which self-organized pods work on their own schedules, which allows team members to work on their own pursuits and hobbies. I was also a previous recipient of the BC Business 30 Under 30 Award in 2019.