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Angel Lam is the founder of Liv’Ez (Live Easy) Co.

Photo courtesy Angel Lam

Entrepreneur aiming to make the world a better place

By Angel St. George

Published 2:23 PST, Thu February 3, 2022

Last Updated: 2:51 PST, Thu February 3, 2022

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Angel Lam is a local artisan whose sustainable beauty brand Liv’Ez (Live Easy) Co. is catching eyes and winning awards for excellence in sustainable business practices.

The inspiration for Lam’s brand started with wanting to solve her own skin care needs. She suffered from adult acne, but was determined to find a sustainable solution.

“Adult acne itself is a bit different than the kind that people suffer from as a teenager that just goes away—adult acne can be forever,” says Lam. “That meant my skin was always in a state of flux. It would be sensitive one day and dry or oily on the others. Products would work for a couple (of) months, but then I would have to stop them and try another one. That’s what led me to develop my own sustainable brand.”

Lam says her skin’s changing needs led to a lot of leftover products that ended up in the garbage, which made her feel bad.

“It’s not just the energy that goes into these products, it’s the packaging, the marketing, the efforts of the staff who made the products. So many things are lost when we’re wasteful,” says Lam.

She searched for a formulation that would heal her skin ailments and yield better results than the products available to her at the time. When she didn’t find exactly what she needed, she decided to create her own products.

When Lam started looking into skin care formulation, she was inclined to choose plant-based ingredients because they had the best results. She says her skin loves shea butter and nourishing oils like sweet almond, peach kernel, argan and all the other luxurious extracts found in her products.

“Using natural products helped my skin a lot, especially healing from acne,” says Lam.

Lam’s first step in creating her skin care line was to reach out to experts for a scientific explanation as to why certain formulations work better than others. The research showed that small-batch vegan products are the best way to nourish skin while having a low environmental impact.

Environment is an important ethical factor for Lam, leading her to align the Liv’Ez brand with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the No Issue Eco Packaging Alliance.

Liv’Ez was the 2021 Gold Prize winner for Spring Activator’s Growth Challenge. This award recognizes the business as one of 50 in BC that are impactful and have a practical growth plan that addresses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

When asked what her secret to success is, Lam says: ‘‘I’m very purpose-driven. Whatever way I can push my purpose forward, that’s what I’ll gravitate toward. I just want to know I’m leaving the world a better place—that’s my calling.”

Along with cruelty-free, vegan and sustainable products, Lam’s vision for her brand matches its name: “Live Easy.”

“When I develop products (I use) a holistic approach,” says Lam. “We look at each ingredient and get certifications for where they come from. We make sure we are doing our best to increase our sustainability impact.”

That goal also extends to packaging, which is made from recycled materials. And Lam says making Liv’Ez products more widely available will further boost sustainability impact.

“At the end of the day, consumers are expected to do so much work for every purchase they make to have a sustainable impact on the environment. If I can make it easier for people to make good choices, which goes into the name Liv’Ez, it makes it easier for people to live up to their sustainability goals. The best way to get people to live a more sustainable life is to make it easy for them,” says Lam.

Lam will be re-releasing last year’s sought-after Valentine’s Day collection which includes a delicious, sweet and fresh scented soap made with real strawberry juice. Support local this upcoming Valentine’s Day and gift your sweetheart something special from Liv’Ez.

Liv’Ez has set up a promotion for Sentinel readers, who will receive a complimentary keychain with any purchase of two items from the company’s Valentine’s Favourites. The code LVEZxRICHSENVDAY is valid through Feb. 28, with a limit of one keychain per purchase.

For more details, click here.