Behind-the-Scenes Stories: PURA Botanicals X Jilly Box Summer 2021
We are thrilled to officially announce that PURA's beloved Signature Overnight Watermelon Mask is featured in the Summer 2021 Jilly Box! This is truly a wildest 'dream come true' moment for our founder, Lane Edwards, and the entire team at PURA. We are all such big fans of Jillian's aesthetic, outlook on life and philanthropic goals that it has been our absolute pleasure to contribute PURA's bestselling potion to such a sought-after and celebrated subscription box. We invite you to a 'behind-the-scenes' peek in this tell-all blog post interview in which Lane shares PURA's Summer 2021 Jilly Box journey with our own Communication Lead and beauty aficionado, Marla Boehr...
Marla: Think back to the first time you heard about Jillian Harris. Did you ever imagine that your worlds would collide?
Lane: I started following Jillian on Instagram a few years ago. I loved her bright and airy design aesthetic, much like PURA's, and enjoyed her in Love it Or List It Vancouver. It's been fun and interesting to see her evolve. She's really come into her own. Jillian is genuinely kind, caring and conscious. I think she's gone through a lot of personal growth that reflects on her platform. It's no longer just about creating beautiful places and spaces. She shows a lot of depth and care for important issues, not to mention her passion and support for women-owned businesses. It's been incredible to witness the 'Jilly Effect' on other brands we know and love. They've worked so hard for it, like So Pretty Cara Cotter, who we share a flagship storefront with.
Marla: Describe the moment you were approached to be included in the Jilly Box and how it came to fruition.
Lane: It didn't come out of nowhere - Over the years we've built a relationship with Edmonton Tourism. In 2018, they contacted us when Jillian was in Edmonton on a speaking engagement, staying at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. She was sharing her suite with some of her closest, Alberta-based girlfriends. Edmonton Tourism thought she'd love PURA's vegan, all-natural skincare, and coordinated our products to be left in the room for Jillian and her girlfriends. We also left some PURA Baby products for her two littles, Leo and Annie. They opened up their PURA goodies during a brunch in their room in their housecoats and captured their excitement in Instagram stories. Jillian fell in love with PURA's skincare, especially our Overnight Watermelon Mask and posted about it when she returned home to Kelowna. Then when Covid first came about, she connected with us and sent about eight special surprise parcels of PURA to close friends located throughout BC and Alberta. We felt so flattered she wanted her friends to enjoy PURA for their self-care during the pandemic, including herself. About six months later, I sent her an email expressing we'd be interested in being in the Jilly Box. She wrote back and said we were already slated into the Summer 2021 box! We both had a laugh -- we were very much on the same wavelength knowing the Overnight Watermelon Mask was the perfect fit for Jilly Box lovers. At PURA, we were beyond elated. Then the real work to scale and craft 12,500 of our signature masks began.
Marla: What does it mean to you to have PURA’s Overnight Watermelon Mask featured in the Summer 2021 Jilly Box? What values do you share with Jillian’s brand?
Lane: The alignment and exposure are incredible. We're so excited about so many new people trying what we refer to as the 'gateway potion' into the world of PURA. It's the skincare product anyone can use and see results immediately. As a busy mother of three young children, I actually formulated this mask for ease and convenience. I don't have a lot of time for a conventional 'apply and wash off' mask. The Overnight Watermelon Mask soaks into the skin comfortably and repairs and rejuvenates your skin while you sleep. It's more nutrient and dense in active ingredients than a night cream, but it's blended with ultra-healing, biocompatible emollients so you can keep it on for hours vs. minutes. Truly the ultimate sleeping beauty mask-- I love that it's the last ode to self-love at the end of my day. It feels and smells so amazing. I think Jillian's brand exudes magic, beauty and creativity. It's a feel good, empowering brand, just like PURA.
Marla: You had to massively scale up production for this ‘once in a lifetime’ launch. Tell us about this massive undertaking and how you were able to produce upwards of 12,500 Overnight Watermelon Masks for one shipment.
Lane: We were fortunate to have almost a year before we had to ship the final product to the Jilly Box warehouse. Yes, we've been keeping this a secret for a very long time! Having a beauty company during the pandemic has been challenging. There has been a massive shortage of packaging since the majority of bottle and jar factories have had to shut down. Fortunately, we have an amazing team, and knew to hit the ground running as soon as we signed the Jilly Box contract. We had to coordinate ingredients, jars, lids, labels and boxes from numerous suppliers. Not to mention that we also had to adapt our formula to scale numbers. Then came the actual manufacturing. We were so fortunate to team up with a government lab here in Edmonton that could facilitate our own team coming to make the product using their equipment for efficiency. We had to jump through many regulatory, quality control protocols and lab testing to work with them, but it was so worth it and the learning curve was incredible. The final 12,500 masks were made over four days after several months of coordinating and finally receiving materials. After all of the product was made, lab testing came back with flying colours and the product was finally released to Jilly Box. We celebrated with a bottle of champagne, of course. I was so proud of our team. It was an incredible feat and achievement. Normally our products are made in small-batches in-house, so this was a pivotal learning experience for all of us. We feel humbled and honoured.
Marla: PURA has such a vast range of skincare potions. If someone loves the Overnight Watermelon Mask, what other ‘must have’ potions would you recommend?
Lane: At PURA, we really have a complete collection of plant-powered skincare, luxurious body care, gentle family care and non-toxic fragrances. If I only had to recommend a couple that really have a deep impact on my own daily rituals, I would say the Ambrosia Beautifying Serum (a serum and oil 2-in-1 hybrid), the award winning Hyaluronic Ruby Serum (you get your own ruby gemstone) and the Princess Clementine Lite for daytime. They can all be layered, drive incredible results, but are also supremely sensorial, and have rare, clean, supernatural formulas that you just can't experience through any other beauty company.
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