Is Ilia a Canadian Brand? The Story Behind the Vancouver-Born Makeup Line
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Ilia was born in Vancouver, but has since relocated. The clean makeup brand behind the cult Super Serum Skin Tint started as a single lip product in B.C. in 2011, then moved to California, and has been majority-owned by a French family holding company since 2022. If you’re trying to shop Canadian, that history matters. So does this: some Ilia products are still made here.
Where Ilia started
Founder Sasha Plavsic was born in Vancouver and grew up in a rural, oceanside community just outside the city. She spent years working in branding for fashion and beauty companies in Los Angeles, then came home to Vancouver for a break. Her mother nudged her to read the ingredient list on her favourite lip balm, and she didn’t like what she found. She challenged herself to make a version that was safe, effective and natural.
That first collection was a handful of tinted lip conditioners, sold through a Vancouver boutique. Plavsic bootstrapped the whole thing with two credit cards and a small line of credit her dad co-signed. A few years later, Sephora convinced her Ilia wasn’t really a lip brand at all but a complexion brand, and the skin tints, concealers and mascaras that followed turned it into one of the biggest names in clean beauty.
Who owns Ilia today
Today Ilia is headquartered in Laguna Beach, California. In 2022, Famille C, the investment holding company of the Courtin-Clarins family (the family behind Clarins), bought a majority stake. Clarins holds a minority stake, as do Plavsic and former CEO Lynda Berkowitz. Since fall 2024, the company has been led by CEO Paul Schiraldi, formerly the CEO of Murad.
So the short version: Ilia is US-headquartered and French-owned. Plavsic is still the founder and still part of the brand, but the decisions, the head office and the ownership all sit outside Canada.
Which Ilia products are made in Canada
Most Ilia products are manufactured in the United States, with others made in Italy, Germany, South Korea and China. According to Ilia’s own product FAQ, three products are made in Canada:
- In Frame Brow Gel, a tinted gel for shaping and filling brows
- Skin Rewind Complexion Stick, a cream foundation and concealer in stick form
One more detail worth knowing: when you order from Ilia’s Canadian site, your order ships from a warehouse in Canada.
Made in Canada
Made in Canada
So, is Ilia Canadian?
It depends on which question you’re asking.
- Canadian-founded? Yes. Ilia started in Vancouver in 2011.
- Canadian-owned? No. Famille C, a French family holding company, owns the majority.
- Canadian-headquartered? No. Ilia is based in Laguna Beach, California.
- Made in Canada? Partly. Some products are made here; most of the line is made in the US, Italy, or China.
That’s why you won’t find Ilia in The Canadian Edit’s brand directory, which features brands that are Canadian-owned and operated. Ilia’s story is still a Canadian success story, though, and if it’s already in your makeup bag, the products above are the ones where your dollars do the most work at home.
Canadian alternatives to Ilia’s bestsellers
If you’d rather your money stay with a Canadian-owned brand, these swaps cover three of Ilia’s most-loved products.
Instead of the Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
If what you love about Ilia’s tint is the SPF 40, Riversol’s Daily Glow Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ is the closest match. Vancouver dermatologist Dr. Jason Rivers created Riversol for his patients with sensitive skin. The formula is 100% mineral, uses non-nano zinc oxide, and leaves a soft glow instead of a white cast. It comes in tinted shades as well as untinted, for $49. But you should know: Riversol says its SPF products are manufactured in the US, while the rest of the line is not.
Try Marcelle’s Sheer Tint Moisturizer SPF 30. Marcelle belongs to Groupe Marcelle, a Montreal company the Cape family has run for three generations, and it manufactures its products at its own Montreal facility. You get sheer coverage and SPF 30 at a drugstore price. If you don’t need SPF in your base, Elate’s Refresh Sheer Tint Foundation is the clean-beauty pick: sheer enough to let freckles show, hydrating thanks to hyaluronic acid, and refillable. Elate is a Canadian Certified B Corp.
Instead of The Base Face Milk
Try Indeed Labs’ G.O.A.T Milk Toner. Indeed Labs was founded by Dimitra Davidson and has been making Canadian-made skincare for more than 15 years. The toner is milky and lightweight, built to hydrate and support your skin barrier, and it costs about $15 at Shoppers Drug Mart, a fraction of Ilia’s $68 face milk.
For something closer to Ilia’s formula, Blume’s Pearl Drip Milky Toner is the pick. Vancouver sisters Taran and Bunny Ghatrora founded Blume to make gentle skincare for acne-prone and sensitive skin, and this toner follows that lead. Fermented rice water, niacinamide and ceramides hydrate and calm redness, and the formula is fragrance-free. Shake a few drops into your palms and press it in after cleansing, the same way you’d use Ilia’s face milk.
Instead of the Eye Stylus Shadow Stick
For a clean-beauty swap, reach for Cheekbone Beauty’s Fearless Eyeshadow Mini. Cheekbone is an Indigenous-owned brand based in Niagara, Ontario, and it’s a Certified B Corp. The creamy, vegan pencil glides on, blends with your fingertip, and doubles as a liner, much like Ilia’s stick. It comes in six shimmer shades named for crystals, from Honey Calcite champagne to Onyx charcoal, and it’s $17. The mini size is deliberate: it’s small enough that you’ll actually finish it before it expires.
If you want a pencil that does more, try 19/99’s Precision Colour Pencil in Dorato. 19/99 was founded by Canadian beauty industry veterans Camille Pylypczak and Stephanie Spence, who built the brand around makeup for everyone from 19 to 99. The pencil is a creamy formula in pencil form: blend it across your lids for a wash of colour, or use the fine tip to line. Dorato is a warm bronze shimmer, close in spirit to Ilia’s golden shades, and it works on eyes and cheeks but not on lips. Like Riversol’s sunscreen, it’s a Canadian brand with a product made abroad, in this case Italy.
Looking for a complexion product or lip tint from a brand that’s Canadian through and through? Browse our Canadian beauty brands.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ilia a Canadian company? Not anymore. Ilia was founded in Vancouver in 2011, but it is now headquartered in Laguna Beach, California, and majority-owned by Famille C, the Courtin-Clarins family holding company.
Who owns Ilia Beauty? Famille C has owned a majority stake in Ilia since 2022. Clarins, founder Sasha Plavsic and former CEO Lynda Berkowitz hold minority stakes.
Is Ilia owned by Clarins? Not exactly. The Courtin-Clarins family’s holding company, Famille C, is the majority owner. Clarins itself holds a minority stake.
Where is Ilia made? Most Ilia products are made in the United States. Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil, In Frame Brow Gel and Skin Rewind Complexion Stick are made in Canada, and other products are made in Italy, Germany, South Korea and China.
Is Ilia sold in Canada? Yes. Ilia is sold at Sephora across North America and through its own website, which ships Canadian orders from a warehouse in Canada.
