We believe that natural ingredients shouldn't come with "air quotes'', asterisks, or lofty claims. We are proud of our ingredients and are willing to share the whole truth because our customers deserve to know the story behind their products. This is why we are unravelling the story behind our upcycled bark extract and sharing the benefits of this one-of-a-kind ingredient!  You can find this ingredient in our: 

• Dew Drops Mushroom Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin C Serum 
• Radiance Grape Stem Cell + Squalane Day Cream

What is Upcycled Beauty? 
Some ingredients are too good to waste. Upcycled beauty reduces waste by sourcing parts of produce that would often contribute to food waste. We see value in discarded raw materials and strive to find methods of upcycling these ingredients for formulation. A great example of this is upcycling leftover tree bark from the Canadian lumber industry. 

What is the Circular Economy Cycle? 
A circular economy cycle aims to increase supply chain efficiency and sustainability by reducing waste through it’s regenerative process. This process favours renewable resources and optimizes bio-based materials as it circulates through the economy and natural systems.

Why is the Circular Economy Cycle important for Three Ships? 
We recognize the environmental impacts of the beauty industry and as we continue to grow,it is our goal to minimize waste and increase sustainability in all aspects of our supply chain. This model is regenerative by intention; we use ingredients and design products that can be renewed and recycled at the end of it’s cycle.

Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash

Waste in the Canadian Lumber Industry 
Each year, the Canadian forest industry generates millions of tons of biomass by-products during lumber manufacturing processes, most of which is bark. This bark is either burned to create renewable energy or buried underground, leading to several environmental issues. Although tree bark is often discarded as a by-product during wood processing, disposing of this bark is a loss of many valuable bioactive molecules. 

Why Three Ships uses Upcycled Tree Bark? 
This is where Three Ships comes in! In reality, some of the best natural actives are concentrated in the tree’s bark, and these bioactive molecules yield great benefits in enhancing skin hydration. The extracted molecules contain high levels of polyphenol and terpenoids molecules. These molecules possess great anti-inflammatory properties and protect your skin from excessive exposure to UV light rays. 

Where is our Tree Bark Sourced from? 
Our tree bark is sourced locally in Canada from the Boreal Forest in Quebec; greatly reducing our carbon footprint. The molecules are a combination of 4 actives respectively derived from the bark of red maple, black spruce, yellow birch and jack pine, obtained through a circular economy process.

How does our Tree Bark follow the Circular Economy? 

1. Our tree bark is sourced from four different trees in the Boreal Forest in Quebec. 
2. During wood processing, the bark is upcycled and harvested in preparation for extraction. 
3. The extracted molecules are carefully filtered and purified before being added to our formulas. 
4. The leftover bark is recycled into compost and returned to the Boreal Forest as nutrients for growing more trees, restarting the circular economy cycle. 

We encourage our customers to look closer, and we hope this brings you one step closer to understanding the benefits of natural beauty. We are excited to share this part of our sustainability journey and thank you for your continued support in helping us be better for the planet and better for your skin. 

Read more about our commitment to sustainability on our Sustainability page!