Hello Joyous creates high-performance skin and hair care products with organic, plant-powered ingredients and no fillers or water. Their goal is to help their customers find joy in the everyday with their Canadian-made beauty products. Co-founder Joy McCarthy was working in holistic nutrition when she began to struggle with sensitive skin and rosacea. Together with her husband, they embarked on a skincare journey and created Hello Joyous. We talked with Joy to learn more.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Our business is Hello Joyous, a Canadian-made, family-owned organic beauty and wellness brand. We specialize in creating high-performance skin and hair care products rooted in holistic wellness. With a “less is more” approach, our formulas are made without water or fillers— just organic, plant-powered ingredients your skin can truly thrive on.
My background is in holistic nutrition, and I co-founded the business with my husband, Walker. Our mission is simple: to create products that are as effective as they are clean, joyful to use, and accessible in price.
What made you want to do this work?
My journey began with my own skin struggles. I developed highly sensitive skin and rosacea in my 40s, and it came as a total shock. I started researching ingredients, simplifying my skincare, and approaching beauty from a more holistic lens. As a nutritionist, I understood the importance of what we put in our bodies, but what we put on them matters just as much. The skin barrier can get disrupted really easily, and I was inspired to find something that would balance pH, make my skin glow without sensitivity, essentially no junk – just the good stuff and Hello Joyous was born.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
We wanted to cut through the noise of overly complicated beauty routines. So many people feel overwhelmed by the pressure to use 5+ products just to care for their skin or hair. With Hello Joyous, we set out to prove that fewer, better products, made with truly effective, organic ingredients, can deliver beautiful results without compromise. It’s all about “skinimalism”: embracing simplicity, choosing toxin-free formulations, and trusting that wellness and beauty can go hand in hand.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
We serve a diverse community, from women looking to overhaul their skincare routine to teens and men curious about cleaner, more effective self-care. Our products are suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and oily skin. With prices ranging from $19 to $48, we’re proud to offer high-quality organic beauty that’s both inclusive and accessible.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We sell organic beauty products and functional wellness teas to bring more joy to the everyday. We sell our products online at hellojoyous.com, and we are in about 100 retailers across Canada.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
All products are made locally in Toronto with premium, ethically sourced ingredients. They’re certified organic, vegan, and made in small batches. We use sustainable packaging and are proud of the traceability our products offer.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
What makes you different than the other 5,000 skincare brands?
We believe your skin needs less than you think to look and feel its best. That’s why we take a “less is more” approach to skincare—focusing on high-performance, organic botanicals without the unnecessary layering or ingredient overload. Many conventional products are filled with water, fillers, and long ingredient lists that can disrupt your skin’s pH, microbiome, and overall balance. We do things differently: every Hello Joyous product is waterless, filler-free, and 100% concentrated with skin-loving plant ingredients. It’s everything your skin needs—and nothing it doesn’t.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part of what I do is seeing how Hello Joyous is transforming our customers’ daily routines and helping them achieve vibrant, healthy skin. It’s incredibly rewarding to receive messages from people—often through Instagram DMs—sharing how their skin has gone from red and irritated to calm and glowing, or how their acne-prone teen is finally experiencing clear skin after using our trio of cleanser, toner, and serum. Knowing that our products are making a real difference in people’s confidence and well-being is the most fulfilling part of this journey.
One of the most frustrating parts of being a skincare founder is seeing the excessive mark-ups that many brands impose on their customers. I often come across products with similar ingredients—many of which aren’t organic and are full of unnecessary fillers—being sold for $95 or more. It’s often just clever marketing, not quality or integrity, driving those prices. As a founder who cares deeply about transparency and creating truly clean, effective products, it’s disheartening to see consumers being taken advantage of in that way.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession
Maybe not a joke per se, but these IG DMs always make me chuckle: Yes, I run a skincare company. No, I can’t tell you what that rash is.
Where can we follow you?
