Peregrine Supply: This grooming and skincare brand is a champion for men's health
Made in Vancouver is a collaboration between Vancity and Daily Hive. Together, we’re turning the spotlight onto local businesses, organizations, and individuals who are helping to create a healthy local economy.
Local skincare, grooming and lifestyle brand Peregrine Supply was created to encourage healthy masculinity and spotlight men’s health. But the cause became even more personal for co-founder Katrina Moscato-Hill when she lost her father this year.
“We’ve always been a brand that has promoted men’s health, but this year, that cause became personal to me when I lost my dad suddenly to a heart attack,” said Moscato-Hill to Daily Hive. “I felt like I had been given this platform to reach people, and I needed to use it to create change.”
Vancity has been supporting people in our communities since 1946, like local entrepreneurs. As part of our Made in Vancouver series spotlighting local businesses, we talked to Katrina Moscato-Hill, co-founder of Peregrine Supply, about how their brand is giving back to the community. Learn more about what Vancity is doing in your community at vancity.com
Peregrine Supply co-founders Tyler Hill and Katrina Moscato-Hill
Moscato-Hill and co-founder Tyler Hill came up with the idea of hosting a Peregrine Supply pop-up shop during the holidays that would also include an exhibit on men’s health. The husband-and-wife team then found the perfect spot at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby, with the pop-up and exhibit open until January 3, 2022.
“We ended up finding this great space over at The Amazing Brentwood where the bottom floor could be for our retail shop, and the second floor would be the perfect space for this exhibit,” said Moscato-Hill. “My dad grew up in North Burnaby, so to do this exhibit in his favourite neighbourhood felt really special.
“I wanted to partner with a charity so we could have the most impact on our community and so our reach wouldn’t end when the exhibit closed. We had heard about this great initiative called ‘Don’t Change Much,’ which is partnered with The Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. The goal of the exhibit is to help men learn that small changes have a big impact when it comes to their health.”
Peregrine Supply pop-up at The Amazing Brentwood/Submitted
Peregrine Supply was started in 2015 by Hill and Moscato-Hill when they realized the grooming and skincare market was missing the mark in how products were advertised to men.
“We started back in 2015 as a small side project where we started making beer soap and selling it at local farmers’ markets,” explained Moscato-Hill. “We started experimenting with making men’s grooming products like beard oils.
“We kept noticing that so many of the men’s grooming and skincare brands out there took this really hyper-masculine approach to their branding and products that we didn’t think was reflective of all men. We wanted to create something that promoted a healthy and well-rounded men’s culture.”
Peregrine Supply offers a variety of modern functional grooming products for men through their website, including beard oil, body wash, shaving cream, and shampoo and conditioner. All products are made in small batches by Hill and Moscato-Hill.
Peregrine Supply/Submitted
Moscato-Hill shared that she would love for Peregrine Supply to expand into lifestyle items and create more of a lifestyle brand in addition to their grooming and skincare products.
“Men are looking for quality products, just as much as women are,” said Moscato-Hill. “I think that we have come a really far way with women’s beauty products; I remember growing up in the height of thin being the only important thing a woman could seem to be. Though we still have a ways to go, I feel like we have been working on shifting that narrative and moving towards more inclusion in women’s beauty space. However, it seems like we are behind when it comes to men’s grooming and skincare.
“I remember when we first launched our face wash, I had someone say to me that no one would buy it because men don’t wash their face. I think that we have this really outdated view on men’s skincare. Our face wash is one of our number one selling items, and I think there’s a reason for it.
“We’re still pushing these ridiculous narratives about how men can only be lumberjacks or pirates or something else super masculine. The longer we do this, the more men we meet who are actively trying to raise their sons differently than they were raised.”
The Burnaby-based small business was created to foster a community where all beards are welcome. Peregrine Supply provides grooming and skincare tips on their blog and shares unique cocktail recipes on their YouTube channel.
The company also includes an online health check in their Linktree to help encourage men to make positive changes for their health.
“I want our company to make a difference and be a champion for men’s health,” explained Moscato-Hill. “I really want to see the impact that Peregrine can have on men’s health, and I want to be at the forefront of this movement. I want to continue to challenge stereotypes and to continue to promote men’s health.
“I think a lot about how my dad’s generation was raised, and I wonder if he had been taught that it’s okay to ask for help or be concerned about your health, would he still be alive? I think so many men of that generation are dying too young because they were raised not to talk about anything. My dad’s embarrassment about his health ended up costing him his life.
“There’s nothing wrong with being masculine, but there is something wrong when your version of that causes you to be isolated or alone or be too afraid to ask questions about your health. We all lose when the men in our lives can’t be open about who they are, or can’t talk about emotions, or they’re too afraid to go to the doctor. We lose husbands and fathers too soon, or we aren’t able to have a good relationship with our dads, and that affects all of us. We need to do better and promote a healthier version of masculinity.”
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