About Us

The Beginnings: 

My name is Ainsley Côté and I created Ainsley Schade Collections in 2006 after encouragement from family and friends. My husband and I live and operate near Ste. Agathe, Manitoba. After I was married, I discovered that I could no longer use any type of scented cosmetic products. My husband has many allergies and is very sensitive to scents, perfumes and other synthetic additives. This became painfully evident once we were living in the same house and sharing the same bathroom. So I decided to begin experimenting and creating various soaps, lotions and cosmetics to use for myself. I loved it and continued to try new things. After a short time, I started sharing some of my creations with our extended family and found that they really enjoyed them as well. With that encouragement we decided to try selling our products at the local St. Norbert Farmer’s Market in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This was a wonderful experience and we decided to increase our product line. Today we sell in a number of retail stores and continue to sell at the market and other sales shows such as craft sales.    

Natural Ingredients:

I truly believe in the use of all natural ingredients whenever possible. The mainstream cosmetic industry often markets its products as natural or botanically based however at closer inspection, you will find their products to contain harsh additives such as parabens, lauryl sufates and synthetic fragrances. None of our products contain synthetic preservatives, additives or fragrances. We use only the highest quality essential oils in our products to add a gentle aroma.     

Animal Testing:

We are 100% Cruelty Free and are strong advocates of the humane treatment of animals! All the manufacturing of our products is done without any animal testing. This includes all of the ingredients which are also never tested on animals. There are a number of companies that claim to not do animal testing however this is referring only to their final products and not the individual ingredients in their products. This is unfortunate considering that all testing, no matter what stage of production is cruel and harmful to animals. 

Vegetarian:

All of our products are considered to be vegetarian. The only animal by-product that we use in our manufacturing is beeswax. In fact the majority of Ainsley Schade Collection’s products are actually vegan.  

The Environment:

We love the environment and are huge supporters of recycling and environmental protection. Paper, glass, and plastics are all recycled in our warehouse, and we ask that our customers do the same. We try to minimize our use of transportation by reducing our number of trips to Winnipeg by only traveling when absolutely necessary. As well, we try to use papers that have recycled content when available, and use low-watt light bulbs in our manufacturing and warehouse areas.  

Fair Trade:

We incorporate Fair Trade ingredients (such as our Shea and Cocoa Butters) into all our products when possible. Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based model of international trade. It promotes the payment of a fair price to those who produce various goods (e.g., farmers) in developing countries. Fundamentally, Fair Trade puts more money in the hands of small producers and attempts to improve their standard of living.