Local company creates hand sanitizer scents honouring Indigenous culture
A local business is dedicated to making hand sanitizer that smells great, is safe to use and also represents Indigenous culture.
Kanatan Health Solutions was started in Saddle Lake Cree Nation during the pandemic after hand sanitizer was being faced with a lot of resistance by the Indigenous community.
Marketing and Sales Director Tasha Power says the smell of generic hand sanitizer was a deterrent for many in the community, and triggering for those struggling with alcoholism.
“That really turned off a lot of our people, they do not want to smell like they just came from a party,” said Power.
“We wanted to come up with a solution that smells great and is Health Canada approved.”
They created hand sanitizer in a variety of smells including traditional smudging scents like sweet grass, cedar, sage and sweet tobacco.
“These do not contain actual smudges but the scents are exactly like those smudges. They’re going to trigger those beautiful memories of when you last smudged with those specific scents.”
The hand sanitizer also comes in berry scents and wild mint.
Power said it was very important to the company to make safe products with minimal ingredients that people would want to use daily.
“You can read the bottle and you can pronounce what that [ingredient] is because we’re putting it on our body and especially on our skin we want to make sure it’s safe and it’s healthy and it’s going to help.”
Along with hand sanitizer, the company sells lotions, mask accessories and masks with Indigenous designs, in cloth and disposable.
PPE available through Kanatan Health Solutions. June 16, 2021. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton)
“We really want to share our culture, we want to share the really beautiful smells that we have with our sacred forest smudge scents and the really beautiful art on our masks,” said Power. “We want to share that with all cultures, not just First Nations.”
As a way to encourage vaccine uptake, Powers says anyone that shows proof of their first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can get two disposable masks and a 100 ml hand sanitizer for free with a $15 purchase.
Orders can be placed online and can be delivered locally, picked up at their distribution centre in Edmonton, or can be shipped through Canada Post.
Kanatan Health Solutions has sent products to 45 different First Nations communities across North America since the company started in July 2020.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.