Environ Is Back: A Full Ritual, Built for Every Skin Type

Some brands you carry for a season. Others you keep circling back to. Environ is the second kind — a line we've trusted for years, and one our clients have never really stopped asking about. Starting September 1, it's back on our shelves, in spa and online.

The Cleansing Lotion Our milky/creamy cleanser is the gentlest way to start and end the day — a cream formula (built around jojoba seed oil and olive-derived emulsifiers) that lifts away makeup and daily impurities without the tight, stripped feeling a gel or foaming cleanser can leave behind. It's especially suited to normal, dry, and sensitive skin, and it's the only cleanser in this format on our shelf. Massage onto damp skin, morning and evening, and follow with toner.

The Moisturizing Toner This one does more than a typical toner. Alongside niacinamide (vitamin B3) and a mild lactate for gentle exfoliation, it's infused with a blend of botanical extracts — sage, yarrow, chamomile, rosemary, and honeybush among them — that help hydrate and refine the look of skin tone. Think of it as the step that preps skin to get the most out of everything that follows, especially the vitamin A moisturizer.

The Vitamin A Step-Up System Most people's first experience with vitamin A skincare is the same story: a strong new product, a week of excitement, and then redness, flaking, and a bottle pushed to the back of a drawer. It's not that vitamin A doesn't work. Vitamin A is one of the most researched ingredients in skincare — it supports skin's natural cell renewal, helps maintain a healthy moisture balance, supports collagen and elastin production, and helps even out the look of skin tone and texture over time. The problem is almost always pace.

Environ's answer is AVST 1 through 5 — five vitamin A moisturisers that build in strength and technology one step at a time, rather than asking skin to adjust to everything at once:

• AVST 1 & 2 — introductory and medium strength, built around Retinyl Palmitate with vitamin C, E, and antioxidant botanicals (green tea, rooibos, honeybush, resveratrol).

• AVST 3 — a moderately high strength that introduces a peptide (Matrixyl® 3000) for the first time.

• AVST 4 & 5 — high to the highest strength, adding a second form of vitamin A (Retinyl Acetate) alongside Retinyl Palmitate, still paired with the peptide and antioxidant complex.
  

Every client starts at AVST 1, regardless of age or skin type, and moves up only once skin feels fully comfortable at the current level — typically after 2 to 3 bottles. It's a philosophy Environ holds to closely: vitamin A is considered the cornerstone of their approach to skincare, best replenished daily and built up gradually alongside antioxidants and peptides for visible, long-term results. If you used Environ's ladder with us before, you're welcome to pick up right where you left off; our team can help confirm the right level.

The Revival Masque Our only true AHA-resurfacing mask — a blend of lactic, mandelic, and asiatic acid, sometimes nicknamed a "facelift in a jar" for how it leaves skin looking and feeling. It works two ways: as a 10-to-20-minute treatment (start with twice a week and build up gradually), or as an overnight mask once skin is comfortable with the daily version, applied after your vitamin A moisturizer has had 20 minutes to absorb. Either way, expect smoother, glassy-looking texture and a healthy radiance with regular use.

The Avance Elixir A multi-peptide serum — Matrixyl® 3000, Trylagen®, Matrixyl® Synthé 6®, and Měiritage™ among its key technologies — layered on after toning and before your vitamin A moisturizer. It's an accessible way into peptide-driven, regenerative skincare, supporting a more even, luminous, resilient-looking complexion and helping address the visible look of sun damage, without the price point or protocol commitment of a bigger biotech serum.

Where to Start Finding the right starting point — and knowing when it's time to step up — is a conversation, not a guess. Book a complimentary consultation and we'll help you build the right Environ ritual for your skin. Individual results may vary, and the right pace looks different for every face we treat.

Ready to build your ritual? Book a complimentary consultation and we'll find your starting point together.

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Individual results may vary. Cosmetic skincare products; not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition.

Shed the Dead: An Evening of Skin Renewal at GLOW Beauty Bar

October has a way of asking us to let go of the last of summer, of dull and uneven skin, of anything that isn't serving our glow. This year, GLOW Beauty Bar is embracing the season with Shed the Dead: an intimate Cold Peel party at our Etobicoke spa on Thursday, October 15th.

What Is the Cold Peel at GLOW? The Cold Peel is a corrective, medium-depth peel powered by the Cimel Activator — a blend of retinol, alpha-arbutin, kojic acid, and salicylic acid formulated to target acne, uneven tone, pigmentation, and fine lines. It's designed to correct: one thin, expertly applied layer activates a controlled peeling process that resurfaces your skin over the following days, with little to no tingling upon application.

It's safe for all skin tones (Fitzpatrick I–VI). Most guests notice visible improvements in tone, clarity, and texture within 10 to 14 days, with fuller correction typically achieved over a series of 3 to 6 treatments spaced four weeks apart. Individual results may vary, and your aesthetician will build your plan around your specific skin goals.

What to Expect the Night Of Your skin is cleansed and prepped before your aesthetician applies a single, even layer of the Cimel Activator. You'll feel some warmth and light tingling, but nothing intense, this is a corrective treatment, not a relaxation facial, so there's no massage or mask involved. You'll be told exactly when to wash the peel off once home.

Over the days that follow, redness and tightness begin within 24–48 hours, with visible peeling between days 2 and 5, usually starting around the mouth and spreading outward. Most guests are fully healed by day 7.

Is It Right for You? The Cold Peel is a great fit if you're concerned with acne, pigmentation, scarring, or uneven tone, ready for visible flaking, and committed to a short but non-negotiable aftercare plan. It's not recommended during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or while on photosensitizing medication. Your aesthetician will review your skin and health history before your session, book a complimentary consultation if you have questions ahead of the event.

An Evening Designed Around You Shed the Dead is intentionally small. We're welcoming just 18 guests, each with their own 30-minute treatment slot between 5 and 8 PM, so every visit still feels personal, unrushed, and distinctly GLOW. Light seasonal bites and refreshments will be served throughout the evening; come for your peel, stay for the company.

The Booster Bar Every Cold Peel can be personalized. On the night of Shed the Dead, guests can add on any of the following at 20% off: Microcurrent (10 min), Lymphatic Drainage (10 min), Extra Extraction Time (15 min), Microdermabrasion (10 min), Dark Circles Peel (15 min), or a HydraFacial (20 min).

Whatever your skin is asking for this season, our aestheticians can help you build the right combination for the night.

Take Your Glow Home: The Recovery Set Peel days call for the right aftercare. We've curated a Recovery Set with everything your skin needs to heal beautifully: the Post-Peel Kit ($50): Hale Derma Spray ($35), and Travel Glowtox Oil ($25). Each is available individually at regular price, GLOW+ members enjoy their usual 10% product discount — or bundle all three for $99, a $110 value.

Start Your Series: The Day-of Special Because full correction is best achieved over a series of treatments, we're making it easy to commit: pre-book your next Cold Peel session before you leave Shed the Dead and save 30% on that visit.

Reserving Your Spot The Cold Peel is $149 for the evening (regularly $250), our way of celebrating the season with the GLOW community. Reserving your spot is simple: no deposit required. Full payment is due the evening of the event. GLOW+ members get first access to reserve beginning September 1; the remaining spots open to the public on September 18.

Spaces are limited to 18 guests. Call 647-330-6044 or email us at info@glowbeautybar.ca to reserve your slot for Shed the Dead.

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Terms apply. Individual results may vary. Not recommended during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or while on photosensitizing medication.

PCA Skin & EltaMD in Canada: What the Discontinuation Means for You

If you've been searching for PCA Skin or EltaMD lately and coming up short, here's the honest answer: both lines have been discontinued in Canada by their distributor. It's a nationwide change affecting spas and clinics across the country, not a decision GLOW made, and not a reflection of how well these products have worked for you.

We wanted to explain it clearly, because these products have been a trusted part of so many of our clients' routines and because we'd rather you hear it from us than piece it together from an empty shelf.

Why this happened with PCA Skin & EltaMD

This is purely a distribution change. The Canadian distributor responsible for bringing both lines into the country has chosen to discontinue them, effective immediately and until further notice. It has nothing to do with product quality, safety, or results — the same formulas many of you have loved simply aren't available to Canadian spas and clinics right now.

What it means for you

If you're on our waitlist for either line, our team will reach out personally with alternatives suited to your skin. If you've prepaid for a product or series that included PCA Skin or EltaMD, we'll contact you directly to walk through your options; an alternative product, a treatment credit, or a refund, whatever works best for you. And if you're simply wondering what to use next, that's exactly the kind of question our aestheticians love to answer.

Finding your next favourite

Here's the part we want you to feel reassured about: choosing the right products for your skin is what we do. Rather than swapping one product for whatever's nearest, we'd rather look at your skin, understand your goals, and recommend something we're genuinely confident in: the same personalized, imaging-led approach we bring to every treatment. A discontinued product is never the end of your glow journey; it's just a chance to refine it.

Have a product you're worried about replacing? Book a complimentary consultation, or simply ask your aesthetician at your next visit — we'll help you find the right next step for your skin.

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