Well Told With Mia Fiona Kut, Founder of Luna Nectar

Founded by Vancouver-based Mia Fiona Kut, Luna Nectar is an innovative skincare and wellness company that offers plant-based adaptogenic products for hair, lashes, brows, and skin. With a focus on creating effective but uncomplicated skincare formulations, all of their ingredients are ethically sourced from cruelty-free suppliers, and are 100% natural and vegan. We chatted with Mia to get her thoughts on the importance of clean beauty products, as well as the benefits of using adaptogens topically for skin and hair.

For a limited time, receive Luna Nectar’s Neptune Hydrate & Blur Hyaluronic Acid Serum with any purchase of $50 or more.  

Luna Nectar was created to offer natural alternatives to conventional beauty products (starting with harmful lash serums). Can you talk about the benefits and importance of using natural beauty products?

Clean beauty is devoid of harmful and potentially toxic ingredients listed by the Environmental Working Group. We created our first product, Moon Boost Lash & Brow Enhancing Serum when my sister was experiencing side effects such as changes of eye color and burns around her eyes from using a hormone-based lash serum. 

Aside from the safety of the ingredients, one of the benefits of using natural products is that many ingredients are ethically sourced and cruelty-free. One thing to note though is that not all-natural products are the same. A lot of brands use filler or common ingredients like water and olive oil that are not high performing.  Our products are not only vegan, 100% natural, and cruelty-free, but are also packed with only the most necessary active ingredients needed to perform optimally. 

We are big fans of adaptogens, and use them in a variety of our products; can you tell us about their role in skincare? 

Usually you would think of ingesting adaptogens as they bring your adrenal system to homeostasis, however when used topically, adaptogens can help your skin and scalp adapt to damage and stress. Much like the internal body's response to stress, skin actually has its own system that releases cortisol when stressed. This causes lines and wrinkles due to the increase in free radicals, and decrease of collagen and elastin. Adaptogens help neutralize these free radicals on skin, which fight against signs of aging. 

Hyaluronic acid is of course an ingredient that continues to be very buzz worthy, what sets your Neptune Hydrate & Blur Hyaluronic Acid Serum apart from others on the market?  

To our surprise, many hyaluronic acid serums on the market use a combination of high and low molecular weight HA, which is actually not optimal for the skin. Size does matter! According to studies, low weight hyaluronic acid can cause inflammation due small size and ease of passing through the barrier of the skin, so we use only a high molecular weight. Many serums also contain hyaluronic acid over 1%, which is above the safe, optimal threshold for skin (ours is indeed 1%).

Neptune is also infused with antioxidant rich ingredients such as Helichrysum, green tea, and Butterfly Pea flowers, which work synergistically to reduce inflammation and free radicals. And of course, Neptune is first hyaluronic acid serum that is blue in colour.

Can you talk about the idea of building a “ritual” when it comes to skincare?

To us, a skincare ritual should be simple, affordable, and effective. With our busy lives, it really helps set the tone at the beginning or end of the day with a soothing, no-fuss, easy-to-use ritual full of quality skincare. All of our products serve multiple beauty pain points, and we formulated them that way to help our customers forfeit a multi-step and costly skincare routine. We know firsthand how expensive it can be to upkeep all of these products, often having to replenish them every month (it adds up!). We want to change the idea that you need to have a 15-step skincare routine to have amazing results, because you don’t as long as you’re using products that have effective ingredients. Using so many products also might be counter-effective, as you don’t know how the different ingredients will chemically react with each other and may in turn trigger an allergic reaction or breakouts.

What’s been keeping you well these days?

With lockdowns these days and plenty of time on my hands, a routine definitely keeps me well, it gives a sense of purpose. I love waking up early and sipping on my matcha latte before sitting down to work, and I take plenty of walks or do physical activity such as rollerblading, snowboarding, and working out. I've also learned how to eat better, and take more time to myself. Previously it wasn't as much of a priority, but now I'm learning the importance of that.