Frequently asked questions

North Channel Co. is the work of Melissa Phillips, a maker in the Sault Ste. Marie area of Northern Ontario. Every jar is blended, filled, and labelled by hand in small batches, first shared at local markets, now finding its way to you.

All of our crèmes are handcrafted in small batches in Northern Ontario, Canada, never mass-produced.

We take our name from the North Channel, the rugged stretch of water that shapes this part of Northern Ontario. Its calm, understated beauty is the feeling we set out to put in every jar.

It started with our founder Melissa’s own skin. After years of trying to fix it, she began making simple tallow crèmes that actually felt good to use, first for herself, then for friends. It grew from there. You can read the whole story on our story page.

For anyone who wants simple, thoughtful skincare, and especially for anyone who has ever felt frustrated with their skin. It was made with you in mind.

Each crème is intentionally formulated, not simply a mix of trending ingredients. Grass-fed tallow is the base, and every ingredient earns its place. There’s more on how we formulate and our story.

No. North Channel is cosmetic skincare made for everyday nourishment. It isn’t intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. If you have a specific skin concern, we’d always suggest speaking with a healthcare professional.

North Glow is our signature everyday facial crème, for normal, dry, mature, or combination skin seeking radiance and lasting moisture. North Calm is a lighter daily crème made with sensitive, reactive, and blemish-prone skin in mind. North Relief is our richest, unscented crème, for dry, weather-exposed skin on the face, hands, and anywhere that needs extra comfort.

Take the two-minute North Routine and we’ll point you to your match, or browse by what your skin needs in the shop.

Warm a small amount between clean fingertips and press gently into the face and neck, morning and evening. A little goes a long way. Follow with sunscreen in your morning routine.

North Relief is unscented. North Glow has a soft, natural frankincense note, and North Calm is gentle and very low-scent. There’s no synthetic fragrance in any of them.

With daily use on the face, a jar typically lasts a couple of months; these crèmes are concentrated, so you only need a little.

Every jar is filled to the full weight listed on the label, so you always get the amount you paid for. We leave a little space at the top on purpose, to allow for temperature changes during shipping and to make the crème easier to use without overflowing.

Keep them in a cool, dry spot away from direct heat and sunlight. Tallow can soften in warm conditions; that’s normal, and it firms back up. It won’t affect how it works.

No. Our crèmes are built on grass-fed tallow (a rendered animal fat), so they aren’t vegan or vegetarian. We’d rather be upfront about that than dress it up.

Tallow is remarkably skin-akin, rich in the very fats skin recognizes, so it melts in to comfort and deeply moisturize without feeling heavy. It’s traditional skin food, and the nourishing base of every formula. See more on the ingredients page.

No synthetic fragrance, no parabens, no fillers, just short, simple ingredient lists, with the full list shown on every product page.

North Calm was thoughtfully made with sensitive, reactive, and blemish-prone skin in mind. As with any new product, we always suggest a small patch test first.

They’re simple cosmetic formulas, but everyone is different; if you’re pregnant or nursing, it’s best to check with your healthcare provider before adding anything new.

We make in small batches in a home kitchen, so while our ingredient lists are short and shown in full, we can’t guarantee against cross-contact. If you have a specific allergy, please read the full list and reach out if you’re unsure.

Because everything is made by hand in small batches, please allow a few business days for your order to be prepared before it ships. You’ll get tracking by email once it’s on its way.

Yes, we email you tracking details as soon as your order ships.

Full shipping details are on our Shipping & Returns page. If you’re ordering from somewhere we don’t see at checkout, just contact us.

You’ll find the details on our Shipping & Returns page. If something isn’t right, please reach out; we’re a small team and we’ll do our best to make it right.

We’re sorry about that. Send us a quick photo within a few days of delivery through our contact page and we’ll sort it out.

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