Story | Connie Li Photo | Courtesy of Connie Lo
At six years old, Connie Lo was already learning how to sell.
She followed her father through trade shows, watching how products were presented, how conversations turned into relationships, how deals were made. Back home, she set up garage sales on the front lawn—imitating what she had seen, instinctively learning the language of business.
Years later, that instinct would resurface in an entirely different form: skincare.
The name Three Ships Beauty reflects the brand’s founding values—uncensorship, leadership, and partnership—but also something more intuitive: the idea of navigating uncharted territory with clarity and conviction. For Lo, that journey began not in a lab, but in her own search for answers.
At 11, struggling with acne and frustrated by products that didn’t deliver, she turned to something simpler. “My mom said, ‘You’ve tried everything chemical and it’s not working—why don’t you try something natural?’” she recalls. Oats, green tea, egg whites—after school, she experimented, testing formulations on her own skin. What began as necessity became curiosity, and eventually, conviction.
After studying commerce at Queen’s University and briefly starting her career in accounting, Lo quickly pivoted—drawn to the immediacy of marketing and sales, where she could engage directly with customers. That instinct for connection would later become central to how she built her brand.
That instinct found its counterpart when Lo met her future cofounder, Laura Thompson.
“We were both frustrated with the natural beauty industry,” she says. “Products were expensive, and they didn’t work well.” What began as a conversation quickly became a decision. Each put in $2,000—everything they had—and began building the brand the very next day.
From Kitchen Counters to First Customers
In the beginning, Three Ships lived in the margins of their days. Lo and Thompson made products in Lo’s apartment kitchen, and they would package and ship orders from Thompson’s place.
Evenings were spent mixing, pouring, labelling—then showing up wherever customers might be: farmers’ markets, craft fairs, small retail opportunities. As demand grew, operations moved into Lo’s parents’ basement, where the brand began to take shape more fully.
“For a year and a half, everything was there—jugs of oil, bottles, boxes,” she says. “My dad became our operations manager, dropping off orders at Canada Post. My mom made sure we were fed. it was exhausting, but also really fun.”
Growth came not through scale, but through persistence. Lo spent hours on instagram, reaching out one by one to potential customers—commenting, messaging, introducing the brand, offering small incentives to try. “It was very manual,” she says. “But it worked.”
Making Natural Actually Work
From the start, Three Ships was never about being “natural” for its own sake. It was about making natural products that perform.
“I believe trust comes from being completely honest about why you’re creating something,” Lo says. Early formulations were deliberately simple—but always explained. A cleansing oil wasn’t just gentle; it wouldn’t freeze in winter, and it wouldn’t strip the skin.
That clarity became foundational.
Today, the brand is built on four pillars: natural, transparent, effective, and accessible. ingredients are plant- or mineral-based, with even sub-ingredients carefully vetted. A full online glossary explains not only what goes into each product, but where it comes from and why.
Each product page includes a sourcing map—an unusual level of openness in an industry often built on opacity. But transparency alone isn’t enough. The product has to deliver. its bestselling Jelly Drops hyaluronic Acid Serum, formulated with tremella mushroom, has been clinically tested to improve hydration and elasticity by 26% in just 28 days—reinforcing the brand’s belief that natural and effective can, and should, coexist.
The product line is also intuitively structured by skin type, using a simple colour-coding system—blue for hydration, purple for sensitive skin, and orange for brightening—making it easy for customers to navigate without overcomplication.
Growing within Constraints
Building in Canada meant learning to operate with limits.
Compared to the U.S., access to capital is more constrained—a reality that shaped the company early on. Three Ships would go on to receive investment from the Business Development Bank of Canada, whose venture arm specifically supports women-led Canadian companies—an alignment that reflects both the brand’s origins and its trajectory.
A defining moment came in 2020, when the founders appeared on Dragons’ Den.
They received multiple offers—but ultimately chose to walk away after the show, opting instead to raise funding independently. The exposure, however, proved invaluable.
“We gained so many new customers,” Lo says. “Our episode was even shown on Air Canada flights for an entire year.”
Resilience, Rewritten
There were moments when they weren’t taken seriously—when people asked to speak to “the owner,” not realizing they were the founders, or when manufacturers underestimated them.
Rather than discouragement, those moments became fuel.
“We don’t mind being underestimated,” Lo says. “We focus on making the best products for the customer.”
That mindset traces back to her father. “He taught me how to build real relationships—remembering small details, following up, showing care. That’s where sincerity shows.”
It remains central to how the brand operates today.
A Canadian Brand, by Instinct
Three Ships is built close to home.
Founded in Toronto, the brand works with manufacturers across the GTA, with nearly all products made locally. Its team remains largely Canada-based—a reflection not just of geography, but of mindset.
“I’m really proud to be Canadian,” Lo says. “Seeing people choose us because of that—it’s incredibly meaningful.”
There is a distinct quality to the brand: pragmatic, transparent, quietly ambitious.
Looking Ahead
Today, Three Ships has grown from a kitchen startup into a recognized name, with tens of thousands of customers and a rapidly expanding presence. The company has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30, received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Canada award, and appeared on The Globe and Mail’s list of Canada’s Top Growing Companies for three consecutive years.
But the most meaningful shift has been internal.
“When we started, I didn’t have much confidence,” Lo says. “I would compare us to big brands and wonder when we’d get there.” That thinking has changed.
“I’ve learned to be proud of what we’ve built. This journey—it’s made me more resilient, more confident.”
Looking ahead, the focus turns to expansion and brand building. But the foundation remains unchanged.
“If the version of me in that apartment kitchen could see this now,” she says, “she would be shocked. But now, I feel certain. This is exactly what I’m meant to be doing.”
