Sḵwálwen In the Media

Excerpt: "When Leigh Joseph was growing up, she’d pick vegetables from her great uncle’s garden near the Nanaimo River on Vancouver Island, help him hang salmon in his smokehouse, and drink the fresh blackberry juice her great aunt made.

These experiences instilled in Joseph, a member of the Squamish Nation, the importance of understanding her connection to the natural world. And it’s the natural world, and her Squamish culture, that inform her skincare brand Sḵwálwen (pronounced squall-win) Botanicals."

Read full article in Flare Magazine

Excerpt: "Joseph draws on Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) plant knowledge and her academic background to craft high quality, sustainably-harvested formulas that honour the land from which they are gathered."

Read full article in Elle Canada

Excerpt: "As her company grows, Joseph wants to continue to bridge the gap between Indigenous plant science and Western science . . . “I want to elevate the understanding that Indigenous knowledge of plants doesn’t just fall into folklore, where I think it’s often placed,” says Joseph. “Our ancestors practiced scientific methods through observation and experimentation, with a spiritual element as well.”

Read full article in enRoute Magazine

Excerpt: "Handmade in small, fragrant batches, this potent plant-based skin care line is grounded in Squamish tradition. Founder Leigh Joseph’s admiration for her people’s resilience is evident. She puts people-land relationships front and center of her work, visually highlighting ancient horticultural rituals that continue to nourish her people to this day. “An image of a Squamish woman harvesting wild rose acknowledges our ongoing Indigenous presence. It’s an act of resistance, a way of showing we are still here — drawing beauty from our relationship with the land as we have for thousands of years,” she told HuffPost."

Read full article in HuffPost

Excerpt: “Following my relationships with plants and spending time on the land, tending to and harvesting plants, has helped me to find my own strength and also to see the beauty and resilience of my family, our Squamish People and the broader Indigenous community across Turtle Island. We are strong. The land makes us who we are. Plant-based relationships allow us to come closer to the land and this is a gift.”

Read full interview in Booooooom

Excerpt: “I find there is great creative inspiration that comes from learning about the Indigenous relationships with certain plants, how they have been used and then developing beautiful skincare recipes based on this context. The products are influenced by ancestral knowledge and relationships with plants and the ritual of skincare connects us to plants in a mindful way.”

Read full interview in Scout Magazine

Excerpt: "Leigh Joseph/Styawat, from the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nations, is an ethnobotanist and the owner of Skwálwen Botanicals. Pronounced squall-win, it’s a Squamish word that roughly means “spiritual heart” or “essence of being.” Leigh chose this name to represent the cultural connection to plants and Indigenous knowledge, as well as what working with plants brings to her life.

“It’s about relationship to the land,” Leigh explains. “I think there is a desire to have those tangible smells to ground you to place.”

Read full article in Boulevard Magazine and Vic News.