Foundations

Chilluna was shaped long before it had a name. 

I grew up in a small farming town, where my dad and his brothers farmed mint and distilled the highest-quality essential oils around. During harvest season, the scent of fresh mint would blanket the entire town with it’s sharp, green, unmistakable aroma. It wasn’t perfume. It was agriculture, chemistry, patience, and craft.

My mom was a soap maker who cared deeply about natural ingredients. This was back in the 90s, long before “clean beauty” was a marketing term. Watching her work taught me that what we put on our bodies matters, and that good formulation is both science and intuition.

Those two worlds stayed with me.

From Curiosity to Commitment

In 2011, I began formulating cosmetic products myself, learning from experienced formulators and diving deep into ingredient science. What started as curiosity quickly became a lifelong practice. Just before the pandemic, I decided to formalize that knowledge and earned my Diploma in Personal Care Formulation. After graduating, I continued my education through professional cosmetic chemistry organizations, advanced classes, and industry trade shows. I was always learning, always refining.

But something kept pulling at me.

I wanted to start my own personal care brand, yet I couldn’t reconcile that dream with the reality of the industry: products that are mostly water, packaged in plastic, designed to be used briefly and discarded forever. I couldn’t shake the feeling that contributing to that cycle — even with “better” ingredients — wasn’t enough.

So I took a different path.

Chilluna was born from the decision to formulate solid, concentrated personal care products that are effective, biodegradable, and designed with both the body and the planet in mind. By removing excess water and unnecessary packaging, these products are intentionally dense and a little goes a long way.

If this approach resonates, you’re in the right place.

  • Choosing the Harder Path

    This approach is harder. It’s slower, more expensive, and goes against what roughly 95% of the industry is doing. But it feels honest.

  • Sustainability as Momentum

    I believe sustainability isn't about perfection. It’s about momentum. Every small decision to shop local, to choose thoughtfully made products, to support people trying to do things differently, adds up.

  • Why Chilluna Exists

    Chilluna exists because I believe we can care for ourselves without disconnecting from the world around us. Because formulation is powerful. Because craft matters. And because change has to start somewhere.

Founder & Formulator

Chilluna was founded by Emily Thacker, a British Columbia-based personal care formulator with a longstanding interest in cosmetic science, botanical materials, and concentrated product formats. Emily develops Chilluna’s formulas with a focus on performance, sensory experience, and reducing dependence on conventional plastic packaging.

From pH-balanced solid hair care to facial formulations and art soaps, each product is developed through hands-on formulation, testing, and continual refinement.

Training & Professional Certificates

Emily holds a Diploma in Personal Care Formulation and has continued her professional education through the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists. Her training spans hair and skin science, product preservation, cosmetic claims, cosmetic microbiome science., surfactants, and biopolymers.

Diploma

Diploma in Personal Care Formulation
Institute of Personal Care Science

Professional Certificates

  • Fundamentals of Hair Science
  • Fundamentals of Skin Science
  • Microbiome for the Cosmetics Industry
  • Antimicrobial Protection in Cosmetics
  • Cosmetic Claims Substantiation
  • Bio-Based Surfactants & Biopolymers

This continuing education informs the development of Chilluna’s pH-balanced, high-performance formulations.