Oresta Korbutiak, founder of ORESTA Mindful Beauty, an Ottawa-based independent retailer has just celebrated 24 years in business – a rare milestone in today’s brick-and-mortar landscape.
Korbutiak founded ORESTA in 2001 as one of the first retailers in Canada to champion natural, ingredient-conscious skincare, introducing and supporting many of the brands that have since become leaders in the beauty space.
As both an esthetician and retailer, she has long acted as a curator and educator, helping customers navigate products, ingredients, and routines with discernment, not trend-driven messaging.
As the term “clean beauty” has grown increasingly diluted and unregulated, ORESTA Mindful Beauty has continued to evolve its approach – focusing more on transparency, efficacy, and long-term skin health.
ORESTA Mindful Beauty operates two Ottawa locations and remains deeply rooted in community, trust, and long-term customer relationships. At a time when many indie retailers struggle to survive beyond a few years, Korbutiak has built a loyal, multi-generational client base by prioritizing care over hype and connection over constant novelty.
Korbutiak brings a rare, long-view perspective on retail – one shaped by experience, endurance, and a clear POV. In an industry often driven by age-combative messaging, she has built ORESTA Mindful Beauty around an alternative approach that resonates commercially as well as culturally: empowering customers to care for their skin and feel confident at every age.
At 60, she personally embodies this philosophy, which has become a meaningful point of differentiation for the business and a key driver of trust and long-term customer loyalty.
“I started ORESTA in my 30’s, and I’ve grown alongside it. From motherhood to raising a child, perimenopause, supporting aging parents and now menopause. Every stage of my life has shaped my work. What’s mattered most for me is believing in what I do and why I’m here. That belief has carried me through the hard seasons because retail is not for the faint of heart. You need thick skin,resilience, and a lot of emotional stamina,” said Korbutiak.
“Longevity isn’t about chasing trends, it’s about adaptability, trust and being passionate about what you do.”
Korbutiak said her approach to skincare has always been personal.
“I struggled with acne in my mid-20’s, and like so many, I punished my skin trying to fix it, using harsh products and believing it needed to be controlled. What I learned through that experience was that skin doesn’t need to be punished, it needs to be supported,” she explained.
“When I started ORESTA in 2001, clean beauty was about looking at ingredients and understanding what we were putting on our skin. Over time, as “clean beauty” is unregulated, it became more diluted and fear-driven and no longer reflected our values. That’s why ORESTA Clean Beauty Simplified evolved into ORESTA Mindful Beauty.
“Mindful beauty is still about ingredients, sourcing, and how a product actually performs, but it’s also about intention. Does the brand support skin health and confidence, or does it sell fear and self-doubt? Skin care shouldn’t make people feel like they’re failing. It should feel supportive, grounding, and kind.”
Korbutiak said she wanted ORESTA to be a calm, welcoming place where people could walk in, ask questions, and feel supported, never judged or sold to.
“That sense of belonging comes from listening and consistency. Mindful beauty isn’t about pushing products, it’s about helping people tune in to what their skin actually needs,” she noted.
“Brick-and-mortars definitely matter to local communities because they create real relationships. People can have honest conversations, be seen as individuals, and feel part of a meaningful community.”
Korbutiak said ORESTA has never chased trends, quick fixes or gimmicks.
“Instead, we focus on education, consistency, and human connection. Education helps people understand their skin and make informed choices, which builds confidence and trust. Consistency, both in the skin care routines we recommend and in how we show up as a company, allows real results to unfold over time, especially through different life stages,” she shared.
“Human connection is what sustains those relationships. Remembering people’s names and stories, listening without judgement and offering honest guidance, sometimes that means recommending less, not more, creates a sense of safety, trust and care. When people feel supported rather than sold to, they stay. I believe that offering education, consistency, and connection is what has created long-term, multi-generational loyalty over the last 24 years.”
Korbutiak said she’s aged alongside this business, and she’s lived the changes, acne, motherhood, perimenopause, and now as a woman in her 60’s.
“I can honestly say that I love the way I look and feel now, and it has very little to do with my appearance. It comes from confidence, self-acceptance, and feeling at home in my own skin,” she said.
“Mindful beauty rejects the idea that aging needs to be fixed. We won’t carry any products labeled ‘anti-aging’ or marketing ‘anti aging’ – which differentiates us. We believe that anti-aging is a negative and false narrative meant to sell fear. We will never do that!
“We believe that aging is natural and beautiful and that skin care should feel supportive. When women are met with compassion, honesty, and education instead of judgment, they relax—and that’s where trust grows. This is the philosophy that shapes everything we do at ORESTA.”
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