Vancouver’s Nala Deodorant Wants You to Know Your Body Better
Clean care for every body.
For Radmila (Mila) Juristovski-Bosnic and Ada Juristovski Jemc, the mother-daughter duo behind Vancouver-based Nala, body care is deeply personal. In the wake of the death of Alan Juristovski—Mila’s husband and Ada’s father—from cancer, Nala (“Alan” spelled backward) was launched in 2017 as a way to channel grief into something actionable: creating personal-care products that encourage people to get to know their bodies so they can better advocate for themselves and their health. “By understanding what is normal for you, you have the confidence to speak up when something feels wrong,” Juristovski Jemc says.
The mission? To offer an alternative to one-size-fits-all deodorants via different strengths and scents, with a focus on safe and effective ingredients that actually keep you smelling fresh throughout the day. “Deodorant is one of those things that we do on autopilot,” Juristovski Jemc explains. The brand’s personalized ethos was born from the idea that your needs vary depending on your lifestyle, day-to-day activities, and even fluctuations in hormones—and that there’s power in being attuned to your body.
Earlier this year, the brand underwent a playful makeover, relaunching its products in colourful packaging, injecting a little brightness into the mundane. According to Juristovski Jemc, the fresh look is also an ode to how much the brand—and its founders—have grown. “Grief will always be a part of our story, but our story is so much more than grief—we wanted to lean into joy.”
Photos by Clover June, courtesy of Nala.
