Shielding Your Glow: The New Era Of “Outdoor Beauty” (Win!)

The days of choosing between harsh chemicals and itchy bug bites are officially over. Meet Bite, the Canadian-made, women-owned brand that is redefining skin protection with a “clean” conscience. Founders Jaime Hackett and Erin Prohaska have developed a modern sun and bug system designed for real outdoor life, featuring their hero all-natural, DEET-free insect repellent alongside a brand-new mineral SPF sunscreen.

Positioned at the forefront of the emerging “Outdoor Beauty” category, Bite’s non-toxic, Health Canada-approved formulations are safe for the whole family—from babies to seasoned campers. We sat down with the founders to discuss their mission to provide high-performance alternatives to traditional DEET products and how their mineral SPF is becoming a summer essential for every cottage, camp, and travel kit. —Noa Nichol

The Birth of Outdoor Beauty: You are pioneering a shift toward the “Outdoor Beauty” category; what was the specific moment in nature where you realized that sun and bug protection didn’t have to feel like a chemical chore, but could instead be an elevated part of a self-care ritual?

[Jaime]:I don’t think it was one single moment, but rather the kinds of summer memories Canadians grow up loving—dockside evenings, long walks through cottage trails, and late dinners outside with friends. Those moments were always beautiful, but the ritual before them never was. Traditional bug spray and sunscreen felt like something you had to tolerate: harsh smells, sticky skin, and formulas that felt completely disconnected from the natural environments we were trying to enjoy.

[Erin]: Jaime and I spend as much time as we can at the cottage in the summer. For those who don’t know, we’re actually sisters-in-law, so that family time outdoors is really important to us. But we started realizing that we were spending less and less time outside in the evenings because the bugs were so intense.

That’s when we began asking ourselves: what if protection could feel more like skincare? What if it was something you actually wanted to apply instead of something you applied because you felt like you had to?

[Jaime]: Those questions became the foundation of Bite. We wanted to create products that protect you from the elements but still feel elegant, clean, and sensory—something that could sit beside your skincare at home and travel with you to the dock, the golf course, or the trail. That’s really where the idea of “Outdoor Beauty” was born—protection that enhances the outdoor experience rather than interrupting it.

Formulating for the Future: As a Canadian, women-owned brand, you’ve achieved Health Canada approval for non-toxic, DEET-free, and mineral-based formulas; what was the most challenging part of refusing to compromise on “clean” while ensuring your protection system was safe enough for babies and effective enough for the deep woods?

[Erin]: One of the hardest parts of developing Bite was refusing to compromise on our standards while still meeting the real-world demands of protection. We wanted formulas that contained no harsh chemicals, were non-toxic, and safe for fthe entire family, but they also needed to work in the Canadian outdoors—from cottage country mosquitoes to tick-heavy trails.

[Jaime]: Achieving Health Canada approval while maintaining those standards required an enormous amount patience. It would have been easier to rely on traditional chemical approaches, but that never aligned with our vision. Instead, we focused on natually derived active ingredients, and worked closely with regulatory experts and formulators to ensure both efficacy and safety.

[Erin] For us, “clean” couldn’t just be a marketing word—it had to mean something. The end goal was simple: products we would feel comfortable using on ourselves, on our families, and around the environments we love most.Design as a Language: Your brand is described as “design-forward”; how does the aesthetic of your packaging reflect your philosophy that clean, non-toxic products should feel as beautiful on a cottage bedside table as they do in a rugged camping pack?

[Jaime]: To us, design is more than aesthetics—it signals a shift in mindset. When something is beautiful, people integrate it into their daily lives more naturally. That’s exactly what we want protection to be: effortless and part of the ritual. But we truly believe when products are hidden away, you never use them!  So we wanted to design something that you could be proud to leave out and remember to use. 

[Erin]: A lot of outdoor products are built purely for function, often with very loud, utilitarian aesthetics. We saw an opportunity to create something different—something that felt elevated, calm, and design-forward, without sacrificing performance.

Our packaging reflects that philosophy. The colours are intentionally soft and natural, inspired by landscapes like sand, stone, and moss. The forms are simple and modern, designed to sit comfortably on a cottage bedside table, in a beach bag, or next to your skincare routine at home.

A Modern Protection System: Your latest mineral SPF launch is designed to pair with your hero insect repellent; how does this “sun + bug system” reframe the way we approach outdoor life, moving away from “protection” and toward a seamless integration with the environment?

[Jaime]: Traditionally, sun protection and insect protection have been treated as completely separate problems. You grab sunscreen for the beach and bug spray for the woods, often applying them in layers that don’t necessarily work well together. As we learnt more about insect repellents, we learned its the scent that acts as the deterrent. So often a lot of the products we use without thinking about it outdoors use scents that actually attract bugs. 

[Erin] After we launched Bite Insect Repellent, we started thinking about protection more holistically. Our mineral SPF was designed to work alongside our insect repellent, creating a layered system that supports outdoor living rather than interrupting it. Hence the name Bite Base, we designed it as a fragrance-free base layer to ensure maximum efficacy from our repellent. 

[Jaime]: Instead of seeing protection as something defensive or unpleasant, we frame it as preparation—like putting on skincare before your day. When protection feels lightweight, beautiful, and easy to apply, it becomes part of the ritual of stepping outside. 

It’s a small shift in perspective, but it changes the experience. Rather than protecting yourself from nature, you’re preparing to spend more time fully in it.

The Legacy of the Land: Being a “Made in Canada” brand is a core part of your identity; how does the Canadian landscape—from our vast lakes to our unique summer challenges like tick awareness—inform the way you continue to innovate for the modern outdoor enthusiast?

[Erin]: Canada’s landscape plays a huge role in how we think about product development. Our summers are short but incredibly vibrant, and they come with their own unique challenges—from dense mosquito seasons to growing tick awareness in many regions.

Because we spend so much time outdoors—at cottages, lakes, golf courses, and hiking trails—protection isn’t optional. It’s part of the lifestyle.

[Jaime]: Being a Made in Canada brand means we design for those realities. We think about the dock at dusk, early morning tee times, long hikes through forests, and families gathered around campfires. Our products are built for those moments.

We want to continue to create products that allow people to enjoy the outdoors more fully while respecting the landscapes that make those experiences possible. 

In many ways, Bite is a reflection of the Canadian summer itself—brief, beautiful, and meant to be enjoyed to its fullest.

Win! 1 of 2 Limited-Edition Bite Travel Sets!

Congrats Pam K. of Edmonton, AB, and Nathalie B. of Métis-sur-Mer, QC, who will each receive a Limited-Edition Bite Travel Set! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadailymedia. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding. Full contest rules/regulations here.