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Beauty

The Montreal skincare line that landed on Oprah's Favorite Things list

How Peoni, a new line of homegrown skin savers, landed a spot on Oprah’s Favorite Things list

PEONI-3

For anyone who grew up in an Oprah-abiding household, the ultimate jackpot would be a ticket to her Favorite Things episode. Meanwhile, for creators of clothing, food, books, beauty products, the real dream would be to score a spot on that list — something that came true in November for Montreal’s Jennifer Brodeur. Her new plant-based skincare line Peoni made the cut for the 2016 list, which now lives in the lifestyle queen’s magazine. “I was with a client when I found out, and I had to excuse myself,” says Brodeur. “I went into our customer-care service office and literally laid down on the floor. Then we kind of lost it and the poor client in the treatment room could just hear squeals and screaming.”

Brodeur launched her four-step regimen on November 3, and it had a notable test subject in the spring of last year: Ms. Winfrey herself. She’s been a client since 2012, ever since she discovered Brodeur’s LED light-therapy machine Max+ at a clinic in Beverly Hills. Despite the relationship, the facialist was still shocked to get a Favorite Things blessing: “I thought maybe there would be one product chosen, but when I saw it was the whole line, I was completely taken aback.”

Peoni Founder

When they got the news, Brodeur’s team went into overdrive, attempting to produce the volume they had originally planned for the whole year in just one month. In a week, they sold over 4,000 bottles, and to Brodeur’s delight, people are purchasing the entire line.

“You can have this easy four-step regimen, and use it morning and night—you don’t need a lot of products,” says Brodeur. “The simplicity of it is what [Winfrey] loves.”

The range, which gets its name from antioxidant-rich peony extract, is vegan and gluten-free, and quickly gaining ground around the globe. “We’ve had requests from all over the world, from Australia to Nigeria. I am Canadian, and so proud of that, but I’ve always told everybody that this is world domination. So I guess you get what you wish for?”

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