A US brand with a Cavan name

Cavan Cosmetics is a US-based handmade lip balm company with connections to the Breffni county.

The business is owned by 24-year-old Grace Cavan McGovern, whose ancestors hailed from the drumlin county before leaving for the States in search of work.

Her great great grandfather, Peter McGovern, emigrated from Derryvella in Templeport; while she says one relative, Mary McGovern, was travelling on the Titanic to New York, and survived on lifeboat 13.

"I've heard so many stories down through the years of Ireland and Cavan specifically," Grace says.

While she has yet to visit the county, it's something she "definitely" wants to do in the future.

Since finishing business in college, Grace dreamed of starting her own company and established Cavan Cosmetics in April this year.

"I just started out of my kitchen and began making the formulas," she explains, adding how she worked with a cosmetic chemist throughout the process.

"She helped me develop a really simple, clean formula. The biggest thing in mind was sustainability, clean ingredients and making things that are good not just for your skin but for the planet."

All of her products are packaged in paper tubes, which she hand-paints with designs matching the scent of the lip balm. Her product range includes rose, lavender, cherry, maple syrup, mint chocolate, and raspberry balms.

"It's so much fun [painting], people are always surprised but I can get 80 done in a day."

While her products do have a pop of colour, she says people don't need to know how to apply make-up to wear the product.

"I wanted to create something for everybody, not just for people who are really into make-up."

Grace uses eight "simple" ingredients in the balm, kokum butter, yellow beeswax, apricot oil, jojoba oil, rosehip oil, polyhydroxystearic acid, cosmetic-grade, non-toxic mica powder and fragrance oil, which is used in small amounts to create gentle scent profiles.

"I love to be transparent about everything in it because I do believe in everything in the balm," she says.

Sales are going "good" and Grace is "really surprised" by the support for the balm.

"I let people decide what the next product will be and I think that that helps the business to grow."

She's hoping the name of the brand will pique the interest of the Irish market.

"Cavan is my middle name, I have family roots in Cavan and I grew up hearing stories about Ireland," she says, describing how their home in Pennsylvania is decorated with photos of Ireland. Beyond her lip balm, Grace loves to paint and Irish landscapes feature prominently in her work.

"The brand is really inspired by Ireland; the landscapes, the gardens, the natural beauty of it. The freshness and the greenery just inspired the whole brand's image.

"I just really want people in Cavan to know that the brand does carry a piece of home with it. For me Cavan is not just a label but part of the brand."