Under tarrif threat, social media-savvy N.B. business sees surge on both sides of border

Hannah Rudderham · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 29, 2025 1:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A Moncton articulator balm shaper says the tariff threats from the United States person been a roller coaster thrust — but it hasn't been each bad.

"Last November, not agelong aft the U.S. election, I started to worry, due to the fact that it would person a batch of ramifications for us, depending connected however it came about," said Sylvie Roy, co-owner of Eclair Lips. 

"At the clip ... astir 60 per cent of our lawsuit basal was successful the U.S."

That U.S. lawsuit basal comes from the company's societal media beingness — 247,000 YouTube subscribers and 141,000 followers connected TikTok. 

Roy launched Eclair Lips successful 2015 to stock her emotion for making articulator balm, but everything changed successful 2022 erstwhile the videos she posted online, showing however she made them, went viral. 

But this year, arsenic the anticipation of tariffs connected Canadian goods became much certain, Roy said an "uh-oh" infinitesimal turned into a surge of enactment from Canadian buyers who switched from U.S.-made products, on with American supporters, too.

"That's been truly touching to spot that, and to spot that radical inactive person bully feelings astir Canada contempt what's happening with politics," she said.

Most U.S. buyers are inactive capable to acquisition her products without worrying astir tariffs, she said, due to the fact that of a duty-free exemption uo to $800.

"As agelong arsenic a U.S. lawsuit isn't buying $800 worthy of articulator balm, they are good."

Made by hand

Roy's involvement successful articulator balm started erstwhile she was astir 10 oregon 12 years old. After uncovering retired arsenic an big that she's autistic, it started to marque consciousness wherefore articulator balm was ever soothing for her — the sensory qualities of the balm helped keep her calm, particularly successful societal situations.

But arsenic she got older, Roy wanted to person a much earthy merchandise that inactive had amusive flavours and the close texture, truthful she started messing astir successful her room and came up with her product. 

The balms see flavours specified arsenic banana pick pie and vanilla buttercream, and there's Beaver Butts — a maple-flavoured one that came from a societal media comment accusing Roy of utilizing beaver butt successful her products. Rolling with the punches, she launched her new, Canadian-inspired flavour.

After starting the concern successful 2015, Roy said it rapidly became a full-time job, adjacent earlier that was sustainable, because of everything that was progressive with getting disconnected the ground. A fewer years aft launching, Roy's hubby Mario joined the business, too. 

"People volition inquire maine about, 'oh, was it hard to marque articulator balm?" said Roy. "And there's a batch of worldly involved, but it's harder to merchantability articulator balm."

LISTEN | Business proprietor connected societal media success, tariff threats:

Around 2016, done a provincial authorities program, she was capable to commencement doing the concern full-time.

And contempt the family's newfound societal media success, the Eclair Lips warehouse still gives disconnected a small-business vibe.

"It's not immoderate large machines oregon thing for the clip being," said Roy. "It's conscionable each done by hand.

"If we truly privation to, we tin marque a mates 1000 successful a day."