Landed the Job

April 30, 2026

After graduating from Seneca’s Cosmetic Science program in 2020, Lataunya Forrest moved quickly from gaining industry experience to building a brand of her own. Now the founder of OutNo.d, a luxury, unisex curly hair care line, she shares how Seneca helped launch her career, what inspired the brand and what’s next.

I grew up around the beauty industry, so it’s always been a big part of my life. My dad was a barber and owned a barbershop for most of my childhood, and my mom would bring me along to her hair appointments. Being in those spaces sparked my interest in personal care. I loved seeing the community aspect and the confidence shift when people left the chair.

I completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. After university I knew I wanted to work in beauty, specifically cosmetics. I quickly realized it would be hard to break in without hands-on cosmetic science training, and U.S. programs weren’t feasible for me at the time. When I found Seneca’s Cosmetic Science program, it felt like the perfect fit. 

The best part of my Seneca experience was how practical and well-rounded the program was, especially the hands-on labs and my work term. The formulation labs taught me how to build formulas, make them and put them through stability and safety testing. I also learned how to evaluate ingredients and what they contribute to a product.

My work term placement was a huge highlight because it was a small startup, so we wore a lot of hats: shipping and packing, manufacturing and quality We even took a product from concept to launch. That real-world exposure—and seeing something I worked on make it onto shelves—set me up for success and still informs my entrepreneurship journey.

I used Seneca’s hands-on training and my work term to build experience, then moved into my first full-time role right after graduating. I started at Crystal Claire Cosmetics in Scarborough, working in the manufacturing lab during COVID. I began in lab work and later transitioned into regulatory, which gave me a strong foundation on both the technical and compliance sides of the industry.

After that, I moved to Indeed Laboratories, where I combined my experience in product development and regulatory. Along the way, I did independent formulation work, which helped me realize I enjoyed freelancing and planted the seed for launching my own brand.

The inspiration started with a personal problem. I love hair products and used a lot of different ones, but my scalp was constantly which led to excessive hair loss.

Because of what I learned about ingredients in the Cosmetic Science program, I could confidently read labels and started noticing the same ingredients across many of the products I was using. That made me suspect those common ingredients were contributing to the irritation.

At the same time, I saw a gap in the market: many curly-hair products take a one-size-fits-all approach and assume curly hair always needs heavy butters and oils. My hair is coily but fine, and those heavier formulas caused issues like breakage and dryness and forced me to use more product more often.

So I started formulating a solution: a lightweight, hydrating hair cream that hydrates, defines and adds shine without weighing hair down. I wanted an effective curl product that felt lighter and more scalp-conscious for people with similar needs.

OutNo.d (Outnumbered) is a high-performing, luxury curly hair care brand designed for everyone —from the fragrances to the overall look and feel. I wanted something that didn’t lean overly feminine in scent or packaging, because many men want to use curly hair products too.

Right now, I run it solo end-to-end: product research and development, formulating and testing, manufacturing in my at-home lab, packaging and labeling and shipping orders. I currently have five products, sold direct-to-consumer through my website.

In the short term, I’m expanding carefully and strategically, because growing too quickly can get expensive with product development, advertising and entering new markets. My approach is to research first and make sure I have the working capital before making big moves.

My next major step is entering the UK market. I’m working with a sales agent who sells on my behalf and helps place the brand with certain online retailers, while I continue to ship direct-to-consumer. For now, everything ships from Canada—unless I land with a retailer, in which case I’d ship in bulk to them.

Longer term, once I’ve expanded the assortment, I want to explore retail in Canada and grow in the Caribbean—especially through resorts and cruise ships—as well as salons, boutiques and head spas where my brand’s luxury, scalp-health focus is a strong fit.

My proudest achievement so far has been participating in Seneca’s Cosmetic Science capstone project. I entered my brand into the project, and the student team I worked with exceeded expectations—they created a product that truly fit my brand and worked incredibly hard, together and individually.

Seeing them succeed was a proud moment in itself: they won four of the six awards, and the mousse that they developed is strong enough that it’s now moving toward launch.

1. Take your time and learn all aspects of the business—not just the product side.
2. If you can, find a mentor and go to networking events—especially ones specific to the industry you’re entering. Having someone to learn from and turn to when you hit roadblocks makes a huge difference.
3. Use the resources around you such as online communities, co-working spaces and networking groups. You can also reach back out to Seneca; professors and contacts can often point you to helpful resources. And listen to your customer early: get feedback from different people, because understanding what your audience wants is what helps you build something that sells.