Reshade is taking the beauty industry by storm with its sustainability-driven mission that gives discarded makeup a second life – as paint. The student-led venture earned the 2025 Beauty’s Best Technology, Product Award on October 23, outshining major brands such as L'Oréal, Quo and Groupe Marcelle.  

Recognized as one of Canada’s premier beauty events, the Beauty’s Best Awards celebrates excellence across the industry, from products and people to ground-breaking innovations.  

For Aashna Manocha, a Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting student and president of Enactus Humber, the group behind Reshade, receiving this award validates the team’s hard work and inspires them to keep moving forward.  

“Winning [this award] is such an incredible honour,” said Manocha. “Leading this project wasn’t always easy, but seeing everyone’s passion and commitment come together has been so rewarding, and this award truly reflects that.”  

Susan Kates, faculty advisor for Enactus Humber, shared the sentiment, calling Reshade’s win “surreal.”  

“I am beyond proud of this team and everything they’ve been able to accomplish,” said Kates. “This is only the beginning of what they will achieve in the industry.”  

Reshade stands out as a breakthrough in sustainable beauty technology, tackling one of the industry's most overlooked environmental challenges: waste. The team extracts pigments from expired cosmetics, blends them with oil and acrylic mediums, and melts down plastic packaging to create reusable paint jars, reducing product and packaging waste.  

Its real-world impact helped set the project apart. In its first three months, Reshade diverted more than 50 kilograms of cosmetic waste from landfills and repurposed it into 4,000 mL of paint.  

Beyond the numbers, Reshade demonstrates what’s possible when creativity and collaboration come together. Entirely led by Humber Polytechnic students from multiple disciplines, the project unites education, sustainability and community impact to reimagine waste and turn it into something meaningful – art. 

The project is also featured in the Fall 2025 Issue of Cosmetic Alliance Canada’s magazine. The Reshade team is eager to continue advancing the initiative and connect with major beauty retailers, opening the door to greater sustainability opportunities.  

To learn more about Reshade, read the Fall 2025 Issue of Cosmetic Alliance Canada.

The team also claimed first place in a regional Enactus competition in the spring.