Who We Are

ASK Cosmetics Inc. is a privately held company that manufactures and distributes innovative solutions for nail, skin and hair care. Our flagship product is T.I.P.S.®, The Incredible Protection System, a lipid based conditioning nail strengthener developed for anyone who suffers from dry, brittle, cracked and peeling fingernails. Unlike most nail strengthening products on the market today, T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner promotes strength through flexibility rather than hardness.

We promote a systematic approach to beautification through safe and natural means. The success of our products has allowed us to be the number one selling nail care product on shopping channels in Canada and the United States. The company has continued to expanding its line of products to what you find on our web site today. We are constantly working on new products and bringing those, with a good chance of success, to market. As with all of our products, only the finest ingredients are used and we continue to focus on products cause no harm or damage to the body.

ASK Cosmetics continues to dispel a lot of the beliefs surrounding nail care that have been perpetuated by large companies with large promotional budgets. The notion that nails need to be hard to be strong and the belief that proper grooming requires that you push back your cuticles were two of the most significant hurdles. The company's objective is to differentiate its products from those of its competitors by challenging the status quo for cosmetics formulation and to lead the way in creating products that are safe and effective.

The company is proud to have demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurship in a number of areas. We were the first with a lipid-based, wax and silicone free, nail conditioner. Research studies conducted by the California Skin Research Institute on this unique formulation have shown that the product actually penetrates into the nail. Leading clinicians have cited this as a remarkable achievement.

This concept has been further extended to our line of skin care products. Most of the company's products focus on lipids as consumers are becoming more aware of the vital role that lipids play in proper body care. If cells of the skin and nails are the bricks, then lipids are the mortar that hold the cells together. Lipids create a barrier against irritants and hold natural moisturizing factors in human tissue.

Throughout our existence, we have challenged a lot of the myths and generally accepted practices regarding body care using a logical and common sense approach. Our view is that nothing is impossible, it might just take a little longer than the road most traveled. Our goal is to educate the consumer, support our claims with relevant scientific research studies and provide products that are safe, healthy and efficacious. Often times our research takes us down paths which well-seasoned cosmetic formulators have been unwilling or unable to venture.

The company is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, and we proudly display our product ingredients our web site. You will find that not many cosmetic companies will do that.

Customer Service is Job One!

For a small company to succeed, the satisfaction of its clients is of paramount importance. Our goal is to cultivate a long-term relationship with our customers. For this reason, the company has an employee dedicated to the role of customer service. This person is empowered to do whatever, in their view, is necessary to resolve any customer concern.

We treat our clients in the same professional manner that we ourselves would like to be treated. By giving our customers a voice, we increase retention and encourage loyalty. Customers are encouraged to call our Customer Care Line to get help and advice for their particular needs, for answers to any questions they may have, or to give feedback on our products.

Our products work, so we have no need to hide.

How We Started

Karen Orlowski, the inventor of this miraculous product, conceived T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner in her kitchen some 20 years ago with the assistance of the University of Guelph's Equine Research Centre. The original formulation was intended to address some serious deficiencies in her horse's hooves. As Karen tells the story, "From being coated with this formula, my own fingernails, which had always been in terrible condition, were longer and stronger and really healthy looking. They were virtually indestructible!".

Karen's friends noticed and asked for some of what she was using and then their friends noticed and asked for some and pretty soon all Karen was doing was making up this solution to supply the demand. Karen quickly realized that her discovery could help other women. She worked tirelessly over the next several years to find a suitable avenue to get this product into the marketplace and to perfect the formula for use on human fingernails. The task of convincing women that the nail hardening products that they have used for years may actually be contributing to the problem presented an obvious marketing challenge. T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner had to be explained and demonstrated in order to build customer confidence.

In addition, unlike most cosmetic products, T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner does not offer instant results and therefore requires a level of commitment by the user to "stick to the program". This was especially difficult in an industry dominated by huge companies with large advertising budgets promoting the instant results that consumers want.

While continuing to work on avenues for the T.I.P.S. nail solution, Karen came up with a revolutionary new design for a nail file. She recognized that nail files currently on the market were too rough with a tendency to damage nails. The traditional flat nail file was not particularly useful for women trying to sculpt their nails. Thus was born the T.I.P.S. Contour Nail File, which allowed women to safely and easily achieve the perfect shape while sealing the tip edge of the nail from further damage, something never before seen in the nail care industry.

At this time, television shopping was already on the scene but limited by the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission to showing only still pictures. When The Shopping Channel won approval to go to full motion, Karen saw an opportunity to effectively present her product to a wide audience. At the same time, the cosmetics industry was changing. Consumers were becoming better-educated and demanding products that were safe, healthy and effective.

On television, Karen had an opportunity to talk candidly about her health concerns regarding existing products and long held grooming practices. She immediately found an audience that was eager to learn more. She could also demonstrate the use of the product and the benefits of her system by example of her own long, strong healthy-looking nails. Karen's obvious sincerity and her heart-felt desire to share her discovery along with her casual manner and common sense information on nail care quickly won a loyal following in the Canadian marketplace. With her rapid success in Canada, the shopping networks in the USA quickly took notice and introduced T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner to their customers, where the success story was repeated.