Kristina Knox

Kristina Knox is a cognitive psychology graduate student at the University of Toronto who specializes in research in visual cognition. She is also the co-founder of Arbre, a Canadian startup that creates universally functional and sustainable SPF products. Along with her co-founder Stephanie Tien, they started Arbre after realizing there was a lack of products available specifically to protect the scalp. Through their research, they discovered that there is a misconception that people with darker skin are not susceptible to sunburn and are not at risk for skin cancer. They also discovered that traditional sunscreen products can be harmful to the environment. To combat these issues, they formulated a mineral-based product using zinc oxide and titanium oxide as the basis for sun protection. They are currently in the clinical testing and approvals process to bring their sunscreen to market and are also winners of the IDEA Mississauga Scale-Up Pitch Day.