Canada forward Jordyn Huitema suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing in the NWSL. She'd spent the past four years working on a skin-care line, which launched days after she was injured.Vincent Carchietta/Reuters
Jordyn Huitema is trying to find “the beauty in the ugly.”
The ugly is the knee injury that the Canadian international forward suffered July 18 playing for the Chicago Stars against Angel City in National Women’s Soccer League play. The 25-year-old from Chilliwack, B.C., is now awaiting surgery.
The beauty is Jordyskin, Huitema’s new skin-care line that launched four days after the injury.
Jordyskin has been four years in the making with a hydrating foaming cleanser, milky toner and daily moisturizer the first products on the market, all available online.
“The journey has been so long that I was finally excited to get it into people’s hands and get people trying it and get people’s opinion on it,” Huitema said in an interview, a pile of product stacked behind her. “Just the feedback has been unreal so far, which warms my heart. Because the initial goal of the brand was to make people’s lives better.
“We didn’t want to do it for money or for any other reason. We just truly wanted to create a product that people could trust. And so far the feedback is that people are loving it, so it’s everything that I could have dreamed of and more.”
With 1.3 million followers on Instagram, Huitema already has a large, loyal audience.
Years of struggling with acne got Huitema interested in skin care. Coupled with repeated washing after training, her skin was taking a beating.
“My skin would peel off and be super-sensitive and irritated because things weren’t made for me. And now I’ve formulated this and I use it three times a day and it’s perfect,” she said.
Huitema knew what she wanted in terms of ingredients and how the product should feel. But it took countless trial runs and a switch in manufacturers to finally get what she wanted. Every time she said no, it took another three months to reformulate.
“I was the bossy CEO who wanted it to be perfect. That’s why I think it feels so accomplishing, finally feeling like it’s everything I wanted it to be.”
Jordyskin is intended for both men and women. And while billed as “created for athletes,” it can be used by anyone, according to Huitema.
Her teammates have tested out the products, with several – including close friend and fellow Canadian Julia Grosso – figuring in the marketing of the line. The Chicago locker room is now stocked with her products.
Huitema also got family members involved.
“I wanted to use young skin, mature skin,” she explained. “I wanted to use everything under the sun before I launched it. I wanted to make sure it worked for everyone.”
Huitema was the original guinea pig, however, testing the products herself before turning to others.
Huitema is the lone investor, pouring her own money into what she calls a “passion project.”
While she hopes to expand the line, she also knows she will need investors if the business continues to grow. But for the time being it’s all her, including packaging and sending out the product.
Huitema, shown in a 2025 NWSL match, hopes to be healthy for next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil.John Froschauer/The Associated Press
A double-whammy ended Huitema’s soccer season.
She needed treatment in the 20th minute after taking a knock to the knee from an Angel City challenge, then fell awkwardly after coming down for an aerial challenge upon her return to the field.
In hindsight, she believes the knee was compromised in the first collision, with the damage exacerbated by the second.
“I’ve made a new rule for myself that, because my pain tolerance is so high, if I ever ask to get checked on the sideline, I’m going to stop playing,” she said wistfully. “Because usually by the point I’m asking to get checked, I’m usually already injured. So I just need to learn to stop.”
Huitema was helped off the field, favouring her left leg with a towel covering her face, and was placed on the season-ending injury list three days later.
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Doctors are waiting for the swelling to subside before surgery. The initial diagnosis is torn meniscus, anterior and medial cruciate ligaments, a “slight” femur fracture and bone bruises.
“I did it big,” she sighed. “Hopefully I’ll only do it once.”
Huitema hopes to return to action in time for next year’s World Cup, which kicks off June 24 in Brazil.
At 5-foot-11, Huitema cuts an imposing figure on the field. She spent three seasons in France with Paris Saint-Germain, making 45 appearances between 2019 and 2021, before joining the NWSL’s Seattle Reign in 2022.
Huitema moved to Chicago in March in a trade that saw the Stars pay US$300,000 in a transfer fee and US$200,000 in allocation money. She subsequently signed a three-year contract that runs through the 2028 season.
She has 24 goals and seven assists in 98 senior appearances for Canada. As a youth international, she scored 25 goals, second only to then-record-holder Christine Sinclair (Annabelle Chukwu now holds the record with 34).
Huitema had four goals in 12 appearances in NWSL play this season.