Skincare that is handmade

Being a chemical engineer by profession and having the zeal to do something on her own Shipra Navya partnered with her husband Hersh Raval to bring out the amazing concept of natural body essentials that are made in their kitchen. Shipra named her brand ‘Bare’ (natural products for skin care), and launched it just a few months ago, but has received much accetance from the customers especially because of the natural ingredients they use in their products. Shipra shares the journey…

Tell us about your journey?
I am a chemical engineer, from BITS Pilani Goa. I have been working in the oil and gas industry. My husband and I have a huge interest in creating something of our own. Bare is all about natural organic skin care and we make the natural products using the most premium natural ingredients.

In the first go, we have launched all our soaps in four verities - Activated charcoal, grapefruit, cocoa, and sandalwood. Later, we launched our lip balms which are made with shea butter and next was face mask. The specialty of our products is that there are no preservatives and harmful chemicals added. The flavours used are pure essential oils. It is completely harmless to your skin and leaves it moisturised and nourished. We have been doing 'Bare' for four to six months now.

How are your products made?
The products are all handmade. They are made in our kitchen and we use natural oils, so all our soaps have a base which contains olive oil. For the face masks we use three different types of clays, and in our cocoa face mask we add cocoa powder and grind coffee beans and add butter to it.

How good has been your business so far?
It has been quite nice we have been doing exhibitions. We have done three exhibitions. Every time people come to purchase the products in bulk. The thing with natural products is when you switch to them you can’t go back to the chemical ones. So the ones who started using them really liked them and come back for more. They are also giving us the feedback that it feels good and the soaps lather is good. The handmade soaps leave the skin moisturised so you do not have to use moisturiser thereafter.

What is the future of 'Bare'?
We are planning to expand ‘Bare'. Right now, we are into soaps, lip balms and face masks. Soon we want to expand it to body lotions, liquid soaps, and hair care. We are now taking baby steps. We have one store called ‘Ozel’ in Hyderabad, Inorbit Mal, where you will find Bare products soon.

Your packaging is very creative!
We do creativity on the packaging. All the products come in handmade watercolour boxes that are hand painted and this is how we ship our orders. It is not just making the product but also making it a nice experience for the user.