Today, the Kansagras make 25 products. As these products need constant research and development, they roped in a renowned cosmetic chemist Dr Hirpara
BHARATI PAWASKAR
Have you ever heard of beauty products like Ayurvedic therapy hair oil, neem crush face wash, French green clay face wash, forest berries multinutrient hair growth shampoo, Moroccan argan oil hair nourishing serum, Vitamin C glow boosting and anti-ageing scrub face wash, French green clay refreshing body wash, Bulgarian rose body yoghurt, Vitamin C skin brightening and anti-ageing treatment kit?
The highlight of these products is their close association with nature due to being directly derived from it. One of their prime offerings ‘Moroccan argan oil’ is Ecocert certified organic from Morocco. Bilberry oil owes its origin to Albania while olive oil is sourced from Spain. Rosehip oil – Ecocert certified organic from Chile, green tea oil – Ecocert Certified Organic from Vietnam, shea butter – Ghana, rose essential oil – Bulgaria.
Well, these beauty products are from Herb Island. Born in Australia, Herb Island, is the brainchild of two business partners, Jay Kansagra and Karishma Kansagra. Headed by a team of three now, including Dr Hirpara, an expert in Ayurvedic beauty products and formulations for over two decades, the trio together ensures that with their expertise, the rawness of every fruit, herbs and ingredients in every product stays intact.
Jay is an engineer who graduated in Australia and founded Herb Island with the vision to create clean and fresh products while Karishma, an MBA with an interest in natural and Ayurveda ingredients offers ideas and concepts for innovative products that are natural. In the beginning, Jay and his friend made products in Australia in small batches. Since Australia is a land popular for natural ingredients, its diversity in herbal products is immense. Initially, they sold to friends and family, their formula was an instant hit. After Jay moved back to India and met Karishma, the duo established an innovation kitchen in 2016 with the focus on using raw, organic and farm-fresh ingredients and enriching lives with quality exclusively effective products.
Today, they make 25 products. As these products need research and development from time to time, they roped in a renowned cosmetic chemist Dr Hirpara who has two decades of experience in beauty products. Herbal Island claims to have adopted high standards in terms of sourcing ingredients and innovative techniques to represent their young brand ideology of fresh ingredients combined to create potent blends, offering clean formulations free from harmful ingredients like Sulphates, Parabens, Petrolatum fillers and more. “Manufactured in India now, our products are shipped worldwide,” quips Karishma.
Those who have used their products come up with positive feedback. Niranjana shares, “I was quite intrigued with the oil with the herbs and leaves floating inside but to my surprise, the fragrance is not at all herbal. It’s too pleasant and light and gentle on the hair. Washing off is also easy and doesn’t make hair too limp. And this is probably one of my favourite hair oils ever owing to the mild yet soothing effects it has on hair.”
Krupa is happy with the facewash while Ritu Patel finds the facial kit amazing. Radhasundar who was experiencing hair loss, began using Herbal Island products and saw good results. “Our customers are those conscious buyers who are switching towards clean and eco-friendly products. They are looking for products that help their specific skin concerns and who believe in healthy skin is beautiful skin,” shares Jay.
But is all the raw material imported? Karishma says, there are mix and matches as far as herbs are considered. Indian and foreign herbs are used. “Our manufacturing facility or kitchen (as we like to call it) is built on an organic farm, where we grow herbs like neem, wild aloe vera, roses, lemongrass, etc. We try and incorporate them in their fresh form in our products,” she adds. The products are available globally through their website. In India, they are also available on other E-commerce platforms like Nykaa and Amazon. As of now, their presence is limited to online availability only.
Jay briefs, “Herb Island’s brand ideology is of fresh ingredients combined with other potent ingredients to create formulations that are natural as well as effective. It is a mix of Indian Ayurvedic herbs with globally renowned botanical extracts, organic oils and butters to create a unique offering for our customers.” There is a huge demand for natural and organic products not only in India but worldwide. People have started making lifestyle choices that are more environmentally friendly as well as not harmful to them in any way, hence natural and ayurvedic beauty products are more trusted. Other than India, North American and African countries have very good potential. “We have identified specific skin concerns and are designing our new products accordingly. We plan to offer them with a complete solution to get beautifully healthy skin,” assure the Kansagras.
