by Catia Mondlane, Founder Estética & Cosméticos
When I decided to open a natural cosmetics firm, I was aware that I really had to study and understand at all levels what I was getting myself into. Merely absorbing what people say or think about a certain product they’ve used or had previous unpleasant experiences with wouldn’t get me as far as I wanted. Without discarding how important those were and how they could influence the business’s progression, I really needed to deepen many aspects of each market to bring the ideal visionary concept to life.
The fact that my personal experiences boosted me to actually start this business couldn’t be reason enough, even though I knew there were some brands that brought negative effects on my own and many other people’s skin. As I went deep into my research, I found out that not everybody was willing to switch to natural based products. In fact, results showed that many consciously chose non-organic products due to instilled habits, purchasing power, and the fact that we rarely find them in the market, meaning that many are just used to synthetic products and natural products are still hard to find and expensive to buy. A very small percentage didn’t use non-organic skin care products, but some regardless of their awareness would normally change when a better product popped-up or a bad experience would force them to choose other brands. Others who happen to be the majority didn’t really care as long as they were clean, hydrated and ready to go.
The truth is, both natural and synthetic products could have negative effects on one’s body depending on the skin type and one’s awareness of the body’s reactions. Those who understand how to get the most benefits out of the products are less likely to go through unpleasant experiences. It is important to understand that being organic doesn’t mean the product is the best for you because many factors have to be considered when choosing a product that suits your skin; e.g. organic coconut oil is undeniably nutritive for the skin cells, but mainly benefits normal to a dry skin type. I personally can’t use it on my face because it stimulates the natural oil excretion resulting in breakouts and extra shiny and oily skin, but it works perfectly on the rest of my body and as a nutritious food on my dry kinky hair.
I would even go deeper and say that one’s diet and emotional state contribute a lot to having a healthier skin. It is beyond buying the most expensive brands or just being an organic product user, but instead a balanced combination of healthy diet and physical care habits combined with spiritual and emotional well-being that would for sure bring positive results.
Cátia Mondlane is the CEO & Founder of Isabella – Estética & Cosméticos, an innovative Mozambican cosmetic company that brings natural skin solutions based on locally sourced organic and fresh ingredients. Her brand is especially for people with sensitive skin and who want to be kind to their skin at affordable prices. She is currently based in Maputo, Mozambique.
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