KOCHI: The 10-step Korean skincare promises glass skin, a smooth and flawless complexion that almost reflects light. While it has been a few years since K-beauty showed up on our radars, the skincare and beauty industry continues to be obsessed with it.
For writer Fathima Abdul Kader, her sister-in-law and business head Fathima Nazneem, and niece, psychology student Lamya Shajahan, naming their brand ‘Glass Skincare Co’, was partially inspired by the concept of the Korean glass skin. “It also signifies our transparency in the formulation, process and results,” says Fathima Abdul Kader.
Keeping up with the beauty industry ran in the family. “We realised that a lot of commercially available products were chock full of fillers, alcohols and preservatives. While all chemicals are not bad, there are still certain ingredients that should be avoided. Eventually, we intended to create a brand of products that provides affordable yet luxurious skincare products without compromising on quality or sustainability,” she says.
Lamya was the first to consider creating a brand. A stickler for DIY projects, she started with the thought of making sugar scrubs. “Later when all three of us sat down to talk, we realised how passionate we felt about this venture and decided to partner up,” she adds.
Trials and tests
“We looked further into recipes from creators like Humble Bee & Me and began experimenting. During the lockdown, we set a launch date. Lamya did workshops with reputed formulators to learn more. After a month of intense trials, which included testing everything on ourselves, we ended up creating our range of body scrubs and cleansing balms. Currently, all the products we have in stock are foolproof winners. Both our cleansing balms feature high-quality french clays and light oils that work great to nourish the skin and melt away makeup, sunscreen and even oily grime without tugging at your skin or stinging your eyes,” explains Fathima Abdul Kader.
Beautiful and sustainable
Brands these days are mindful about giving back to the environment and focusing on the clean beauty movement accentuated by non-toxic ingredients. Glass Skincare Co was insistent on minimal wastage and plastic usage but their glass jars with lug caps posed the problem of leakage in transit. “So we decided to switch to acrylic bottles and introduced our returns programme. Giving an incentive to our customer base for being mindful about their consumption, and rewarding them with discounts for returning the bottles is our humble attempt at tackling this concern,” she says.
“We’re sticking to tried and tested ingredients that we all know and love. We take our sweet time coming up with new products that we try on ourselves, our friends, and we take their feedback into account before launching them,” says Fathima Abdul Kader.
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The base for all Glass Skincare Co ‘s body scrubs is shea butter and a unique mix of nourishing oils, and a hint of beeswax, which is suitable for all skin types. “Our cleansing balms are formulated for different skin types - La Vie En Rose is great for normal to dry skin, while Walk In The Forest is meant for sensitive or acne-prone skin,” says Fathima.
Body scrubs
Nuts For Coconuts: Coconut oil, vanilla fragrance and our coconut meal
(thenga pinnakku)
Citrus Bomb: Orange oil, grapefruit essential oil, orange peel powder, and lemon peel powder
Yes Way, Rose: Pink Himalayan salt, rosehip oil and rose petals
Cleansing balms
Walk In The Forest: Jojoba oil, French green clay, tea tree oil
La Vie En Rose: Sweet almond, rose clay, rosehip oil and vitamin E