Growing up in Kashmir, MADIHA TALAT saw society around her suffer from lack of resources and opportunities. At the same time, the natural beauty of a place that is referred to as a paradise on Earth was unmissable. The contrast was stark and affected her deeply. As an adolescent, she began to yearn to live her life in such a way as to be able to effect a change in society. Initially unsure of the path she should choose, she went through self-love and healing to finally finding an opportunity to use something unique to her birthplace to further self-care and self-love. Excerpts from an interview by PRAVASI INDIANS:
Tell us your story in your own words…
Every unique story is a result of positive reinforcement in the face of challenges that one meets. Understanding our emotions, behaviour and creating self-awareness helps us to find the true purpose of our lives. I experienced a similar shift in my life during the ending semesters of my college degree. From being not so sure about what I really wanted in life to having a purpose bigger than just mindless earning and spending, I transitioned through self-love and healing.
Belonging to a place so unique that it’s called “heaven on earth”, but at the same time limited by a poor social and economic set-up, I would question how progressive and happy were the people living in this heaven on earth. Every strong society is built of strong individuals and I aspire to bring this change in my society starting from myself.
Kashmir has a natural topography that is good for the growth of high-quality aromatic and medicinal plants. Research proves that the quality of extracts from these plants is on a par with international standards. Perceiving this opportunity, I chose to utilise this potential through natural personal care products. So I established Shirin Aromatics to bring my dream to reality.
And what is special about Shirin Aromatics?
Cosmetics today contain many harmful chemicals such as parabens which, the researchers believe, act as endocrine disruptors. That means they interfere with your normal hormonal processes, and can even trigger inappropriate hormonal activity in both men and women.
Rû posh by Shirin Aromatics has a range of personal care products made with organic ingredients and plant extracts sourced from the fields of Kashmir. The essence of these products is that they use essential oils extracted from the finest quality of Kashmir’s aromatic and medicinal plants.
It’s top-order self-care…
It’s all about health, well-being and best skincare at Rû posh. This is a brand carefully curated to select the best ingredients for your skin from the farms of Shirin Aromatics. Our signature ingredients are lavender, rosemary, apricot, walnut, almond, rosehip and some more. These are formulated with popular active ingredients like niacinamide, salicylic acid and others to bring you the best skincare.
Awareness about skincare has really grown. What is your advice on skincare?
Based on individual needs, we have categorised the products on the basis of their functionality. So Cleanse, Tone, Exfoliate, Hydrate, Protect and Treat categorisation covers all the face care essentials. Let’s look at cleansing. Nothing like lavender face wash to cleanse your pores without drying the skin’s natural moisture. The right concentration of AHAs, BHAs and PHAs in this face wash helps to gently exfoliate and purify the skin. The lavender extract in this face wash prevents acne, treats discolouration and soothes the skin.
Next is exfoliation. Including a scrub in your weekly exfoliation routine helps remove dead skin and aids in growing new skin cells faster. The greater the environmental stress, the more frequently you should scrub to help remove dirt and toxins. Rû posh face scrub exfoliates and replenishes with aloe vera, coffee, apricot, walnut and niacinamide.
Then comes toning. Rose water has the best natural skin toning properties. Bringing you the best quality of rose water, extracted from Rosa Damask, we’ve formulated this face toner with lactic acid and hyaluronic acid.
And the crucial step is moisturising?
Moisturising is lubricating skin to prevent water loss from the skin’s top layers. But what if the top layer is not hydrated enough? Glycerin and hyaluronic acid are the best ingredients for skin hydration. Hydrate and nourish your skin with the best ingredients with Rû posh face serum.
How important is sun protection?
No skincare routine is complete without a good sunscreen. Rû posh SPF 50 sunscreen gives your skin PA++++ protection from UVA and UVB rays. Not just that, carrot and apricot oil in it help to reverse sun damage. Why all this protection? UVA protection is needed to prevent free radical damage that causes skin aging and UVB protection is required to prevent skin burning. SPF 50 PA++++ blocks 98% of UVB rays and 90% of UVA rays.
What about treatments?
We create formulations not just for short-term beautification but also for effective skin treatments. Be it wrinkles, acne, pigmentation or scars, we’ve got it all covered. Rosemary and salicylic face gel works wonders in treating acne, scars and dark spots.
Rû posh anti-aging face cream is enriched with walnut oil. The essential nutrients like Omegas 3 and 6 in walnut oil show amazing anti-aging properties. Adding this product to your routine in your twenties will help avoid premature aging. Rosehip extract helps treat hyperpigmentation and sun damage. Rû posh face serum and rejuvenation face cream are enriched with rosehip, and Vitamins C and E. The right ingredients brighten skin tone and strengthen your skin barrier.
And using these products also helps in responsible living…
We formulate products that are good for human health and the planet’s health. All the products are paraben-free, sulphate-free, vegan, cruelty-free, mineral oil-free and phthalate-free. We hope that every time you use Rû posh products, it’s a reminder for self-love and healing.
