Meet Megha Asher who founded indie beauty brand Juicy Chemistry along with spouse and co-partner Pritesh. JC was was born when Megha herself battling hair and skin issues related to PCOD found that the ‘safe’ organic brand she picked up was actually loaded with synthetic c petrochemicals
I often have one of Juicy Chemistry products on my shelf ( right now it is the sugar and grapefruit soap) so I am very happy to feature Megha on my blog and let her do the talking .
“More and more people want to know the impact their consumption has on the environment ” Megha Asher
You started off studying criminology – tell my readers a little bit about why you got into the beauty business.
As a child, I’ve always been curious about what makes others tick and, when I was in school, I had a Kleptomaniac in my class as well and seeing my classmate’s experiences and what
they went through definitely made me very curious about the subject. I’ve always enjoyed
deep diving into topics so I chose to become a researcher in the field. Later I shifted to
journalism and it provided me exposure to a very different side of criminology, a more
practical one as opposed to research.
I’ve always struggled with skin and hair issues, having suffered from PCOD. I tried literally
anything and everything and consulted numerous dermatologists but nothing worked.
Towards the end, I thought “Why not give organic a shot?”. So my husband, Pritesh, and I
even went shopping and we came across a salesperson selling a natural product. Pritesh
took one look at the ingredients list and was shocked – the product was loaded with
synthetic petrochemicals. In reality, there wasn’t anything ‘natural’ in the product! We
were so shocked. Therein began our Juicy journey. We couldn’t help but wonder – “Isn’t it
possible to have products that are entirely natural and organic?”. We spoke to friends and
family and did intense research for over 2 years. That’s how Juicy Chemistry came into
being!
You talk of simplified solutions to skincare – what does that mean? Isn’t skincare
supposed to be about rituals and multi-product regimes?
With simplified skincare, our idea is to talk about the intentionality behind one’s products.
If a product exists in your skincare routine, it needs to have a purpose. While many find
solace and comfort in elaborate rituals and multi-product beauty regimes, for a lot of people, myself included, that isn’t the case. One’s skincare needs to be functional and
simple. You shouldn’t have to think too much about your products and whether they are
what they claim to be and whether they actually work. You should also not have to resort
to a 10-step routine when a 4-step one or 3-step one works just as well. Does it mean it’s wrong to have a 10-step routine? No, but it isn’t wrong to have a smaller simplified routine
either.
You’ve launched a range of organic hair colours (based on intersting coffee names) – Do ammonia-free organic hair colours really work for coverage especially grey hair ?
Our hair colours cover up grey hair quite well, actually, and ammonia-free organic hair
colours really do work. We’ve seen the results when testing the products pre-launch. If your hair has been chemically treated or previously dyed, you might need 3-4 uses before you get a uniform colour, though. It’s a matter of patience but the result is well worth it.
Your products don’t harm marine life and waterways – what does that mean and are
consumers interested?
Certain ingredients ( microbeads, parabens , silicones for example ) are known to be toxic to marine life. We prefer to avoid using them and stick to organic ingredients that are freshly sourced from certified organic farms.
Consumers are definitely interested. There’s a sharp increase in consumer awareness and
as sustainability gains ground, more and more people want to know about the impact their
consumption has on the environment.
Name three Juicy Chemistry products that should be on everyone’s shelf
When I’m travelling, I also always take along the Blood Orange & Rosehip lip
balm, the Blood Orange & Geranium deodorant, the Bulgarian Rosewater Toner, and lastly the Kakadu Plum, Matcha and Blood Orange face mask. I love using the latter as a spot treatment for any last-minute zits. Works like a dream.
Then there is Chilli oil. ( Chilli, horsetail and black seed oil for preventing hair fall ) It’s a fan favourite and it’s my absolute favourite as well.
And the future is ….?
We have our certified organic high-performance colour cosmetics range, Color Chemistry, launching around Diwali. Its exciting. We’re launching 2 ampoule kits with some really
interesting ingredient blends as well. I can’t wait for our community to try them.
NB : Apologies if you are seeing uneven formatting . The text looks fine when editing !
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