EP127. From indie beauty idea to selling 500 face creams

When we talk about indie beauty brands, we instantly think about formulations, ingredients, branding, social media, beautiful websites, and an alternative to the mainstream corporate bland, identical face creams we see on our drugstore shelves. But we don't always hear about the person behind the brand. Here at Formula Botanica, you'll frequently hear us talking about changing lives. Changing lives through formulations, changing lives through indie beauty, changing lives through botanicals. And these words can sound overwhelmingly big, and perhaps even a little bit meaningless out of context until you speak to an indie beauty entrepreneur who has truly changed their life and you see it happening before your very eyes. That's why in today's podcast interview, I invited Naz Bashir, one of Formula Botanica's amazing graduates, to join me. I've been following Naz's story very closely for the last years and have been enjoying every single second of it. So if you want to be inspired by someone who started small, grew organically, and has created a name for herself in her local community to the point that someone even excitedly recognized her from Instagram when she was out, as you'll hear in the interview today, all while formulating skincare that helps people feel less alone in their skin problems, then this is an episode that I promise will leave you feeling totally inspired. Welcome to Green Beauty Conversations, the podcast that challenges you to think about how you bar, buy, use, make or sell your green beauty formulations. In my weekly episodes, I explore the sustainability of the beauty industry and encourage you to join me in changing the industry for the better. I'm your host, Lorraine Dallmeyer. I'm a chartered environmentalist, biologist and the CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. We have thousands and thousands of students in over 180 countries worldwide who study with us to become organic beauty formulators and entrepreneurs. Visit our website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course and if you want to be the first person to know what's happening in Green Beauty, make sure you subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast app. So in today's episode I'm joined by Naz Bashir, Formula Botanica graduate and CEO of the beautiful, award winning skincare brand Solo Skin London. Naz started Solo Skin due to her own skin frustrations, suffering with psoriasis and skin sensitivity. She initially started off formulating in her bedroom as we'll hear, then moved to a small table and now has a purpose built lab in her home to formulate in. Naz is also the mother of three children, works full time and I can safely say is an absolute inspiration to all of us. Hi, Naz. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Hi, Doraine. I'm good, thank you. How are you?

I'm good. I'm hot. We're recording on the hottest day of the year, so both of us are going to swelter through this. But I am thrilled that you're here and I can't wait for this interview. So let's start at the top. Can you please introduce your brand to us and tell us about the products you make and sell?

So I'm Naz. I'm the founder and formulator for Solo Skin London. I am a formulator, obviously, and I formulate especially for sensitive and problematic skin. I decided to build my brand purely because of my own skin frustration. So I have psoriasis and I have very sensitive skin, so I can't just pick up products off the shelf. And I realized I needed to start doing this myself, make my products myself. So I launched my brand in just before the pandemic hit, actually, which I thought was. I thought I failed before I even started, but actually it turned out to be brilliant. I have been featured in the press. I've been. I've also won an award for the Free from awards in 2020. So one of my products have been recognized to help sensitive skin as well. And, yeah, I'm in my third year of trading now, and it's been absolutely crazy. It's been a journey and a half that I've enjoyed every single moment so far.

Well, I've been watching your journey for the last three years as well, and I've enjoyed watching you, but I can only imagine what it was like being in it. So obviously you started Solo Skin London because of your own skin issues. So what is your big mission with the brand?

So the mission is to kind of have natural ingredients and have something that actually works and have that community that I have, because I often felt that when I was suffering with sensitive skin and psoriasis, I felt like I was alone. So my brand is all about, you're not alone. We're going to do this together, and we're going to do it together using natural and organic ingredients. And I kind of take everyone through that journey with me.

That's amazing. I love it. And is that why you chose the name Solo Skin London? What's. What's the meaning behind the name?

When I was thinking about my branding, the branding, it was quite different. Strange for me because I often feel like my branding is kind of me and it was a reflection of kind of how others feel as well, because we feel very much solo when we're going through this, because it's very rare to see people or for people to talk about, you know, skin frustrations, because a lot of the time on Instagram and all over social media, you're seeing these filters, you're seeing flawless skin. But actually, I often felt very isolated and alone, which is why the word solo came up. And although we're. We used, I felt like that my branding is all about. Actually, we're a community and we're in this together. And the community that I've built is just phenomenal because I've had so many amazing transformations and we've. And I've kind of shown my journey along the way. So everyone kind of knows, actually she's got a skincare brand, but she doesn't have flawless skin. She's still going through these skin frustrations herself. So she'll. People are very much able to relate to me massively, and I'm able to relate to them as well.

It's an interesting observation, actually. I've had it a number of times over the years at Formula Botanica, where people have come to work with me and thought that they have to look a certain way because of what we do. And it's interesting how the beauty industry creates that feeling around it. And it's not good, obviously, because. No, you know, as long as we look healthy and happy, I think that's the most important thing. So how did you get to the stage then, that you learned how to formulate? What were the steps you went through?

Oh, this is a. So I actually used to just throw a whole load of ingredients together and thought, woohoo, I'm done. I used to follow some DIY recipes online. I'd go onto Pinterest and I used to sell them to, like, friends and families. But then when I was approached by. By someone that I didn't know, it kind of took me back and I was like, I'm a bit scared, I'm a bit fearful, because am I doing this right? I'm pretty sure there must be regulations I must be following and how do I know my products are actually safe? How do I know that? So I took a step back and I thought about it as well. And obviously I needed something for myself as well. And I was constantly spending so much money on skincare products that never worked for me, so I was wasting so much money. So obviously I came across your YouTube channel and it took me through some of The. I think it was the YouTube that took us through how to start up your own skincare brand. And it gave 10 steps or something like that, and I was like, oh, my God, this is amazing. This is exactly what I need. And I just wanted to know more. And then I think I started with. The next thing was the masterclass, and then I got the masterclass, and then I was just like, oh, my God. I just fell in love because I felt like it resonated really, really well with me because I wanted to formulate for myself first because I couldn't find anything. And I thought, oh, my God, this is amazing. I can just make my own products rather than me spending hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. I used to spend stupid amounts on skincare every month trying to find something that used to suit me. And it was such an emotional roller coaster at the same time. And then I decided to take the diploma in organic skincare, and I was so excited. I still remember that. I still get goosebumps thinking about it, because I just felt like it was going to be absolutely fun. I was so excited that, you know, you don't. I automatically thought, I don't have anywhere to do this. So the first place I actually did my first formulation, believe it or not, was in my bedroom on the floor. My children were on the bed. And, yeah, it's just taken off from there. Really amazing.

Well, where do you formulate now, then? Because I know you've been through several stages, because I interviewed you a few years ago and you mentioned, I think you're in the shed at that point, what was happening.

Yes. So if you have watched that interview, my aim was to take over the back because it was a gym. And I can say I did that. I put that plan and I executed that plan and I made sure I got what I wanted. So, yeah, I originally started when I was studying. I was in my bedroom, and then as soon as I was about to launch my brand, I was in a corner of the shed in the back. And obviously, as time was going, I had more products, I had more sales, I needed more space. So I've taken over the back and I'm in the lab now, which I absolutely love, because it's just my space. You know, when the kids are asleep, I come in here and it's just. It de. Stresses me, like, a lot.

I love that. And for the listeners, I'm looking into Naz's lab at the moment. I can see lots of incredible machinery behind her. Maybe we can do a snippet on social Media so you can come and have a look as well. So what was it that made you want to be an entrepreneur? Because it's one thing learning how to formulate, and then it's another thing entirely to say, I'm going to turn this into a business.

If anyone's following my YouTube channel, you will know that I've spoken about this. I obviously had no idea at the beginning that I was going to sell products to people. And I had. I had originally thought, okay, I'm just going to make products for myself and have it for myself and that's it. But then when I was looking into social media and doing my research on people, I was like, there's a lot of people who are going through the exact same thing as me. And then I realized, okay, that's fine. And then when I saw that my products were actually working for me, like, I wish I took photos back in the days, but there's not many photos because I was so conscious of my skin, I would break out so much that I just wanted to hide myself. So I never took photos, I never had photos because I went through that transformation and now my skin is so much more better. I thought, oh my God, I've nailed it. I feel like I've done something amazing and now I can help other people who have been in the same boat as me. And that's where it kicked off. And I originally thought, I don't know where this is going to go because I don't know how to run a business. And I've said this before as well, is formulating is completely different to running a business. It's so different. I absolutely love formulating. It helps me de stress, it really relaxes me. But then there's obviously they're two different roles and you don't realize it that they're two different roles at the very beginning, I think because I saw that transformation on myself and then I saw the transformation on other people, I've realised actually Formula Botanica have gifted me because I was like, I can do this amazing thing where I'm helping people, not just myself, but other people. And I feel so amazing when I'm able to do that. And that's what's made me become an entrepreneur and that's what's made me to continue and carry on.

And what a fantastic story. And obviously I've been loving every step of your journey as well. What would you say have been the biggest learning so far in running a beauty brand?

Oh, the biggest for me is don't compare yourself with other brands. Do not just stay in your own lane. Don't feel that pressure of what other people are doing because people will see you and you don't have to run. Just take your time. It's your journey. It's not anybody else's journey. It's going to be your journey. You carry on at your own pace. That's probably what the biggest learning curve for me because as you know, I had a baby last year. Obviously things slow down because your hands are more full. So I kind of had to talk to myself and say, you're not going to be able to do the things that you wanted to do and go as fast as you wanted to. And that's absolutely fine because that time I have with my children, I'm not going to get that back. Money will come and go. That's gonna always stay there. So go at your own pace. And I'm so glad I did that. I'm so glad I did it.

I think that's very, very important advice. I think there's a lot of comparisonitis in the industry and people do sort of look around at others and think I'm not moving fast enough. But you know what you stand for. Tell me about your products. What do you actually make and sell?

I originally started off with the night Face oil, which is the award winning one. So this is made up of eight luxury ingredients which have amazing oils in it, which has broccoli seed oil, rice bran, olive, Squalane, and this is for the night time. So this is, this is my hero product. I absolutely love it. This is the sample size because I've actually ran out. I've sold out of the bigger bottles but the sample sizes are available. So that was my first product. Then the second product which I've also sold out of, this is a good sign. It's the green clay mask, which I don't have, but it's quite similar to the pink one. The green one was because I could never find a mask to suit my sensitive skin. It always used to sting or burn or I would end up with really bad rash. So I formulated my own clay masks that were self activated that could be customized at the same time. And that was the green clay mask. And then I did the pink clay mask as well, which is slower absorption rate. So people with drier skins or combination skin could use that. Then we have the body oil which is my, also my favorite. Obviously I have psoriasis. I have it all over my body. So dry skin is like normal to me. It's part of my everyday life. So this is with me wherever I go, on holidays, everywhere. So this is made up of perilla seed oil and oat oil, which we kind of already know. Oat oils and the benefits of that. It works really well. And obviously it had to come with a body polish. If you have dry skin, we all know that, you know, you just need a good old scrub, scrub it off. We got body polish and then when I was pregnant, so all of these actually have a really crazy story to them. Actually, now that I'm thinking of it, the next thing was when I was pregnant, I suffered with insomnia really badly as a symptom. And as you know, you know, after the baby's born, you know, you don't sleep anyway, so I came up with the eye oil and the eye oil again. I had previously when I had my children, I tried so many products, nothing worked. And this. I've actually sold over 500 in the last three months. So, yeah, it's doing really, really well. I'm shocked at how well it's doing and I've had amazing transformations. So that's worked really well. That's probably one of our best sellers. And I have the newest product which I've sold out of. It's doing really well. It's the oil to milk cleanser. And again, I could never find a cleanser that moisturized my skin because everything I was using would dry my skin out, make my skin feel really, really tight, and then I'd come out in a rash or breakout. But this oil to milk cleanser has worked absolute wonders. It's only been a couple of months since I launched that. So that's doing really well. And the reviews are coming in. And I love seeing the reviews eventually coming in, which always is just makes your day really, doesn't it, when you see something that someone really likes.

Absolutely. Well. Incredible to hear. And congratulations on selling out on so many of your products. That's a definitely very, very good sign. So how did you get to the stage then that you knew you were ready to launch?

I think a lot of people feel like this. I definitely felt like the imposter. I suffered with the imposter syndrome where you feel like you're not good enough. You don't know what you're doing. Are you. Do you actually know what you're doing? All these thoughts actually come to you, but you're not going to know until you do it. You have to know what you want in order for you to kind of get to where you need to Be, it has to be overnight. It took me almost a year to launch because I had no idea how to launch and it was just a learning curve. So I just was like, okay, what do I need to think of? And testing and trialing, seeing what I think would work and then just collecting that data. And then I was like, right, okay, just, I'm going to go live on this date. I'm not going to think about it. I'm just going to push the button and see what happens. And that's it. I was just like, you just have to do it. You're not going to know if it's going to be successful or not. If you're just going to think and contemplate about it and just do nothing. So it just the leap and just did it.

Amazing. So just take that first step to get started. I think you're right. I think a lot of people really struggle to give themselves permission almost to take that first step. But all of our listeners, if this is you and you're sitting there thinking, I can't do this, you've just got to take that first step. So what have been the biggest highlights so far with your lovely brand, Solo Skin London?

So the biggest highlight for me was six months after launching was winning the award. I mean, Laura, you probably remember I was throwing away, I was crying. I didn't even expect it. I just thought, okay, let me just put my products in. I love my product. But for a judge to actually love my product was incredible. That was one of my highlights. The second one is that I'm finally getting like international customers. That for me is insane. I never actually kind of gave thought about it as much, but I've now gone worldwide and said, hey, by the way, just to let you know, I'm here. I now ship to everywhere and the moment my insurances allowed me to do that, I was over the moon, which was always nice. What else? And yeah, the highlight is obviously my lab. Moving into my lab was the biggest highlight for me because it was my space. I just love my lab. I could live in here.

Absolutely amazing. I love those highlights. Well, congratulations on the award. I do remember it at the time. I remember us DMing and you being like, oh my God. There were lots of exclamation marks. Seem to remember. Yes, incredible. What does Solo Skin London mean to you? How has it changed your life?

It's done so much for me, so it's done so much for me mentally, number one. Because I feel like I'm not, not alone. That's one thing. So I have built my community where everyone's. Everyone, whoever's, whoever either purchases from me or is following me, they're going through the same thing. So mentally, I know I'm not alone. Number two, you know, when you are so busy with not just children, but sometimes you need that something for yourself that you actually, you've done something for yourself. You know, having three children, I've only got two hands, but you know, it's a handful. So then when I do come and concentrate on my business, I feel like I'm doing something for myself. That's the other thing. And how it's changed me is when I was also on maternity leave, it was able to help me financially, so I was able to work whilst having my baby around me. That for me was powerful because I know there's so many of us who want to do so much more, but we're like, we have so many not restrictions, but we're kind of limited to what we can do because we have children around us and we don't have child care. But actually Formula Botanica have given me such an amazing. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you guys have been able to give me this. And I'm so glad I took the course because not only am I doing it for myself mentally, but it's given me another line of income. So when I was on maternity leave, not just that when I was pregnant, I was quite ill, so I only managed to get sick pay for a certain amount of time. Obviously my pay dropped. So the business was able to kind of support me and my family as well. A lot of people see it as, oh, just the skincare and you're just selling. But actually there's so much more, the reasons behind it. There's so many reasons why people do certain things. And for me it's given me that second line of income. It's just changed my life really. Actually, yesterday, let me give you a backstory. My husband's an electrician and he went to go quote someone for a job and I was in the car and they actually called me inside and said, come in, it's too hot. Which was really nice because I had the girls in the back. I come out the car and she goes, you're so low skinned, London. I was like, oh no. Paparazzi got me that for me. I was like, oh my God. I didn't ever think anyone would recognize me outside social media. But it was so nice that somebody was able to recognize me, someone so local as well. It's A confidence boost. I've gained so much confidence within myself. I was never able to talk on camera before.

Look at you now.

Incredible.

That's. What a story. I mean, I am just. Well, first of all, thank you for saying all those lovely things. I mean, I am thrilled that we've been able to help you and help you on your journey because, you know, you have worked so hard at this, and I know what you've achieved and I know what you've put into this, and I know that I'm interviewing you on the hottest day of the year, which is very. One final question I have for you is what's next for Solo Skin London? Because you've achieved so much already. You've got your beautiful product line. You're changing people's lives, you've changed your own life. What's next?

Okay, so we've got new products coming out now. I'm actually looking to outsource because obviously my hands are quite full. And now there's only. I need to start focusing on running the business. So I'm looking at suppliers. I'm testing some products at the moment, seeing how they're going. So that's that. There's new products in the pipeline. The next is actually going into the zero Waste stores. So I've actually inquired about a few of those. And yeah, it's just I'm in communication right now at the communication stage, which is amazing because I never actually thought that would happen. And it's. And it is happening. So I'm hoping that goes ahead. I'm excited. Brilliant.

Well, it's been so nice talking to you today, Naz. You are an inspiration. You inspire me and I know that all of our listeners will be inspired by you as well. Where can people learn more about you and about Solo Skin London?

Okay, so I actually share quite a lot on Instagram. You can follow my journey on Solo Skin London. And I'm also on YouTube now, so that's the same Solo Skin London. So you'll be able to see some snippets on how I run the business. There's some behind the scenes, and if you have any questions, you can just pop me a comment on there and I'll respond somehow, whether it's a video or. Or a reply. So, yeah, that's where you can find me most of the time.

We will include all of those links in the show notes. And please do go and buy Naz's products because they're amazing. I know, because I've tried them too. Thank you so much, Naz. It's been lovely chatting to you.

Thank you so much.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Are you feeling inspired? I am. Naz is amazing. So please do come and leave us a comment on our social channels and tell me how you feel after listening to this episode. Both the Formula Botanica team and I love hearing from you. Thank you for joining Naz and I for this latest episode of Green Beauty Conversations. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please do leave us a five star review so that other people can enjoy these conversations too. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever your favorite podcast app is and stay tuned for the next episode. Follow Formula Botanica at Formula Botanica on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter or LinkedIn and come follow me too at Lorraine Dallmeyer As I always share the latest from the podcast and share my thoughts on green and sustainable beauty, visit our website@formulabotanica.com and sign up for our free online formulation course today.

Sam.