ORGANIKARE HAS BEEN ONE OF BANGLADESH’S MOST POPULAR HERBAL BRANDS FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES. RENOWNED FOR CREATING EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCTS THAT LIVE UP TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, IT IS EVOLVING TO CREATE A NEW BENCHMARK FOR QUALITY AND COMPETENCY IN ITS NICHE CATEGORY. IN A CONVERSATION, DR MALIHA MANNAN AHMED, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ORGANIKARE AND DR RIMITA FARID, DOCTOR AT TIYARA LASER & AESTHETIC CENTER, ELABORATE ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL JOURNEY AND HOW THEY ARE COLLABORATING TO PRODUCE PREMIUM ORGANIC SKINCARE PRODUCTS.
Founder & Executive Director, Organikare
Director,
Gemcon Group
You are an entrepreneur, a medical doctor, and a public health columnist. How challenging is it to switch between the responsibilities you have to undertake?
Maliha Mannan: At the moment, I am predominantly an entrepreneur. I have not practised for over fifteen years and have dedicated myself to building and setting up Organikare, which has seen remarkable success in recent times. Subsequently, I started writing public health columns when working as a health consultant for A2i (Aspire to Innovate). It can often be challenging to lay down all the medical understanding in a precise, lucid term that anyone can grasp. One needs to have a very clear understanding of a topic from many different perspectives to develop a simple, comprehensive conclusion or vision.
Despite the prevalent dependency on imported cosmetics in Bangladesh’s beauty market, we are witnessing a paradigm shift to local organic skincare, haircare, and personal care brands. What might be the underlying reasons behind this?
Maliha Mannan: The progression of organic healthcare products from obscurity to the mainstream has primarily fueled young entrepreneurs bold enough to tread this path. Traditional, Ayurvedic products, or even locally-made cosmetics and skincare products were always available in the country, but consumers perceived them negatively. The impression was exacerbated by poor marketing and their unavailability in top graded shops. Thankfully, things are turning around, and more people are inclining towards using organic products produced by competent and talented entrepreneurs. The proliferation of social media and e-commerce has allowed them to establish themselves in a market previously dominated by traditional players. I can genuinely say on behalf of Organikare that product quality and placement has been our strength for the last 18 years. We started with top graded shops only and are now slowly entering the retail market.
How has Organikare been able to incorporate ancient Ayurvedic tradition to the necessities of daily skincare and wellness routine of the modern consumer?
Maliha Mannan: The use of Ayurvedic products is deep-rooted into our ancestry. It is one of the world’s oldest medical sciences, with a history of more than 5,000 years. It’s incredibly enthralling to contemplate that Organikare is one of the brands facilitating its use in the modern era. We apply scientific knowledge to infuse the active ingredients of the herbs in our toiletries or skincare products. Organikare has developed ready to use face masks, face washes, gels, scrubs, body butter, shampoos, conditioners, and even hand wash liquids where herbal extracts are infused into the base of each range of products. We are one step closer to creating amazing products used by doctors and aestheticians in collaboration with Dr Rimita Farid. One of them is a serum containing alpha arbutin. I had the opportunity to use the serum for the past month, and it is astonishing how effective this product is!
I CAN GENUINELY SAY ON BEHALF OF ORGANIKARE THAT PRODUCT QUALITY AND PLACEMENT HAS BEEN OUR STRENGTH FOR THE LAST 18 YEARS. WE STARTED WITH TOP GRADED SHOPS ONLY AND ARE NOW SLOWLY ENTERING THE RETAIL MARKET.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of Organikare?
Maliha Mannan: The inspiration behind the creation of Organikare was my father-in-law, Col. Kazi Shahid Ahmed. He gave me this opportunity to start the company. Many looked down on me for changing my medical career track, and the initial years were spent being defensive about my chosen path. Now, I am comfortable because I grew up with the company and am proud of the things we have been able to create. My team believes in the brand and the products; that’s my biggest strength.
Organikare is Bangladesh’s one of the most popular organic self-care brands, especially popular among young women across the country. What makes the brand resonate so well with them?
Maliha Mannan: Organikare is the epitome of what Bangladesh aspires to be, or vice versa. I have set a very high benchmark for the quality of our products and always direct my team to create products that our children can use safely. A marketing genius I met a couple of years ago had told me that I make products that are the gold standard for a country like Bangladesh. His advice was to not bother with so much goodness but to keep to the basics if I wanted to make money. Although it had financial logic, the advice did not resonate with Organikare’s vision and mission. We have never compromised our quality for the sake of monetary gains, and our loyal customers admire that about us. We indeed have a long way to go in expanding our consumer base; our fifteen-year journey gives me hope that even better days are ahead of us.
An effective aesthetic centre requires state-of-the-art facilities and a competent staff. How is Tiyara Laser & Aesthetic Center setting itself apart in this sector?
Rimita Farid: Tiyara Laser and Aesthetic Center has all the facilities required by a proper aesthetic centre, supported by a team of competent doctors and nurses. We take a detailed history of every patient before starting any procedure and work according to their requirements. The affordability of every patient regarding aesthetic procedures differs, and Tiyara understands this very well. Keeping that in mind, we try to cater to every patient according to their needs. We analyse the patient’s skin condition, determine the requirements, and thereby offer personalised treatments for every individual. Most importantly, hygiene and patient safety are one of Tiyara’s top priorities.
Besides laser treatment, Tiyara Laser & Aesthetic Center currently offers a wide range of services. Could you please share details about some of the patient favourites?
Rimita Farid: Some of the favourites are chemical peels, anti-aging procedures such as PRP, Botox, fillers, and slimming procedures. But one should keep in mind that these treatments are not for everyone, and I only allow a patient to take these treatments once I have assessed that it is absolutely required.
THE SALICYLIC PEEL PREVENTS BREAKOUTS AND HELPS TO FADE ACNE MARKS. AS THE DEAD CELLS ARE WASHED AWAY SO IS THE DULLNESS, LEAVING THE SKIN HEALTHIER, BRIGHTER AND GIVING YOUR SKIN A CHANCE TO BREATHE.
What made you collaborate with Organikare in order to make your own brand of products?
Rimita Farid: I have used Organikare before working with them and found their products to be extremely useful. I love that they are organic and that they work very well for my skin. When I came back to Bangladesh after almost a decade, it was not always possible to get products from abroad. I coincidentally came across this brand which is both affordable and solved my skin issues. This is why I felt very confident when I decided to collaborate with them. They are a group of people who work really hard so that people can achieve their skin goals by using the best quality of products with minimum effort, and that is exactly what I believe in. Less is always more!
What are your products about? Why did you decide to come up with these products?
Rimita Farid: So far, i came up with two distinct products which is very close to my heart. One is a salicylic based home peel which is used for acne prone skin. It can be used over active acne few times a week or on a regular basis depending on the severity of acne and condition of the skin. If used accurately, it will help to eliminate acne.
It can also be used once in every two weeks to get rid of dull, dead skin and helps to rejuvinate your skin at the same time. The salicylic peel prevents breakouts and helps to fade acne marks. As the dead cells are washed away so is the dullness, leaving the skin healthier, brighter and giving your skin a chance to breathe.
Another favourite product of mine is the 2% Alpha Arbutin serum. It is designed for pigmentation issues such as post acne pigmentation, melasma or sunburn. It has been combined with 2% hyaluronic acid which is known to retain moisture, reduce the depth of fine lines and wrinkles and leaves your skin with a plumpier effect. As a teenager, I have suffered from acne and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation which is pigmentation that acnes leave on the skin. It was devastating to see myself like that and what was more petrifying was my self-confidence was at stake due to the criticism i had to face as a teenager. When i overcame all of that i decided that one day i will have my very own skin line and help people overcome the same problem. Thats what I’m doing, living my dream!