A forced break from work and a long-existing struggle with soaps resulted in the birth of Love Lavishly, a homemade soap that is gaining popularity in Doha, thanks to Torba Farmer’s Market at Qatar Foundation and QatArt Makers Market at Katara.
Founded by Anju Philip, Love Lavishly is a natural handcrafted soap brand that is made in Qatar. Chocolate Valentine, Ocean Breeze, Acne Buzzer are few of the soaps that this home-based business offers. They have now launched a new winter collection with unique colours and fragrances catering to specific needs.
Made from natural and skin-loving ingredients, the soaps contain organic oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil and exotic butters like shea butter, cocoa butter, kokum butter, Lye and other organic ingredients like oats, honey, rose powder, sandalwood powder, turmeric, sea salt for exfoliating properties.
“All the colourants used are eco-friendly and absolutely safe for the skin. Our soaps are suitable for dry, patchy, sensitive, oily and acne-prone skin types. The soaps are hand made with utmost care keeping in mind the wellbeing of our customers,” said Anju.
Priced at QR35, the newly launched winter collection has 12 variants of soap including lavender, lemongrass, oats, milk and honey, watermelon, acne facial bar and many more. Love Lavishly also has shampoo bars that are priced at QR30.
A private sector employee, Anju had to take a break from her work and embrace the life of a homemaker. She was venturing into a new phase of life when she had to look for other opportunities. Anju says, “I always struggled with a skin condition and using dish washing liquids was next to impossible for me. I was doing some research on that when I found a recipe to make liquid soap. The soap not just cleaned the utensils but also took care of my skin. I was excited as I felt that this could help many people who have skin issues and are unable to use soap.”
Anju began working on recipes to formulate different kind of soap bars and working along with her was her friend Stella, together the two of them went on to develop this business as it stands now.
“My family and friends have supported me and motivated me throughout, even in the most trying times. This business was a leap of faith that took me on a journey where I am not just running a business but helping others. I intend to branch out into other things, help women going through hard times to learn a skill and find confidence in themselves,” says the entrepreneur who is part of a community of handcrafts QatART.
