Krithika Sundaram is a researcher and certified formulator based in Bahrain. Her natural skincare brand, Tvishi Handmade, brings together luxurious organic ingredients and effective skin and haircare.
When Krithika started formulating products, she was experimenting in her little kitchen. Now she is a certified formulator and heads up a team of her own.
Krithika’s journey into natural skincare formulation
Krithika’s daughter, then three years old, was having problems with sensitive skin. Her skin dried out easily. So, Krithika started to look for ways she could help.
“It was purely my motherly instincts that pushed me into skincare formulation.”
Krithika started to buy lots of different skincare items to try, but none of them seemed to work. They weren’t delivering the results that her daughter needed – or the effects that were promised on the labels.
“I tried a lot of products from the market but they were not giving proper results.”
When she was younger, Krithika had developed an interest in chemistry. So, with her daughter in mind, she decided to attempt to make some homemade skincare products herself!
“I decided to get my hands dirty and give formulations a try.”
The first six to eight months was mostly experimentation. She tried a lot of things, Krithika says, and did a lot of reading. And – she recalls, laughing – managed to waste quite a lot of raw materials in the process!
But her hard work and determined approach paid off. Her experiments began to yield positive results. The rest, she says, is history.
Choosing to go professional
Krithika found using more natural ingredients helped her daughter with the effects of sensitive skin. After this success, she knew she wanted to keep on making clean beauty products.
Researching online, she went through a process of comparing different formulation courses, to work out which one was right for her.
Krithika was intrigued by the variety of topics covered by the School of Natural Skincare. The Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation looked like it would be challenging, but enjoyable. This gave her the reassurance that she would gain more expert knowledge with formulating products.
“I was very satisfied with the variety and challenges your certification provided. It gave me confidence that I will attain better expertise with formulations.”
Pleased that the Diploma would meet her expectations, she enrolled to become certificated.
Krithika says she’s appreciative of the breadth of topics covered and of the excellent support materials. There weren’t very many formulating experts in her circle, in Bahrain, so she relied heavily on our course videos and materials provided by the School.
“I’m greatly indebted to your School for the course materials, the subject coverage and the materials I had access to during my course.”
Her advice for new formulators? Reach out and ask questions – and make the most of your teachers!
“Whenever I had queries, it was well handled by your team.”
Natural formulating in practice
It’s taken a few years to make the move from an extremely enthusiastic home formulator to becoming certified. Now, Krithika has finally achieved her dream – a career as a professional skincare formulator.
Having lots of willing friends and family to test her products helped a lot, she says. Though who would complain about being handed free, organic skincare products to trial?! It was also a great way to gather information about how her products were working.
Krithika has found that the best part of formulating is the sense of achievement it brings.
And her approach to formulating products is an extension of the pride she takes in all her work.
The most important thing, she advises, is to listen to customer feedback. It’s a great motivator, which also gives her great satisfaction.
Like her own experience with her daughter’s sensitive skin, Krithika knows that customers have a wide range of different requirements.
Through a process of listening to feedback, she can identify new or unanswered needs. Satisfying their demands is the absolute goal, she says.
“We also customize products as much as we can to bring that extra smile on your face.”
This plays out in practice through the process of developing products. They’re often custom-made, adapting to her customers’ needs. This constant innovation, Krithika says, is part of what makes Tvishi so unique.
A natural ingredient mission
The Tvishi Handmade brand is a reflection of Krithika’s personal values. Her products are natural and not tested on animals. She strives for her company to be socially responsible, keeping sustainability in mind when designing items like packaging.
Krithika’s products are handmade in small batches. This keeps the products and their ingredients fresh. It’s the best way, she says, to get the most out of the nurturing properties of the botanicals and extracts she uses.
Ethical sourcing of the ingredients is also important to Krithika. Tvishi Handmade works with small, local farmers to achieve organic production.
Her aim is to build long-lasting partnerships with other businesses, supporting communities by paying fair, market prices for ingredients.
What does the future hold?
Krithika credits the School of Natural Skincare and our team of experts with playing a major role in her achievement.
“I strongly believe that I’m a success story and I also believe that your team is a pertinent part of this success story.”
With Tvishi Handmade, she wants to keep creating high-performing, organic, skin, hair and body products. Krithika now knows she can do this without compromising on finesse, or her values.
She points out that, ultimately, it was her motherly instincts to want to help her child that drew her to formulating. And now, ‘With the advent of each new product,’ she says, ‘I feel as if I have given birth to a new being.’
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