Body Bakes: From a Cairo kitchen to the next big thing in Egyptian cosmetics

Let’s face it, internationally-recognised brands are a much easier sell than homegrown, natural beauty products. But although following a halal lifestyle is second nature to the majority of Muslim women, how many actually stop to read the label on, say, their favourite body scrub?

The reality is that many products hide a haram ingredient or two. Many drugstore cosmetics often include derivatives, from pork-derived gelatine to alcohol, that can potentially be absorbed right through the skin. That’s one of the reasons why Rana Tarbousha, founder of Body Bakes, came up with her own line of all-natural alternatives to regular beauty products.

FROM DREAM TO CREAM

Rana’s road to entrepreneurship had a peculiar origin: at a children’s science fair, to be precise.

“Being a pharmacist helped me realise my dream of creating my own handmade, natural cosmetics line,” she said. “I worked in clinical research for two years before becoming a science teacher. During the children’s science fair, where we created our own handmade soap, I realised that I wanted to do more. A bulb lit and it didn’t go off since.”

The beauty enthusiast set up a “mini-laboratory” in her dad’s office and would spend over 12 hours a day cooking up beauty mixes the old-fashioned way.

“It turned into an obsession pretty quickly. I wanted to combine science and art; I wanted to break people’s preconceived ideas about natural beauty products being boring and dull,” she continued. “I started testing everything on myself and my family, and they were blown away with the results. They couldn’t believe that I could actually create a natural product that not only smelled great but even looked and felt better than its chemical counterpart.”

Rana gathered her friends and sister and constructed a team of fresh, creative graduates who would be responsible for different departments, like social media management, marketing, events, innovation, and finance. And thus, in a small lab in the heart of Cairo, Body Bakes was born.

KITCHEN MEETS NATURE LAB

The bakery-themed aesthetic of the brand applies to everything from lab tools and branding to the final finishing of the product. Rana and her team used stand mixers, hand mixers, spatulas and many other cooking utensils alongside special lab equipment until they find the perfect recipe.

“We started off with dessert scents to match our theme and then delved deeper into floral and fruity notes to please a wider customer base,” said Rana. Convinced that Mother Nature had the answer to all our beauty faux pas, she started digging deep for the best natural ingredients around the world.

“We import our shea butter from Africa, our argan oil from Morocco, cocoa butter from South Africa... the jojoba oil is 100 per cent Egyptian; it’s much better than the imported oils,” she said. “Our fragrances [which are alcohol-free] are all natural and are imported from the United States, Germany, the Netherlands and South of France, while any colours are FD&C-approved food-grade colours.”

Locating all of these products was a tiring process, but well worth it, according to Rana. Additionally, the entire line is cruelty-free; Body Bakes is against animal testing, and the team prefers to test the products on themselves instead. “Our products are free of harmful chemicals, sulphates, parabens, formaldehyde, GMOs, and artificial colours, which render them harmless to our skin and the environment.”

“We try our best to follow a strict eco-friendly process, and so we thought, if they’re natural, they can’t be harmful. That’s when we started trying the products out on ourselves and what makes us the best advocates of our products.”

Not every natural cosmetic product is halal, but Body Bakes combines both. It’s free from harmful synthetic chemicals as well as animal-derived and livestock ingredients, making it perfect for all women. The use of all-natural, plant-based ingredients appeals to conscious consumers looking for products that are good for their skin and for the environment.

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

The fragrant food-smelling beauty products have quickly become a celebrity favourite, from silver-screen diva Mervat Amin, who pampers herself with their loofah soap, to fashion blogger Hadia Ghaleb, who loves their cupcake soap.

Body Bakes aims to become a household name. “We want to get our products out there. Soon we’ll be re-opening our first shop in Cairo, exporting to the GCC and boosting our online sales. While currently we’re showcasing at all three branches of Boho Gallery and many major pharmacies across Egypt, a shop is definitely in our short-term plan,” said Rana.