This NY-based entrepreneur has a new vision for luxury halal skincare

Ruia Ahmadzada, founder of NARI Skincare. Photo courtesy: Emron Ah.

Growing up in a family of merchants and running her father’s trading firm when she was 16 years old, Ruia Ahmadzada is no stranger to the nuances of the business world. So when she was told that there was no place in the market for her luxury halal skincare proposal, she went with what her experience told her instead.

This March, two years later, Ruia held a worldwide launch in Dubai for her luxury brand, NARI Skincare. NARI has also been a success at accelerator programmes such as the Global Entrepreneurship Community Summit 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, and it came first at Ideapad, a platform for startups to pitch for potential investors at the 13th World Islamic Economic Forum in Kuching, Sarawak.

It has all been quite the learning experience for her: “I learned that not all skincare products are created equal, safe and halal. If a brand is scientifically sound, it lacked on the ethical front. If it was conscientiously produced, it [was less] effective. So I decided to create products which deliver optimal results and transform the skin into its most radiant.”