In the name of ‘organic’ and ‘healthier’ products, skincare brands have been increasing their prices, making them inaccessible to many teenagers who seem to be the target audience of these products. Sick of the inflated prices and unhealthy ingredients in several of these body care products, two innovative high school students created their very own skincare line in hopes to give their community the quality products they deserve.
Seniors, Dhrithy Kakani and Aditi Balaji, first established their business, Essence of the Wyld, four years ago and, after a break, picked up right where they left off in the summer, which has progressed a lot since then.
“[The business] started when we were in ninth grade in freshman year, we made profit from our products but then with school and everything else, we decided to put a hiatus on it,” Kakani said. “But then senior year rolls around and during the summer we were like, ‘you know what? Let’s start it again.’ So it was kind of an impulsive decision. We also wanted to start again because we are super passionate about that and it’s more like a passion project than a business.”
Their main mission is to allow people to understand what they’re putting on their skin and making sure it’s non-toxic and is beneficial for everyone. This sets them apart from other businesses and huge companies and allows individuals to understand what they’re putting on their skin.
“A lot of other products have a lot of synthetic ingredients so you don’t know what you’re putting on your skin,” Kakani said. “That’s eventually going to clog your pores and actually, it’s gonna go into your skin. It’s going to disrupt your skin barrier, so we want to stop that. And these are like some dangers of the synthetic ingredients that we have.”
Kakani and Balaji put a lot of work into the process of making their products so that they can ensure everyone is getting what they need to nourish their skin and get the best treatment they can provide.
“We use all organic ingredients, like shea butters and cocoa butters,” Balaji said.”We also use essential oils to make them smell really good and have things to keep [the scent] long lasting. We add beeswax, cornstarch, everything is again, fully organic and natural.”
Kakani and Balaji offer a wide range of body care products for their customers which include (but are not limited to) body butters, lip butters, hairspray and body scrubs. In the future, they plan to offer many more products in demand.
“We’re planning on coming up with face oils, face masks and hair masks,” Kakani said. “[Essence of the Wyld] is more than a skincare business, it’s more of a body care business, because we’re trying to get as much products as there are out in a natural and affordable way.”
Along with providing a market for the younger age group, Kakani and Balaji set off on a journey to establish their brand and make it available to many individuals who would benefit from their products through partnering with different clinics.
“We have them at clinics because these are formulated in a way that it’s great for everyone every skin type,” Kakani said. “So it’s actually also prescribed to patients with eczema. It helps their skin get better [because] it doesn’t clog the pores. It actually moisturizes and hydrates in the way that every product should be.”
In addition to selling them at clinics, Balaji and Kakani further market their products through their minimalist aesthetic approach on their social media presence.
“We wanted to keep things super aesthetic, simple and straight to the point because that’s what our customers deserve,” Kakani said. “They deserve honesty and they deserve natural organic products that are affordable. So, that’s the standpoint that we went from. We also want to start putting out reels and start kind of getting more attraction through social media.”
They have high aspirations for the future of their brand, hoping to gain a larger market.
“We want to expand, eventually have our products in places like Sprouts or Whole Foods to increase our market,” Balaji said. “Once our instagram business kicks off, we want to create a website for orders and everything else as well.”
Kakani and Balaji’s mission through their business is to serve their community and give them the best possible experience with their brand.
“We wanted to push this business forward to give back to people and give them the products that they know they can rely on and trust,” Kakani said.
Use this link to check out the products Essence of the Wyld offers!
