Tell us a bit about yourself.

Kasturi – Founder:

I am an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta. But in my heart I have always been the girl from the small town of Durgapur. And as I grow older, am even more keen to nurture that part of me. I want to focus on creating something truly valuable for myself, and people around me; and living simply. It brings me a smile when I think that I truly find value in old school parenting, natural remedies for hair, skin and general well-being. My mother always said, “One day…” and well, the day did come.

Viidhi – Co-Founder:

My friends often say am an old soul. Maybe I am. I have always believed in the magic of alternate therapies, meditation and healing. There was something very calming about it, in a non-intrusive yet holistic way. Honestly, if you ask me, it all started with tackling my own acne – at first experiments with dermatological peels and treatments, and finally coming a full circle, embracing the power of natural oils for healing from within.

How did you begin Oleum Cottage?

Kasturi: Back in 2014, I was a young mother with twins, and my baby girl was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder. At that point, I was reading everything I could, trying different approaches to simply increase her immunity when someone mentioned aromatherapy might help. This was my first step into understanding, and studying it. And also, perhaps therein lay the genesis of Oleum Cottage. My first trial ever was a blend of basil, eucalyptus, clove, sesame, soybean and neem, to work on simple coughs and colds. It worked so well that it paved the path for our first formulation – Immunity Boosting Body Lotion, and till date remains one of our fastest selling products.

What is the story behind your brand name?

It’s a combination of two words really close to our hearts – ‘Oleum‘, which is Latin for oil. A word that forms a big part of any aromatherapy manuscript – and we live by this script. Cottage, for us is the personal part of the experience we want to curate at Oleum Cottage – an artisanal apothecary, which is warm and welcoming, where you can find natural, handcrafted solutions to your skin problems.

How has your business evolved over the years?    

We launched Oleum Cottage in October 2017 with a small, boutique store in Powai, where we started making fresh, artisanal, apothecary-style skincare. Our products are freshly hand-blended from cold pressed vegetable oils, therapeutic grade essential oils and unrefined butters with a carefully curated list of over 80 rare ingredients from around the world, each one historically known for its therapeutic benefits.

Two years on in 2019, we launched our flagship store in Bandra, where we made a few changes – our packaging for instance, which stays true to the apothecary origins of the brand, taking inspiration from typewritten medicine labels, using copper accents and botanical illustrations. We have curated the store to be an experiential space where people can interact with our products, and perhaps also order something uniquely theirs from our Fresh section.

Your work space & the artisans you work with.

We have 2 beautiful cottages in Mumbai that are handled by certified aromatherapists. We create our products in a FDA certified facility and pride ourselves in the massive human contribution that goes into their making. We believe love and good vibes, from the motley group of makers, are our best ingredients.

Your favorite work tool

We love working with virgin cold pressed oils and steam distilled essential oils. We love primitive ways of using raw plant ingredients for beauty, and are always striving to find more of those.

What is currently on your work table?

Currently, we are researching 100% plant based ingredients for hair cleansers. We want to offer our users a convenient way to use ancient methods of haircare to save themselves from the use of chemicals like surfactants and silicones.

What is your personal favorite pick from your BRAND right now? And why?

Well, there are so many! It is difficult to pick one. But if we have to, we love our Face Crèmes. They are a brilliant mix of cold pressed oils and extracts that make them so soft in texture, highly effective and so unlike the mass-produced ones. We have 5 different cremes for different skin types, and each one is unique in the benefits it offers.

What are your displaying at By Hand, From The Heart.

We will be displaying our entire range of 29 products that falls in the following categories:

1. Kids Care
2. Face Ritual Kits
3. Hair Care
4. Body Care
5. Lip Care
6. Foot Care
7. Men’s Grooming