Jennifer Parras and Mrinalini Deshprabhu highlight their brand, The Nature Masons, where products are made with natural ingredients and love.
Jennifer Parras and Mrinalini Deshprabhu co-founded The Nature Masons with a belief and realisation that business could be a force for good.
Jennifer is a certified formulator in organic skincare science and is responsible for making and formulating their products, while researching on the latest developments and papers in the skin care line. Jennifer handles the marketing, customer service and sales at The Nature Masons.
Mrinalini is in-charge of developing their line of artisanal soaps, thanks to her keen sense of smell and artistic talents, which helps in creating visually and sensually invigorating soaps. She oversees the administrative side of the business and makes sure that any ingredient Jennifer envisions is magically acquired.
Being animal lovers and eco-conscious, Jennifer and Mrinalini realised that people are not aware about the ingredients that go in products that are used daily and how these ingredients affect the skin and the environment. The duo wanted to offer products that were effective, wholesome and which are delivered the sustainable way.
The best selling products of The Nature Masons are their hair care and body care range. They hope to get as many people as possible to start using shampoo and conditioner bars as they are more sustainable and are long lasting compared to the liquid ones available off the shelves. The Body Care section has all their artisanal soaps, body lotions and natural deodorants. They also have an aromatherapy line and a dental line, which they plan to expand shortly.
All of the products are plant based, which have their origins in nature. Some of the ingredients are natural while some are derived from nature but which have been scientifically processed. Jennifer and Mrinalini not only believe in the power of a good formulation for one’s skin and hair but also feel that one needs to follow a good diet while drinking tons of water and getting enough sleep for the body to easily accept and work with a skin care regime.
While some of the ingredients used in their products can be easily sourced in India, the specialised ones have to be imported. Jennifer and Mrinalini go through a tedious process of checking their vendors’ credentials to ensure that they source ethically and stock only organic products. Once they have identified a few suppliers for their raw ingredients, they test them with their products to ensure that they are delivering quality products to their customers. They take pride in knowing exactly what their ingredient is supposed to smell and look like, which is a specialisation in itself.
Thanks to this business, both of them have undertaken a few courses on formulation and organic chemistry and in the process have learned a lot on the job. Many of the courses undertaken by them were designed for an environment that was very different from India and they had to take up their knowledge and apply it within the Indian context. As big believers of traditional Indian medicine and remedies, it was exciting for them to learn more about ayurveda and integrate it into their products.
Formulating a new product involves a lot of patience, love and time. For each successful product, there have been plenty of failures. Once all the ingredients are aligned, they send out samples to their test group and depending on the feedback received, there are times when they have to start over from scratch. It is time consuming but the most intriguing part of the process.
Jennifer and Mrinalini believe in organic growth and that is exactly how it has been for them, since they started out their little venture. They have a growing customer base and with their support and belief, The Nature Masons have steadily grown over the years and they are grateful to their customers for their continued support especially during the pandemic.
The Nature Masons is a queer owned business in Goa and like running any other business; it has its own challenges. The big challenge that they faced is being women, they are not taken seriously, but this is slowly changing.
With more women and queer people in the work force along with the younger generations taking over, they consider it a shift in the right direction and hope that future generations do not face the same hurdles that they did.
Regarding future plans, Jennifer and Mrinalini would like to go international while keeping the business eco-friendly and sustainable. They want to ensure that they have all kind of skin and hair products, while ensuring that their products are suitable for all kinds of people from various walks of life. They are all about inclusivity and that they say is the future
