I interviewed Athens-based solopreneur Dina Tsiknia about her brand, Bloomey Handmade, which encompasses skin and body care products as well as home fragrances crafted with natural, fresh and unconventional ingredients. Read the excerpt below for an olfactory experience – I'm getting a whiff of that Lemon Pie body butter all the way here!
Hi Dina! Tell our readers what first inspired the idea of a business built around fragrances. How did you acquire the skills to start your own line of products?
The idea behind my brand of home-made products stems from my desire to always know what the beauty products I use contain and how safe they are. The inspiration came during a period when I had tried many products in the market but felt that none of them really met my needs in terms of the texture, the hydration they provided, and the quality and intensity of their scent.
Around the same time, I came across an ad online for workshops on making skincare products with pure ingredients. That was my big start. After attending a couple of workshops and devoting hours to experimenting with ingredients and scent notes, I realised the power I had in my hands. I liked that it gave me control over the ingredients I used, while at the same time sparking my creativity.
When I made the first product variations, I gave some samples to my friends for feedback. They were impressed by the texture, the smells and the long-lasting freshness of my products. That's when the idea of starting my own product line and making it available to a wider audience began to mature in my mind. In late 2015, I opened an Etsy shop with my first product category – body butters and body oils.
I continue to enrich my knowledge and boost my skills to optimise my products, but what I have realised is that customer reviews are the best source of information on how to become better. I really want to provide my customers with high quality products that fill their day with waves of freshness. Bloomey Handmade is not just a beauty product brand but a whole experience that aims to lift your mood and inspire you to truly bloom.
Read the full interview here.
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