Natural, Handcrafted, Simple, and Honest is how Ma Earth Botanicals likes to describe its offering. As supporters of a way of life that stand for these things, we decided we had to meet Geetanjali Sukh, CEO, Co-Founder and Director of Research & Development at Ma Earth Botanicals to understand what these words mean – to them and us.
The Mother of Ma
The story of Ma Earth Botanicals began with Swarn Sukh, the Founder. Swarn gave up a career as an architect and devoted herself to raising three children. After that, she trained herself as a classical Homeopath, learnt yoga, nature therapy, and Reiki before turning herself into a holistic alternative therapy practitioner. It is Swarn’s spirituality and deep commitment to finding natural cures for malaises and her organic radiance which anchors the philosophy and ethos of Ma Earth Botanicals.
The Daughter of Ma
Geetanjali Sukh – CEO, Co-Founder & Director of Research & Development is a licensed homeopath and aromatherapy practitioner from the London College of Classical Homeopathy, where she wrote a ground breaking thesis on homeopathic diagnosis and treatments for chronic Alzheimer’s disease patients. Geetanjali’s loves the art of Soap making, Cosmetology, and Dermatology. She leads all research & development activities at Ma Earth Botanicals.
The Beginning of Ma
Swarn Sukh has been deep in research for the last two decades, reviving old recipes that she got from her mother. Her main focus has always been to use 100% pure essential oils and to find natural substitutes for chemical ingredients that one typically finds in over the counter skincare products. She started off with making products for herself and her family, till one day the mother-daughter duo decided to launch a brand at En Inde SPACE, in Delhi.
The Special Thing about Ma
In a tête-à-tête with Geetanjali, she revealed about her mother: “Beyond being the inspiration for brand, my Ma still handles the production processes, from end to end, with some trained staff, and me. She wants the brand to grow organically and not become a mass production unit of skincare products with no integrity and respect for the Earth. The ethos of 'quality over quantity' and the mission of promoting ecological growth through the business keeps the craft of Skincare and us different, special, and grounded.”
Exfoliating Facial Scrub by Ma Earth Botanicals
Looking forward, Ma Earth Botanicals also aims to contribute to social community welfare by working with farmers, and hiring & training skincare craftswomen.
Growth of Ma
With a knock on wood, Geetanjali said that they have not encountered many problems in promoting their brand. She believes that great products and brands speak for themselves and all it takes is getting the right people to try them and spread the word- “We always wanted the brand to grow on its own terms by focussing more on making high quality skincare using natural ingredients. Word of mouth is perhaps the most important thing for us given the fact that we want to grow organically and not artificially as a company.”
The Family of Ma
What piqued our interest most was when Geetanjali shared that it is not just the work of mother and daughter, but the cumulative efforts of an entire family that have led to the development of this wonderful brand.
Her father, Vishin Sukh, was the first investor in Ma Earth. Her sister, Anupama Sukh Lalvani gave Ma Earth display space in her boutique next to her contemporary jewellery brand, En Inde. Her brother, Nitin Sukh, who is an environmental banker by profession, helped to put the business model together and continues to provide mentorship in the professional running of business. Her son has upheld spirits in tough times by providing inspiring words of wisdom. Her sister in law, Kiran Multani Sukh, is the person on the other side of the camera, capturing beautiful shots and moments.
When a family such as this comes together to create something, we are assured that what has emerged is a sustainable brand that offers high-quality products which are made with love and sold with conscience.
Browse through their complete range of products here.