“I could be a coffee and apricot scrub,” says Jhelum Biswas Bose, founder-owner of Jhelum Loves. Daughter of an aesthetician, the former beauty editor of Harper’s Bazaar India, who has also headed the marketing for Sephora India, Jhelum has always been inclined towards beauty products and fragrances.

“As a kid, I used to mix different soaps to make a shampoo of my own. Even in my teenage, I never used deodorants. I have always been a fan of aroma oils. Concocting flavors and fragrances have been my favorite pastime.”

After Jhelum had left her job at Sephora, she decided to do something of her own. She thus went on to study the three self-healing philosophies of aromatherapy, chakra healing, and Bach Flower Remedies. Marrying her knowledge to her products, Jhelum created her 100% natural and homegrown bespoke label.

Learning that beauty products work on the principle of cleansing, moisturizing and protection, Jhelum wanted to minimize the number of products and make people understand how few natural products used on a daily basis can do the wonder!

Through her studies, she has learned that every ailment has an emotional root attached to it. When she was trained in Bach flower remedies, it helped her in understanding people and their emotions better.

Your Facebook posts are extremely descriptive and beautiful. Does the writer in you have to be credited for this job?

Yeah, I do them. My partner Shruti does the technical and marketing stuff, she designs the posts, but I write about the products.

And who is the nose behind your products?

I am. Also, I have great friends and neighbors who keep coming with suggestions.

How much time do you spend on the ground researching for the fragrances and spices?

Well, we are only a year and a half old and a team of two. So we don’t especially go out for research per say, but anywhere I go, my concoctions are always on my mind. My kitchen is my laboratory at times. I derive inspiration and ideas from books and music. Recently I was reading a book that mentioned: Eucalyptus, pomegranate, and frangipani in one sentence. That line gave me the feel of the sea, and since then I have been dying to try it.

So books and music contribute to your ideation?

Not just that, but a lot more. I like to derive combinations from my real life experiences. Every Jhelum product is inspired by a person or reflects an incident. Since I belong to Kolkata, I could picture Jasmine and Sandalwood being used a lot in prayers during this time, and thus I decided to make something out of it.

Similarly, I love Kashmir, and whenever I think about it, Cardamom, Blue Lotus, and saffron quickly pop up in my head.

Being the daughter of a beautician and inclined towards beauty products, does it run in your blood? What is the greatest lesson you have learned from your parents?

My father is a photographer, and my mother runs a salon in Kolkata. My mother was the first woman to start her own enterprise and still continues to work. Not just working, she is even studying. She has taught me to follow my dreams and never rest until I achieve them. Also, having seen her zeal to learn new things, I have learned that it’s never too late to learn something new.

My father has always taught me to give even when you have nothing and the ability to listen to people.

You address a lot of emotional challenges that people face. Share with us one of your recent experiences.

A woman, who is our very old customer, has been using our products since the inception. Last week she was traveling on a train, and she sent me her selfie. She captioned it: ‘That it is all because of your oils, that I look so beautiful and young.” She is around 58 years of age, and she had no dark circles or wrinkled skin, as a result of oils.

Do you have products for kids as well?

Well, not right now. I only make few products for my friends and family as of now. Kids are so delicate I don’t think they need anything more than a coconut oil that is best for cleansing and massaging and some Bach flower remedies at the max.

Where can we get your products from?

I am based out of Delhi, and I have my studio here, but we only work on appointments basis. Apart from this, I go to Kolkata every other month, and my products are available at my mother’s salon too. They are also available at qtrove, engrave.in and even beautician Chandni Singh keeps some of my stuff.

One experimental product that you think turned out to be a blunder?

My friend wanted an after shave, and he loves the smell of rum. So I decided to use old monk and vanilla and cinnamon with a few other spices. Though my friend and I liked it, few uncles didn’t.

What is that one fragrance you always wear?

Ohh choosing one is a task! Geranium, Rose and Blue Lotus are my favorites.

What difficulties did you face while launching Jhelum Loves in April 2016?

My challenges primarily had to do with packaging. Since I started on a very small scale, the vendors refused to cater to my needs of 200-300 products. They wanted a minimum of 1000 orders. So I began with home packaging and handmade labels. There were often times when I had to deal with leakage and stuff. Another challenge was to keep it going without big investments.

But I am glad for all the help my friends from media have given me. They have talked about my products and written about them, and the way they have spread a positive word matters a lot.

To know more about Jehlum Loves, click here.

P.S. You can also get products personalized and customized products such as lip butter, hand cream, and body oil/cream. Not just this, you can also schedule a Bach Flower and/or aromatherapy consultation with Jhelum Biswas Bose where she will address various issues ranging from skin and hair issues to emotional challenges like anger, fear, resentment, depression.