Seri Naturals launches organic bath and beauty products

By Marianne David

The luxurious Seri secret was unveiled on Wednesday night by Seri Naturals Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of George Stuart & Co., offering an exclusive peek at the initial range of exciting products which pledge to change the face of natural skincare in Sri Lanka.

Seri Naturals Brand Consultant Shayana Raat(centre) with the models at the lunch

The glamorous launch event was held at Ministry of Crab and attended by several local celebrities and well-known personalities, along with leaders in the beauty and personal care industry.

Seri Naturals’ new organic bath and beauty products include a new range of face washes, shower gels and moisturising lotions. The products are natural, plant-based and contain no alcohol, mineral oils or triclosan that can irritate sensitive skin.

Addressing the gathering at the launch, Seri Naturals Chief Operating Officer Malik Perera said: “Let me take the honour of welcoming you to walk with us to the future, with Seri Naturals, where beauty is joy of life. Through intense research and development at Seri Laboratories and with expert advice and guidance from France, Seri has developed revolutionary formulas that are effective, yet work in harmony with your skin. With 50 products to be launched in the first year of operation, you could discover the range of Seri cosmetics that is best for you and can help you to live your beauty, no matter your age.”

The company’s R&D facility follows the principles of phytotheray and aromatherapy and uses no animal products except for beehive products such as honey and milk extracts. It uses plant oils in its face and body care formulas, rather than mineral oils. Wherever possible, it offers Ecocert certified ingredients in Seri products.

“We believe in bringing together time-tested knowledge, nature and research. Our researchers are devoted to creating products that offer not only results, but also pleasure. From its texture to its fragrance, a Seri product offers a delicious moment of sensory delight. We always strive to use natural ingredients of plant origin and, whenever possible, derived from organic agriculture,” said Perera.

He asserted that Seri combines the effectiveness of natural extracts and their perfect affinity with the skin, in the diverse array of products. Each ingredient is used for a specific need and skin type; citrus to refresh, cleanse and brighten the skin and honey, which is great as a moisturiser and contains vitamins A, E, D and C.

According to Perera, the product composition eliminates cancer causing preservatives like parabens and is devoid of mineral oils, alcohol, pthalate and triclosans that are not recommended in personal care products in the Western world.

“Our approach is to deliver a safer and effective product at an affordable price to everyone. Moreover the investment on raw water purification plant has added more value on product quality. As our processes are transparent and customer focused, we have taken the initiative to adopt practices in par with ISO and GMP standards to gain the certifications in the near future,” he noted.

The Seri manufacturing plant is a state-of-the-art facility built exclusively for manufacturing cosmetics, while highest standards adhering to SLS standards accepted by CDDA are maintained in the company’s products. In terms of quality and traceability, the criteria adopted are very strict and rigorous and the raw materials for products are of highest quality and imported from Europe, ensuring that there is no compromise in quality.

At Seri Natural’s environmental friendly manufacturing facility, steps have been taken to protect the environment that go beyond merely satisfying environmental regulations, but maintain harmless manufacturing practices; the treatment plant and waste disposal strategy being two milestones in this effort.

Seri Naturals has taken measures to reduce its carbon footprint through its environmentally-friendly approach by limiting energy consumption. The products and material used in the factory respect the environment and the use of packaging materials, cardboard and paper is limited.

Perera emphasised that Seri is equipped with a proactive group of professionals and a work force and as an equal opportunity company, it fosters differently-abled individuals in the Seri family, recognising the social responsibility beside the business purpose of an organisation.

“The future you see is the future you get, we mean to climb the heights of the business, with the best of the best technologies and human resources to conquer the global market of cosmetics to engrave the Seri name in the world of cosmetics and personnel care products being the newest addition of the George Stuart & Co.,” concluded Perera.

Next up was Seri Naturals Brand Consultant Shayana Raat, who asserted that there was a critical point of differentiation between Seri Naturals and many other skin care brands available in the local and international market.

“In today’s beauty conscious society there are many skin care options for the everyday consumer. Each brand had a promise; a promise of firmer skin, to lighten your skin, to make you look 10 years younger in 30 days. But what these brands fail to promise is to provide visible long term results through the use of natural and healthy ingredients. Every single product in the Seri portfolio is of international standard, and has been created with the sole intention of offering the user long term beauty paralleled with long term healthy skin. With today’s technology it is very easy to offer a quick fix skin care solution, but very difficult to offer this on a long term basis through natural safe means. This sole intention is precisely why Seri has decided to say no; no to the use of parabens, no to mineral oils, no to alcohol, no to phthalates and no to triclosan. Your skin deserves the best and at Seri we acknowledge this through our products,” she said.

Given its constant product development process, Seri Naturals has perfected a skin care range of international standard that can stand alongside any international skin care brand in the overseas market, Raat emphasised.

“Seri believes this kind of quality beauty care can be provided at an affordable price as well. Through the use of an environmentally friendly lean manufacturing operation Seri is able to offer a viable price point to the consumer,” she added.

Describing the initial product range, she said it focuses on the face and body, offering customers options for an array of skin types. The Seri face wash range gives an energising blast of juicy freshness and whether it’s sweet strawberry, creamy avocado with honey or citrus with mint, the Seri Face washes work to clean the face gently and effectively while providing the skin with youth infusing elements such as antioxidants and vitamins, depending on the skin type, said Raat.

Seri’s moisturising lotions include luxurious varieties such as Rose with Milk and Avocado with Honey to name a few and are light and absorb deep into the dermis layer of your skin instantly, leaving your skin feeling soft and silky, she noted.

“The bath and shower gels are another way Seri offers to pamper your body. The juicy, invigorating shower gels are infused with the freshest of fruit extracts and come in many fragrant options for example; mango, grape and my personal favourite watermelon.” Offering a little glimpse into Seri’s future products, she revealed they include an exotic Red Sandalwood collection which promotes brighter, blemish free skin as well as a luxurious green tea range.As Seri expands its French inspired formulations and products, it strives to offer the best European skin care ingredients to its users and Raat encouraged regularly visiting the Seri Facebook site and Twitter page to keep abreast of latest developments and product offerings.

“We have plans to introduce Seri Naturals to the international market in the very near future and compete against other reputed brands such as The Body Shop, Aveda and Origins,” she concluded.

Boasting chic packaging and with a pH balance of  5.5-6.0 through the use of the purest ingredients and extracts, the Seri range is suitable for the most sensitive of skins.

All products come in environmentally friendly packaging – further intensifying Seri’s efforts towards creating a green manufacturing process and zero waste policy. Committed to empowering the rural women of Sri Lanka, Seri Naturals has already begun investing 10% of all proceeds from Seri products back into the community.

Seri Natural products are now available in leading retail outlets and supermarkets. Customers can also log on to www.serinaturals.com to avail themselves of special introductory offers on all products.

Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera