To create personal care, wellness, bath & body care products that are close to Nature, and have a positive impact on individuals, Earth & communities. We are committed to developing the best, finest quality, Safe & Toxin-free body care products, while supporting social and environmental progress on the local and global scale.
“Natural “is a word that is often misused as a marketing term and many brands seem to use it even if their products are loaded with chemicals in some form or other. Hence we are just trying to define what natural means to us.
- We only use ingredients that are found in nature and have a positive effect on our bodies. We will not use even natural ingredients that have a harmful effect on the body and/or environment e.g. mineral oil, talc, petroleum derivatives, alcohol, etc.
- We use ingredients that can be used in their original form or ingredients that can be extracted from plants or minerals e.g. Essential Oils, Sea Salt, edible Sugar, edible Oils, etc.
- We are extremely fond of animals, we cannot imagine to test anything but instead shower our love on them. We test all recipes on ourselves, our kids, family, and friends before they reach you. There are no Animal-derived products/Animal fats in any of our products except for Balms/Salves where we use Bees Wax as a natural solidifier for the Organic Oils. (Sorry, we simply refuse to use any petroleum jelly, or artificial, readymade Ointment base).
- We try to use eco-friendly or reusable packaging as much as possible for our products. But for some products, due to functional reasons like logistics, and shelf life, we have to use plastic covers & bottles (we are looking for better alternatives). You being the end user may also recycle, and reuse the oil bottles, scrub jars and of course our brown soap boxes as much as you can. (You can use the empty soap boxes as potpourris in shelves/cupboards/bathrooms, just fill in some dry leaves or seeds with a few drops of your favorite essential oil like (lemongrass/lavender/rose/geranium, etc).
And what makes our creations special?
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- Located amidst the woods & blooms in the beautiful countryside village called “Mathur” near Pondicherry, nature inspires us every day. We are truly passionate about Nature and believe in what we do. We are committed to uncompromising quality and take pride in our work.
- Products Guaranteed to be Free of Triclosans/Sulphates/Parabens/Alcohol/Petroleum derivatives/perfumes/Animal fat/foaming agents etc…
- All our products are handcrafted by trained rural women. Their smiles and herbal know-how make our products even more beautiful. We are happy to support local livelihoods, families, and communities through our work.
- We source and use certified organic ingredients in our products wherever possible. We are proud to have joined hands with many organic farms, farmers, communities, and suppliers from different corners of India.
NATURE – We belong to her. More distant we move from her, the more adverse effects it has on our health, well-being & our environment. Hence, we support organic farmers & suppliers with our choice of base oils and herbs. At every stage of production, only energy-efficient methods are used. As our products are toxin free, there is ZERO pollution to the environment. With Nature’s grace, we will continue to move towards better sustainability.
CITY to WOODS, the calling & a brand…
“Myself & my husband Andre, we belong to two different nations & continents. Yet we share something beautiful in common. Love for NATURE. We were getting increasingly frustrated with the maddening rush of the Chennai city life. So in 2007, we took that BIG decision. We decided to leave Chennai to shift to a small village called Mathur, near the international township of Auroville, near Pondicherry. We bought a piece of land in a Tamil Nadu village bordering Pondicherry that was beautifully nestled amongst teak & cashew trees. At no time the realization dawned upon us that life there was far from the green fantasy that city dwellers would normally imagine. Away from the crowds, back then such a land came with its own innumerable challenges in terms of getting power grid electricity, telephone, internet facilities, and much more that took years of my personal time, energy, battles with beaurocrats & a strong determination to sort out.
A slow-paced life, my hands were soon back on little farming on our land, community work, teaching, tree care, gardening, and my 8 pet dogs. Passionate about creativity & crafts I started training nearby artisan communities & village women self-help groups doing crafts. Established Anthara Crafts in 2013 to support, develop & market indigenous, village & contemporary crafts. Also started teaching at Rural Community College in my neighborhood thereby improving my bonding with the villages & villagers.
Fascinated by the immense potential that Nature has to offer in terms of leading a conscious lifestyle, I was longing to create something special, collaborating with her. Search began. Took personal trips to various Organic farms & farming communities in Tamilnadu, Kerala & other states. Made contacts with small-time farmers, and farming societies to source the best ingredients for my products. Also to understand their journeys & challenges. It was a true delight to discover how committed most of them were to the soil & purity of their produce.
My simple hobby works at home on herbal personal care gathered strength, took wings with time, and led to the launch of the brand “La Flora Organics” in 2014 in a very small way. A small entrepreneurial venture with a tiny amount taken from my savings. Humble beginnings with a couple of women from my village Mathur helping out with handmade soap making. But to me, the objective soon was clear. To bring the simple treasures of nature onto a toxin-free and simple personal care product range for daily use for all in the family. Products that are guaranteed to be free of synthetics and those chemical NASTIES, through simple botanical formulations and yet affordable. To give natural bath & skincare alternatives to many like me. As a mother, a product like our Herbal Chest Rub Balm is exactly what I have been making for my family including my two sons when they were young. I didn’t want those petroleum gel-based vapor rubs on them. Our humble journey began with just Cold processed soaps and today, we feel blessed to have close to 82 Nature’s Own Bath & Skincare creations. Faced plenty of challenges throughout my journey, but has been resilient. Thanks to feedback, encouragement and love from hundreds of our beloved customers over the years that have been keeping the brand & my energy going.
Must admit, am awestruck by the magic & logic of Ayurveda from my homeland Kerala. I have been trying to recreate the magic of those traditional recipes & herbal wisdom (“SUNDARI” range, all herbal face packs, bath scrubs, hair oils). By the way, “Sundari” means beautiful lady in Malayalam & most South Indian languages). Recipes proudly passed on from my amma, my ammumma while growing up in Kerala. Those to me are the most effective ones compared to the many contemporary ones from popular skincare brands.
My mother, Mrs. Bhavani Amma lives in Trivandrum, the capital city of God’s Own Country, Kerala. A retired Professor of Chemistry, she is a Naturopath & still practices Alternate Medicine, Herbology & Homeopathy. She taught me to identify many wild shrubs & herbs that I now grow in my herbal garden. She instilled in me from childhood, a keen interest in Herbs & their healing powers. Simple time-tested home remedies for small ailments and general wellness for myself & my family is my natural choice. Those long lists of chemical concoctions on popular personal care product labels used to make me feel uncomfortable.
We get carried away by those advertisements from giants in the beauty business, claiming that their products are far superior and they know exactly what is best for us, our skin & our body. Like food items, the quality of ingredients determines the quality & performance of skin care products too.
Mine is a simple faith…The air we breathe, what we eat, what is put on our skin, what is put into our minds, everything plays a role in deciding the quality of our existence. It determines the degree of our overall positive well-being on this beautiful blue planet. By staying close to nature, and choosing to lead a simple & conscious lifestyle, there will be guaranteed harmony in our minds, in our bodies, and in our souls.