A lot of ethical brands already existed in Europe, North America and Australia, but were not available in the GCC region. The lack of ethical beauty presence motivated Angela Turovskaya to set up a distribution company under the name of “Wellness United” that provides spas, hotels and clinics with alternative, luxurious, result driven, but non-toxic beauty products. A year and a half later, Balmessence was born, a luxury beauty e-boutique, that caters directly to customers seeking result-driven products with clean ingredients.
Angela’s idea is to simply go back to basics, with formulas free of harsh ingredients and preservatives, products that are either certified as “organic“or “natural”, or products which include as many natural and organic ingredients as possible. “Crueltyfree“ and “vegan” beauty products are also part of Angela’s and Balmessence philosophy. Angela’s successful career has witnessed prolific achievements and milestone projects with renowned companies such as Paris Gallery, Wafi Hospitality, JA Resorts & Hotels, Beiersdorf Middle East in Dubai, UAE – managing spas, developing treatment menus and incubating new projects and boosting annual turnovers, her diverse experience has equipped her with beauty therapy skills, an understanding of holistic wellness and consumer needs in both Europe and the GCC.
What inspired you to start Balmessence?
After working in the beauty and wellbeing industry for more than a decade, I learnt and saw first-hand the impact popular non-clean beauty products have on the skin and its health. Once I had my twin daughters, I was looking for quality luxury products that were clean and low in chemicals, I came across some amazing brands in Europe, North America and Australia, and noticed they weren’t available in the UAE yet. This is when I set up the distribution company Wellness United Inc in order to supply the local market with such incredible products. A year and a half later, I launched Balmessence.
What does Balmessence mean?
The name Balmessence was derived from two words, Balm and Essence, balm being the texture for natural and organic products, and essence highlighting the natural components of organic products along with their scents. The combination of two underline the core values of the Balmessence brand and the products they carry. The green colour reflects authenticity and naturality whereas the golden drop reflects the heart of beauty and fragrance products, white reflects the clean aspect of a product and the gold highlights their luxury aspect.
How do you decide which brands you want to be part of Balmessence?
When identifying key features in a brand, first thing I would look at would be the certifications, whether they are natural and certified organic and have the logos of Bdih, Ecocert, Natrure or Cosmos on their packaging. Then, would be the brand heritage, the founder, their story and how the brand was born, and what are the brand ethos, do they match the Balmessence philosophy. Product range is also an important factor, as it helps showcase what concerns the brand wants to target, and most important of all, product efficacy, whether it actually works and has good results. I always make sure that the brands I select for Balmessence, are ones I would use myself.
What has been your biggest achievement since founding Balmessence?
My biggest achievement would have to be the launch of the store at Mall of the Emirates, our first boutique in the UAE. It’s a big step for us as a beauty and fragrance platform in the region because now our customers have the opportunity to actually physically feel the beauty products, the textures and see the full range. It’s even better for perfumes, as that’s a product very personal to someone, since scents cannot be fully translated online, this gives our customers the chance to go and smell our luxurious perfumes and decide which one is the perfect scent for them. It has also really helped raise awareness for the Balmessence platform and introduce us to new customers.
What skincare advice would you give to customers?
I always say that the skin is our largest organ and it absorbs the products you put on it, and I believe that what you put on your skin is just as important as what you eat and the things you put into your body. Primary and most valuable advice would be to stay within the same brand, meaning to try use products from one brand only. Brands create products in ranges to complement one another and have active ingredients that work together to achieve specific results, when using products from multiple brands at once, some ingredients may conflict one another, leading to poor results. I’d say to change up your routine or brand every 6 months for the best results overall.
