Bit about us
Hello, we’re Lulu and Rashal here with our little girl Batula; the one we decided to name our company after.
You’ve been looking for toxic free skincare and I’m so glad you have found us!
Clear toxic free skin is a dream of many of us and our everyday life is often not always compatible with that smooth blemish free image. Problem skin can really effect how you feel about yourself, will it ever clear up and will I find a product that really works and doesn’t cost the earth? We are very grateful you have searched us out and decided to put your trust in our products!
I started Batula AR & Co as I struggled with bad skin, used many expensive and toxic products with very little success. My mother reminded me of the amazing benefits of our native ingredient Qasil and within weeks of using it to cleanse and wash my skin and as a face mask not only did it clear away my pimples but also made my skin feel smooth and fresh.
Having reaped the benefits of this awesome ingredient I wanted to bring it to market in an environmentally friendly way. It’s earth conscious, sustainable, transparent, eco-friendly with zero waste and plastic free. Our products can be worked into a quick easy regime, daily cleansing from top to toe even your hair with our Qasil Soap and weekly face masks.
Follow us on Instagram for IG video tutorials and pop over to our website for more about the amazing benefits and history of this eco-friendly ingredient Qasil.
We have many loyal customers who have tried and tested our range of Qasil products and would never use anything you are our hero’s!
For as long as I can remember, my mother and grandmother always used natural ingredients like qasil, turmeric, honey, oils and activated charcoal in their skincare routines. But as a teenager I was never interested in those methods until I developed terrible acne in my early 20s. I tried everything to no avail; as a last ditch effort i decided to give Qasil a shot. I was astounded. I was in disbelief at the efficacy of a purely naturally remedy. Needless to say i was sold and have been using Qasil almost religiously ever since.
After our daughter was born, it was clear to us that we wanted something natural to use on her delicate skin, which led to developing our own Qasil soap.
For a long time I wanted to share what felt like the worlds best kept secret; we are now pleased to announce that our very own Qasil Mask and Qasil Soap is now available to you. The soap is miracle in its own right, it works effectively on its own, but also complements our Qasil mask seamlessly.
Qasil is the powder produced from crushing the leaves of the gob tree, which famously grows in the Horn of Africa. The Gob tree, native to the southern Himalayas, migrated to the fertile lands of east Africa 2000 years ago. We’ve ground and granulated the leaves of the Gob tree to bring you the century old secret of east African beauty. The Qasil we offer is exclusively from my grandmother’s hometown, Afgoye. The leaves are sundried on the land and then crushed into a fine powder by the locals of the town. This immaculate authentic process has been passed from generation to generation. Beauty benefits aside, it has given the people from my grandmother’s hometown employment.
Qasil has a vast spectrum of benefits, which have been reaped for centuries by the women of Somalia. Historically, the powder was widely used to treat infections or wounds and prevent them from worsening. Guided by this timeless knowledge, the powder we have manufactured into a subtle facial cleanser and cold processed handmade soaps has the ability to gradually support the healing of conditions like eczema, acne or even facial scars. Whilst achieving this, it ultimately keeps your skin healthy and looking natural. The powder contains antiseptic properties and antioxidants, it is completely free from pesticides, proving to be a completely natural raw product.
Our aim was to use natural, plant based ingredients. we want to inspire people to be aware of the options available to them in terms of skincare. Our soap not only contains natural ingredients, but it is cold processed; and the packaging designed by Rashal is plastic free and 100% recyclable.
Sustainability
From our soap bar to our face masks, our aim is to be as environmentally aware and responsible as possible. Being natural, our handmade products contain no harmful chemicals and are fully biodegradable.
Cruelty-free
None of our products are tested on animals.
Packaging Policy
We work to keep our packaging minimal, plastic-free and fully recyclable.
Batula A.R & Co Soaps and Face Mask are packaged in PEFC Approved paper and recyclable glass.
Certified Sustainable Palm Oil & Cruelty Free Coconut Oil
Batula A.R & Co only uses Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) from New Britain Palm Oil, one of the world leaders in sustainable Palm oil practices supporting both the environment and local small holders. They were one of the first companies to produce a sustainability report which can be viewed on their website.
We noticed a lot of soap makers boycotting Palm Oil and with it being an issue of huge concern for both ourselves and our customers we decided to investigate all the oils we use before making a knee jerk decision.
In consultation with advice from leading environmental organisations and companies such as WWF we firmly believe that, rather than a boycott, we need to support the production of genuinely sustainable palm oil.
The global demand for oil will not abate and Palm oil is the most efficient oil on the planet in terms of water, land and pesticide use.
To give you a clearer picture Palm Oil produces approximately 5950 litres per hectare. The closest to that is Coconut oil which produces 2690 Litres per hectare and Rape oil produces 1190 litres per hectare.
Our concern, which is shared by WWF is that the trend for companies to boycott palm oil could lead to a catastrophic increase in deforestation as the alternatives are so inefficient.
Only environmentally responsible trade and production can minimise risk of further deforestation and damage to wildlife, habitats, local people and their economies dependant on sustainable palm oil revenue.
While researching Palm oil we decided to look into other oils, we discovered that many coconut oil producers use Pig Tailed Macaques to harvest coconuts, this practice imprisons these beautiful animals and keeps them from living a natural life in the wild in social groups. If you wish to read more about this practice there is a lot of information online. We are happy that Silbury do not support these practices and our coconut oil is Cruelty free.
If you have further questions please contact Lulu at hello@batulaarco.com who would be happy to answer them.