Acne is a problem that all high-school students are more than familiar with. So, who better to take initiative than the very people acne affects? Sophomore Minnila Muthukumar decided she wanted to start her own business to help fix this problem that affects so many.
After using so many skin care products throughout the years that did the opposite of what they were supposed to do, which was to help her skin, Minnila’s main goal with her business became creating quality skin care products that contain no harsh chemicals or preservatives and are, above all else, affordable.
Minnila started her entrepreneurial journey in January of her freshman year by doing as much research as she possibly could about acne and skincare. She bought products, tested recipes, and did more research until she found the perfect formulas that worked well. This all culminated in the creation of her business, Vie en Rose.
She first sold her products at a local farmers market in June and was surprised to watch her business grow from there. Her skin care products ended up working for many. “People liked how it was very simple,” she explained.
Minnila started her own website for her products, as well as an Instagram account to promote them. Because the natural ingredients of her products greatly improved her own skin, she was intent on helping other people achieve the same results. Thus, making her products known was the first step.
She currently sells three products: body butter, a sugar scrub, and a face mask. The body butter is an oil-based lotion that takes around three to five hours to make. Minnila has to melt all the natural ingredients together, cool it, and then whip it.
The sugar scrub is distinct from other sugar scrubs because it doesn’t have a lot of excess chemicals. She puts all the ingredients together and whips them using a stand mixer. The whole process usually takes her around an hour.
Similar to the sugar scrub, the face mask doesn’t take too long to make because all she has to do is combine the organic ingredients and pour it into a packet. Her face mask is unique because it is sold in powder form, so no preservatives are added. All it needs is some water and it is ready for application. “People seem to like that, because they can make it whenever they feel like, and it doesn’t dry out,” Minnila explained.
Minnila is happy she took the chance to pursue something she found interesting and important. “My main takeaway is that if you ever want to do something, just go for it” she said, “because if it doesn’t work out then at least you tried, but if it works out, you’ll be really proud of yourself.”
