The Sri Lankan Company Nature’s Beauty Creations (NBC) with its natural cosmetics brand Nature’s Secrets is the largest and leading manufacturer of herbal cosmetics in Sri Lanka. NBC has its own medicinal plant garden and Plant Research Centre on the west coast of Sri Lanka. The range of around 100 products is very well distributed on the island but also in many countries abroad in, for example, Canada, South Africa, MIddle East, Asia and Europe. The vision of NBC is to create a global brand of herbal cosmetics from Sri Lanka by 2020.
Picture: Nature’s Secrets is the largest and leading manufacturer of herbal cosmetics in Sri Lanka and has its own medicinal plant garden.
Maintaining ancient beauty secrets
Sri Lanka has a rich heritage of herbal cosmetic and Ayurvedic treatments. This led the founder of Nature´s Beauty Creations (NBC), Mr. Samantha Kumarasinghe to found the company in 2001. Before that he had established a company that manufactured an environmentally friendly line of household detergents. In 2008 NBC moved to the newly built production facility in the countryside on the west coast of Sri Lanka. The buildings are surrounded by a 13-acres medicinal plant garden with over 500 varieties of medicinal plants.
Inspired Sri Lanka’s heritage of ancient natural beauty secrets and by Ayurveda these medicinal plants plus locally grown natural ingredients are used in the formulas. Since 2011 Nature’s Beauty Creations established a privately owned plant research centre – the first in Sri Lanka. Together with the Plant Research Centre to conduct scientific research on Sri Lankan medicinal plants they have set up a Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory „to propagate and distribute rare medicinal plants among farmers to grow and preserve“, is how it is described on the company’s website.
The in-house researchers join hands with international experts for pharmagnostic and phytochemical studies. There are collaborations with national plant scientists like Dr. Wiijesundara, Director General of the Department of the National Botanical Gardens in Sri Lanka, the research institutes in Italy (University of Florence) and the United Staates (University of Mississippi). The manufacturing process takes place at an ultra-modern production plant, maintaining ISO 9001, 14001 and European recognized GMP standards.
Picture: The first privately owned plant research centre in Sri Lanka
Vision to create a global brand of herbal cosmetics
The Nature’s Secrets brand is registered in over 50 countries and the products are available in many countries across South & South East Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Middle-East. „Nature’s Secrets is steadily progressing towards their vision of creating a global brand of herbal cosmetics from Sri Lanka by 2020“, says Mr Kumarasinghe.
The German international active family enterprise Sänger imports Nature`s Secrets. Sänger is a specialist for medical, industrial and household purposes and maintains a strong business connection with Sri Lanka. Since September 2014 the enterprise has been the exclusive importer and representative of Nature´s Secrets in the German speaking countries and neighbouring countries. Sänger offers the complete brand on the company own online shop and as a distributor for specialised retailers, cosmetic salons and hair salons.
Picture: NBC´s vision of creating a global brand of herbal cosmetics from Sri Lanka by 2020
Natural and organic but not certified yet
There are different product lines under the brand of Nature´s Secrets:the Standard line is offered on, for example, on the selves of national supermarkets. In the case of overseas sales, it varies. In some countries their appointed representatives sell via supermarkets and shops, with others selling online, through salons, spas and direct marketing. The complete range is available in a shop at the Bandaranike Airport in Colombo.
The Nature’s Secrets Platinum line contains organic virgin coconut oil, organic gotukola, aloe vera, licorice, tamarind, venivel, kokum and other exotic oils and herbal ingredients. The Professional range is specially formulated with natural ingredients for salon use. All products, except a few in the Professional line, are free from mineral oils, parabens and silicones and any animal ingredients, and they are not tested on animals. At the moment there is no international certification for natural and organic cosmetics. As Shamindi Kumarasighe, the daughter of the company founder said, Nature´s Secrets is very interested in getting BDIH or Ecocert certification for the products. Many requirements have already been fulfilled by a couple of products. NBC is currently in the process of obtaining the official BDIH certificates.
Picture: Shamindi Kumarasinghe is responsible for export markets
Leader and pioneer in green practices and sustainability
Nature’s Secrets is at the forefront in their initiatives to responsibly protect the environment through optimised resource management, clean, green production processes, reduced energy consumption, eco-friendly waste management, green procurement policies, effective preservation of ecological balance, conservation of valuable medicinal plants and other environment-friendly focused activities. Since the inception of the annual National Green Awards in 2011, Nature’s Secrets has consecutively won a National Green Award. Nature’s Secrets Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Samantha Kumarasinghe had the following to say regarding the Gold Award at the National Green Awards Ceremony 2013/14: “This award is one we are greatly proud of as it is on a subject very close to our company’s heart. Our company has always embraced nature, and since our company’s inception we have been passionately committed to protecting our environment and we have implemented a wide variety of green initiatives. As a Sri Lankan company, we are deeply honoured by the recognition we have received for our commitment to creating a greener future for Sri Lanka.” NBC is also the first and only cosmetics company to win the Gold Award at the National Green Awards, Sri Lanka’s highest environmental award.
Picture: Mr. Samantha Kumarasinghe is awarded with the National Green Gold Award 2013/14
PPP for beauty culture training
Under the private-public partnership concept, Nature’s Secrets and VTA have launched many programmes to improve the skills of personnel involved in the beauty culture industry. Since the year 2005 the VTA has organized beauty culture training programmes countrywide and has taken steps to improve the skills of the new aspirants in this field. Nature’s Secrets has been in the forefront in initiating, training and sponsoring programmes of this kind. In this newest move, Nature’s Secrets and the VTA will continue to supply a stream of skilled, trained and competent beauty culture experts to enter the industry.
Picture: Wide product line of natural and organic cosmetics
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