ADVOCATING GREEN BEAUTY

Whether young or elderly, every woman wants to be good-looking. Hence, beauty salon has become the haven for professional beauty and cosmetic sessions. Though every woman is uniquely beautiful in themselves, a little beautician’s touch makes a difference, and it keeps one gleeful. However, what if the products women use to achieve their desired look have cancer-causing agents or substances that create severe and irreparable health damage? Truly beauty comes with a price, but to what extent should we allow it?

Lavanya Kokane, popularly known as Lavanya to her friends, has advocated using eco-friendly and sustainable beauty products. “My background revolves around Skin Anatomy and Medicine. Almost every mainstream beauty product in the market contains harmful chemicals, namely Formaldehyde, PPD, PTD, Toulene, and Acrylates which people need to be aware of before using them,” Lavanya stated. She is right. If we can use products that are not harmful, why stick to products that pose health concerns?

As an eco-beauty enthusiast, Lavanya may see that it might be a cold day in Hell before she can stop the productions of these harmful products in the market. However, with her strong desire to minimize their usage, she uses her social media platforms and her salon, Blush N Curls, to continuously inform the public and promote vegan-friendly cosmetics.

Blush N Curls, founded in 2016, is the first sustainable only-women salon in Dubai, the UAE, that uses 100% chemical-free products. It means those products are either organic, vegan, or naturally certified, making them safe for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, kids, and women with sensitive skins.

Her vision to start up her own business that partakes in community-building has come to fruition, and her stance has received several accolades. Her salon has Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives such as an annual Pink Sale in which the profit goes to Breast Cancer Campaigns. They also conduct pampering services at the Special Needs Future Development Centre for young adults with special needs. Lavanya did not stop doing such remarkable deeds but always wanted to do more. Hence, every Friday, she provides free salon services to every nursemaid and housemaid entering their salon with their employer, aiming for them to relax and feel beautiful instead of just waiting for their employer to finish their salon schedules. For these reasons, Lavanya received the Women Empowerment Award last 2019 from Pravasi Bharathi Broadcasting Corporation. She was also recognized as one of the best female entrepreneurs of her time when she bagged the SHE Awards 2020 under the Business Entrepreneur and Skin Consultant category in Dubai, UAE. Indeed, Lavanya has claimed that with her pioneering work, she is building a path for the next generation. Every woman should emulate these admirable acts, and she deserves to be an Xpat who is upending norms by making a difference.

For these reasons, Lavanya received the Women Empowerment Award last 2019 from Pravasi Bharathi Broadcasting Corporation. She was also recognized as one of the best female entrepreneurs of her time when she bagged the SHE Awards 2020 under the Business Entrepreneur and Skin Consultant category in Dubai, UAE. Indeed, Lavanya has claimed that with her pioneering work, she is building a path for the next generation. Every woman should emulate these admirable acts, and she deserves to be an Xpat who is upending norms by making a difference.