WHEN Hartini Zailani first came up with her own range of cosmetics and skincare products in 2011, using only Sarawak’s natural ingredients, little did she know it would create such a hype among her clients.
“I have always wanted to create au naturel products that could be really beneficial to the skin, regardless of skin type. Branded skincare products in the market have yet to offer such a choice to meet the local demand,” the Miri-based beauty and spa entrepreneur told thesundaypost.
Hartini, who graduated as a beautician and certified aesthetician in 2000, and had worked in the industry for a decade, did some research on the wide range of natural resources in the market as part of her start-up plan before chancing on Ba Kelalan salt.
“To come up with a product, it’s very important to make sure the raw materials are sufficient and long lasting. If I have to import the ingredients, I need to prepare myself for the possibility the resource may exhaust within a certain period,” she said.
Hartini said she felt inspired by Ba Kelalan salt to turn the highlands mineral into cosmetic products because its pH level at 9 is highly beneficial to the skin.
“There are lots of very popular salts around the world – among them, the Himalayan salt and the Dead Sea salt. But I’m confident Ba Kelalan salt is good enough to compare and compete with them,” she said, adding that Ba Kelalan salt, along with other local ingredients, is sufficient to tide her production over the next two to three decades.
Ba Kelalan Highland salt.
Ba Kelalan salt is a nutritious edible material that is beneficial to the body – and health.
“Soaking your feet in warm water, to which this salt has been added, could ease joint and knee pain as well as lumbago (low back pain). When applied to the skin, it has an exfoliating effect of removing dead skin cells to smoothen and brighten up the skin,” Hartini explained.
Rebranding
Starting on a small scale with homemade products and herself as the only worker in the processing line, the soft-spoken beautician-aesthetician slowly worked her way up.
In 2016, she rebranded her products with her own brand name – Heartini’s Herbal – to produce a line of skincare and cosmetic products with better packaging for use at her beauty and spa centre.
She added ‘Heart’ to her name – Hartini – to show all her products are made from the heart and with love.
Today, her products, concocted with ingredients such as Ba Kelalan Highland salt, Ba Kelalan Highland rice, and Ba Kelalan Highland barley, sago, spices, virgin coconut oil, olive oil, essential oil and fruit extracts, have changed the perception of her customers towards her beauty products.
“The demand in the local market is very different. Those who love fair skin would first ask whether my products would give them the result they wanted. They could possibly be influenced by marketing strategy used by certain brands.
Hartini’s products were rebranded as Heartini’s Herbal in 2016.
“I can’t judge others but I can confidently say my products – though a little patience is needed to see the results – are safe for long-term use,” she said.
In recent years, she said highly health-conscious consumers began taking an interest in her ‘au naturel’ products. And her consumer base has gotten wider.
“Aside from Muslim customers, the Chinese love the natural ingredients I use. I do feel my products are truly Sarawakian because they are accepted by Sarawakians.”
Halal certification
Though Heartini’s Herbal has yet to obtain halal certification as Hartini is in the midst of preparing to expand her production house and raise the funds needed, she is happy her products are already being accepted by her existing and new clients.
In December 2017, Hartini attended a training course, organised by the Health Department and the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), from which she learnt more about her products.
“In fact, I learned there is no strict line that specifies my products because all the ingredients are natural and fall under the plant category, including the essential oil I use. They are still considered safe even without halal certification,” she said.
Regardless, her application for certification is in progress.
“At the moment, my production house is located in my beauty centre where I have workers to help me. There are different requirements for obtaining the halal certificate. I also need some time to prepare financially. It takes time but I’m thankful things are moving slowly but surely on the right track.”
Sarawak on world map
Heartini’s Herbal has caught the attention of SME Corporation Sarawak and Hartini said she felt honoured her company was among seven picked to attend a trade expo in Istanbul, Turkey on Feb 3-8 this year.
Hartini during her trip to Istanbul, Turkey, in February.
All the seven are Sarawak-based start-up companies that introduce Sarawak halal products.
The trip was a collaboration between SME Corp Sarawak, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), and Malaysian Islamic Chamber of Commerce.
Sarawak companies chosen for the trade expo represented different industries such as food and beverages, cosmetics and fruits, among others.
Hartini noted that most of the companies at the expo knew Malaysia – and Kuala Lumpur as the capital – but only some knew Sarawak and she had to show them Sarawak’s location on the map.
Some of the natural ingredients used in Hartini’s au naturel products.
“To be honest, they were even more surprised to see Ba Kelalan salt turned into products and even compared it with Himalaya salt. It was such an honour to be mentioned with other prestigious and established brands.
“Introducing products from Sarawak to foreign markets is not easy and it was, indeed, a great opportunity for us to show the uniqueness of the products that use Sarawak’s natural resources.”
She said the expo served as a good pathway for Sarawak brands to penetrate Middle Eastern and European markets.
“Halal products are considered acceptable mostly because they emphasise on hygiene and pureness. This will put Sarawak on the world map because it creates a reputation for Sarawak’s products as being up to par,” she added.
Hartini revealed that after the expo, she was approached by companies which proposed collaboration after analysing the potential of her products.