Increasingly, the local female skin care and body beauty market is beginning to pay a greater measure of attention to the fast-emerging options to the high-priced imported products that have saturated the local (and Caribbean) market and which, not only on account of cost, have become unreachable to working women. Not only that, but over the years, these imports have stifled a sector which, albeit belatedly, is demonstrating that it has a great deal to offer.
For a start, the entrepreneurial pursuits of Guyanese women who are, these days, delving deeper into the beauty and body-care industry, are beginning to heighten interest in the wide assortment of herbs and spices that can be pressed into service in the industry. Women who, hitherto, had become hooked on simply buying and selling the foreign brands are beginning to investigate the value of much of what grows in the local ‘garden’ and what can be made and marketed here.
Sharda Rajnarine is one of the hundreds of Guyanese women who have been drawn to the pursuit of research into the manufacture of health and beauty products that derive from local raw materials. Her company S&S Scents, she says, is in for the long haul.
S&S Scents specialises in a range of hand-made products including soy-scented candles, wax melts, tea lights, and car fresheners. The candles, Sharda says, can be customised to suit special occasions. “Our aim here is to provide pleasing products at affordable prices,” she says.
What is still an emerging industry has been, in more ways than one, heavily impacted by the advent of COVID-19. “For women seeking to run a business it has been hard to adjust, moreso for our children who are missing school. Having the support of my husband, I am able to manage my time with my daughter” she says.
Then there is the challenge of competition provided by foreign imports. Even in circumstances where a locally manufactured product can match an imported one for quality, the imported one can invariably enhance its customer appeal through it superior product presentation, Sharda observes.
While she concedes that packaging is “very important” she says that given what has become the high cost of product presentation she seeks to “keep it simple.” Labelling, she says, has proven to be “very expensive” though she says that her own costs are cut by the fact that she has invested in her own printer.
For all the challenges posed by foreign imports Sharda says that she is not comfortable with the idea of restricting these. “In the future I would like to have my products in foreign markets. I believe that competition is healthy. It pushes you to provide the best products for your customers. What would help us is if the taxes on raw material imports are reduced. This would help to grow our businesses,” she adds.
In pursuing her current line of business Sharda says that she is “living a dream… I have always wanted to have my own Candle Shop but never thought about producing the candles myself. But that is exactly what I am doing. It provides me with an opportunity to add my own personal touch to each of my candles.”
Prior to becoming involved in the production of scents and candles Sharda had worked in the aviation industry for ten years. Her research into candle-making began about two years ago and S&S Scents was launched on August 14 last year.
Asked about government support for the sector, Sharda says that what is forthcoming is insufficient. “Most people who are in the business usually reach into their own pockets to get started. While some financial institutions would reach out, the requirements for small loans and grants are tough, not business-friendly… Government has recently been showing more interest in locally produced products, however I am unaware of any push by the private sector on this regard.”
While she believes that the recent launch of a Business Incubator by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security amounts to a step in the right direction, she asserts that there is a need for more such initiatives across the country so that more manufacturers can benefit from the marketing of their products.
