SuRich – for healthier skin
A quote by popular novelist CS Lewis says, ‘hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny’ and subsequently, it is usually in the most difficult moments that our creativity is birthed.
For Suzette Shaw Reid this statement proves true, after a redundancy in 2017 forced her to think of ingenious ways to generate income as the job-hunting process became increasingly difficult.
And so Shaw Reid, who has always been a health enthusiast, teamed up with long-time pal Richard Keating to determine how they could turn a passion for healthy living into a business.
“We always wanted to start a health-oriented business. At first we thought of making herbal teas but sadly that market is heavily saturated. Toiletries we felt is an ever-growing industry and not everything works for everybody, so we knew there was a chance that we were able to tap into this market,” Shaw Reid said. “We felt that the benefits of using a natural soap are extremely effective and at the time, with my knowledge base about moringa, it seemed like the most natural item to create.”
Subsequently, SuRich was created. The brand, which is a combination of both owners’ Christian names – Su (Suzette) and Rich (Richard) – is also a pun on the words “so rich”.
“This is because of the rich lather the soap makes,” Shaw Reid said.
Moreover, the brand, which initially started out with one bar of soap, has grown to now offer seven different plant-based facial and body bars. These include coconut moringa bars, coconut moringa milk bars, aloe charcoal chips bars, moringa quaco cerasee bars, moringa neem cerasee bars, tumeric coconut milk clay bars and activated charcoal coconut milk bars.
“Initially we started out with one bar of soap – our flagship bar, Moringa Coconut, made from moringa leaves and cold-pressed coconut oil. With my knowledge base about the benefits of moringa I felt strongly that if this miracle tree was properly incorporated in a product it would have been extremely beneficial to the user. It was well received and feedback was positive. The beginning of the second year Richard suggested adding something new to the moringa line. He recommended the activated coconut charcoal because of its beneficial purposes. Coconut milk and aloe vera were added to the charcoal, which are also beneficial ingredients to the skin and pretty soon it became more popular than the moringa bar,” Shaw Reid said.
“After receiving repeated requests for a bar to aid with eczema and skin eruptions, we created quaco and neem infused soaps. In the same year, a few months after, our most popular selling bar to date was created – the Tumeric Coconut Milk Clay bar. In December 2019 our newest kid on the block was created – our Irish Moss bar,” she said.
With the exception of babies, Shaw Reid states that the soaps can be used by everyone as the infused herbs are beneficial in achieving healthy skin.
“All the herbs infused in our soaps are beneficial to our skin. For example, moringa has an impressive nutritional profile because of the health benefits this tree provides. It is considered a superfood that contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, and it has excellent exfoliating properties. Charcoal, quaco, neem, tumeric and Irish moss are equally impactful ingredients that also provide positive results to your skin regimen. To this end, SuRich bars are for hygiene purposes and will help to nourish, cleanse and purify your skin while providing apt moisture from the coconut oil. Based on regular usage, an individual will see consistent improvement in their skin,” she explained.
Now in its third year, SuRich is looking to add a new moisturising body butter, which Shaw Reid said will also be plant-based.
Further, she explained that it’s about educating people to truly understand the importance and value of using products on their skin that are healthier for their bodies.
She added: “Our products are eco-friendly and positive results are evident, especially when coupled with a good diet and keeping your body properly hydrated.”
