Bhubaneswar, Jan. 13: If you are tired of using commercial beauty products on your body without any satisfactory results, the solution, probably, lies in nature's secrets.

Swarupa Senapati, who has worked for numerous popular cosmetic brands for more than 15 years, has come up with 21 varieties of soaps using natural ingredients.

Swarupa said her brand, Nature's Secret, was only about quality. "I am very strict on that. My aim is to create a market where people trust local products over international brands," she said.

She worked as a research scientist at these companies where she was introduced to the concept of functional cosmetics, which is a therapeutic approach to improve the skin.

"I have worked in places, including Japan and South Korea, and a number of western countries. I came to know about the methods and practices they use for production of beauty products. I wanted to utilise those techniques to make beauty products here," said the postgraduate from Utkal University.

Swarupa has a workshop at Niladri Vihar. The range of soaps that are made from tulsi, neem, rose petal and aloe vera among other herbs are priced between Rs 150 and Rs 300.

"There are five people in my team. We don't use machines while making the products and that is the reason why the shape of the soaps are not defined," she said.

Her products sold like hotcakes at the Sisir Saras fair recently. Swarupa feels dealing with skin-ailments such as acne, wrinkles and sagginess are not difficult if right products are used. Her soaps, which are completely natural, are made from coconut charcoal, poppy seeds, sea salt, lemon and orange peel and various essential oils, which are known to be beneficial for the skin.

"I procure the ingredients from various self-help groups in the tribal areas. In the process, they are also benefited," she added.

Talking about health and the environment, she said: "I would like to reach out to my customers and educate them on the ingredients used in my products and the right soap suited for various skin types. I make it a point not to harm the environment while making the products."

Swarupa had also set up a kiosk at Bali Yatra fair in Cuttack where she had sold more than 50 soaps each day. She started the initiative four months ago and plans to launch lotions and shampoos in future.