PURDY NATURAL
Rokhsana Purdy founded Purdy Natural 4 years ago , 2 years later they moved to their current location and since then they haven ’ t looked back since . The shop itself ( at 111 Mount Pleasant Ave ) smells incredible , and looks fantastic as well ; fusing traditional natural cosmetics with a punk rock vibe . Purdy Natural make all their products from scratch with the belief that if you can ’ t eat it you shouldn ’ t put it on your skin ! We sat down with Rokhsana to talk about her journey with Purdy Natural .
CASA London : Where did your interest in natural cosmetics begin ? I started to research labels on skincare products and it really annoyed me that there are so many toxins in skincare . You have celebrities endorsing these massive products for millions of dollars that we are told are the best of the best , we don ’ t really have a choice . Knowing what I know I couldn ’ t sit by and not do anything , so I see it as a form of activism for me – providing natural skincare products .
CASA London : Why did you want to start Purdy Natural ? What I noticed about a lot of natural skincare companies is that they can be a little middle of the road . We just wanted to have fun with it . We have a soap called Rich Fat Ass , that was inspired by Fight Club , and another one called Sex Panther ! Everything is so serious in life so why not have some fun with it . Our whole baby line is named after songs that you could sing to your baby , like Sweet Child of Mine .
CASA London : Why the change of venue 2 years ago ? We outgrew our first location , it was a tiny space inside an organic supermarket . We outgrew it , we had more of a vision about what we wanted to do . We ’ re able to have our own kitchen in here and showcase all the fantastic locally made products that London has to offer . We have a full DIY section that has grown out of control and we like to run DIY workshops so people can learn to make their own natural cosmetics .
CASA London : So how has business been ? I used to do all natural aesthetics and ran my own all natural spa , but I had to give it up because this grew so quickly . We ’ re just riding that wave . We had no idea what would happen , we had no idea that the business would grow so fast ! London has become this local hub , we have seen huge success in working with everybody . If you have passion for what you are doing , a good well thought out product , and you really spend time perfecting and branding it , people really dig it .
CASA London : What is the goal for Purdy Natural ? Our goal is to be able to provide more education about healthy eating and all natural skin care . We would love to open another store in a different city , somewhere like Guelph or Toronto . We don ’ t want to be mass produced , it ’ s about the feeling you get when you come in here . It ’ s something special and we don ’ t want to lose that . There ’ s a lot of love and community in this store , and that ’ s not anything we did . It ’ s the people .
CASA London : What ’ s your favourite product that you get to make ? My favourite product to make is the soap , it ’ s really therapeutic . I love coming up with the names of the soaps and you feel really proud to see the log of soap you just made ! It ’ s really cool to see people buy it , it ’ s out best seller . I can ’ t keep up ! I guess it ’ s like cooking , I hate cooking , but I love making products .
CASA London : Anything fun planned for the run up to Christmas ? For the 1st weekend in November ( that ’ s 5th / 6th ) Booch ( that ’ s the London based Kombucha tea producers ) are here , and then every weekend until Christmas , Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm , there will be lots of different artisan vendors in store selling locally made jewellery , skincare , and loads of different things ( keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for details ). And on Wednesday Dec . 21st Christmas Open House – Life of Leisure , the menswear company will be here . We like to give people different options , rather than just going to the mall .
Punk Rock Skincare
Purdy Natural has a welcoming and homely vibe to the store , plenty of positive energy , and an attitude that will take them far ; their commitment to natural and wholesome produce is highly commendable . The products are top quality and hand-crafted with the utmost care – a combination that works pretty well if you ask us !
CASA London 7