PODCAST: Passion project – Founder of Liht Organics explains why firms don’t invest in organic make-up

The Singapore-based company launched in 2019 after a year in research and development, which Low recounted was a tough learning experience.

“The first difficulty I faced was finding a factory that could create the products the way I wanted exactly. I wish someone would have told me how difficult and how expensive this whole thing was going to be because I had no idea.”​

The difficulty in developing high-performance organic colour cosmetic products is why we do not see many organic make-up brands in the market, said Low.

“It's very difficult to achieve consistency in colour, texture and scents due to the variations in plants during the different seasons. In skin care, a lot of it is water-based, so it’s easier to control that consistency.”​

Some of the biggest limitations Low still faces today is the ability to expand her cosmetics line due to the limited number of ingredients it can use and how difficult it can be to stabilise the formulas.

Low believes we will see more organic make-up brands in the future due to the increasing consumer demand for organic products.

However, she recognises that organic make-up is a daunting task not many firms want to invest in.

“Because organic products cost ten times to make, a lot of brands and companies are not willing to invest that kind of money into the product itself, they would rather invest into brand and marketing,” ​said Low.

She credited her success to her passion and belief in the brand and its products.

“There are a lot of challenges involved in the whole process and you must really have a lot of belief and passion in this space for you to be able to block out all this noise of everyone telling you that you made a mistake."​

Listen on Apple Podcasts​.