Samah Al Mahruqi is the Co-Founder of Yome Natural Care, an Oman-inspired natural beauty care product enriched with the finest indigenous ingredients from Oman. Established in 2019, Yome Natural Care incorporates innovative and modernised skincare technology that consists of natural ingredients and chemical-free compositions.
The brand name ‘Yome’ means in Arabic ‘Daily’ and Samah says she chose this name to emphasise the role of Yome products as a part of daily personal care routines.
“The concept is that Yome is for ‘natural care around the clock’ beyond being a seasonal or handicraft cosmetics,” says Samah.
The beauty of Oman’s nature sparked the concept of Yome and all its products are a combination of natural care formula enriched with the finest Omani native extraction of botanicals.
Samah says, “We strongly believe that Oman is blessed with the finest botanicals and ingredients that can be utilised in making safe and contemporary natural beauty care cosmetics. Also, we are keen to modernise Omani beauty rituals and introduce new natural cosmetics that are inspired by our beauty traditions in a very convenient way.”
The local ingredients for Yome are sourced from different areas in Oman such as Jebel Al Akhdar, Dhofar, South Al Batinah and North Al Sharqyiah. Yome Natural Care range includes skincare collections for the face, hair, body, and also special kids-care products unique for its combination of safe and advanced skincare formulation and the finest Omani botanical ingredients. Free from harmful ingredients such as SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), mineral oils, colourants and synthetic perfumes, Yome products are European-made, lab-tested and MOCI approved.
For Samah, the main challenge in her journey was sourcing the local ingredients as per the required quantity and quality. “There was less research and technical information about some of the ingredients which were very important inputs before starting any R&D process. We managed to overcome those challenges by intensive market research and cooperating with some local business partners and experts,” she says.
The Yome product range consists of nine collections and each collection is developed from a specific local ingredient. These products include the Frankincense Collection, Date Oil Collection, Baram Honey Collection, Basil Collection, Omani Rose Collection, Eucalyptus Collection, Sidr Collection, Mahlab Collection and Alum Collection.
Yome makes use of Sidr leaves, known as a natural cleansing agent that works like soap. Yome offers Sidr and Shea Body Scrub, an excellent mixture for nourishing, scrubbing and cleansing the skin. The Sidr and Shea Body Scrub is a bestseller, says Samah, alongside Yome’s hair care products that use date oil.
As around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has had its repercussions on Yome too. The purchasing power and the shopping appetite of many consumers have dwindled and in addition to it, the lockdowns have limited the shopping hours, Samah admits.
“To overcome those challenges, we have activated our e-commerce business and we are processing daily many online orders. To move forward we have signed an agreement with Thawani to get an online payment service to make it more convenient. In addition, we are working to launch our new website with online shopping features that will include delivery service.”
Another unique product of Yome is the kids-friendly ‘Teton’ kids-care collection, which is made from frankincense and incorporated in safe formulation for shampoo, bath and lotion. The collection is for above 3-year-old kids and is free of paraben, alcohol, SLS and mineral oils.
Samah has her future plans all fully laid out, “Apart from our objectives, we aim to develop new personal care products that are developed from new and unique native ingredients that are not yet discovered. In addition, we aim to expand our reach locally and regionally in short term. Finally, we continue R&D projects to enhance our current products line.”
Yome products are currently available at their store in Mazoon Street on Al Khoudh.