I was recently interviewed by Ellie Tyler, the founder of Tyler Aromatherapy.
Here’s the article:
Embrace Natural Skincare - Moksa मोक्ष from Sanskrit meaning inner peace, liberation and bliss
by Ellie Tyler March 18, 2024
Step into the serene world of Mokṣa, where natural skincare transcends beyond mere routine to evoke feelings of liberation, bliss, and inner peace. In this enlightening blog, we delve into the journey of Chloe, the visionary behind Mokṣa, as she shares the profound inspiration behind her brand. From wanderlust-fueled travels to the vibrant landscapes of India to the realisation of a dream nurtured amidst natural beauty, Chloe's story unfolds with passion, purpose, and unwavering commitment to sustainability and ethical values.
What inspired you to choose the name Mokṣa for your natural skincare brand, and how does it reflect your journey and vision?
The name Moksa actually came to me the day that we arrived home from our 18 months of travels. I’d hear it used a lot on my travels in India and in the Ashram but I was sat in the car driving from London to our new home of Totnes, Devon and said to my now husband ‘MOKSA! I’m going to set up a brand called Moksa!’ I think he thought I was a bit mad but it just resonated so much with me. It means ‘liberation, inner peace and bliss’ in Sanskrit and that’s just exactly how I felt after quitting our jobs, putting all our stuff into storage, travelling for 18 months then moving back to where I grew up, Devon. It’s like it all just fell into place right in that one moment. It’s also exactly how I want people to feel when they use Moksa products.
The first few months of our travels were spent in Sri Lanka and India where I spent some time in an Ashram learning traditional yoga, yogic theory, pranayama and Ayurveda. Those few months have hugely influenced the essence of Moksa, and also my life, in such a profound way. There just is no other place in the world like India. It’s so full of colour, noise, wisdom, inspiration, spirituality and life it’s hard not to be massively influenced and affected.
Can you share more about the natural skincare course you completed and how it influenced your decision to pursue a career in skincare?
So I did the natural skincare course when I was working my 9-5 in London. I initially just did the course for me to be able to make my own skincare as back then (12 years ago) there wasn’t a huge amount of ‘natural’ skincare available and I was fed up of putting a whole range of synthetic products full of unnecessary fillers and whatever else on my skin.
I thought a lot about what I was going to do when we eventually returned home and couldn’t imagine going back into the corporate 9-5 world where I was filled with stress, anxiety, pressure and a ridiculous commute time usually spent with my face in someone's armpit on a sweltering tube! So I thought that maybe I could actually do something with the course.
My now husband proposed to me when we were on an island near Bali so we planned to get married in Devon the year we returned and I made a version of the Wild Rose Facial Elixir as a wedding favour. My friends and family absolutely loved it so I took that as my sign to go for it! That was in 2017 I’ve been full steam ahead ever since!!
Can you tell us more about the significance of minimal packaging for Mokṣa, and how it aligns with your brand ethos?
When I set Moksa up I wanted to have as little an environmental footprint as possible. I source everything ethically and responsibly. I don’t use any unnecessary packaging, all my bottles come just as bottles with no extra box, which although I know can look pretty, just ends up being thrown away and I’m just not ok with contributing to that amount of waste. Plus extra packaging costs more and I want to keep my brand as affordable as possible for my lovely Moksa community. I have tried to create an authentic and personal brand carrying values which I strongly believe in. I contribute a percentage of my profits to SAS (Surfers Against Sewage) and Treesisters - a woman founded fantastic organisation who, rather than impact based solely on the number of trees in the ground, ensure the projects they fund improve socioeconomic outcomes and have women, community and nature at their core.
Can you tell us about your minimalist branding, did you design everything yourself?
I literally have done everything myself - twice, as I rebranded in 2023! I create all my labels, my designs, my website, my emails and I take all my own product imagery. I have always been really keen on graphic design and am self taught with no professional qualification or anything. It’s one of the parts of running the business that I enjoy the most and I love that I get to do it for a living. I’ve always had such lovely compliments on my branding so the fact I do it myself those comments are just extra special! With my rebrand it just feels so much more relevant and on brand for Moksa. I have used simple icons which depict the ancient art of ink stamping in India and most of the products have Sanskrit names as I find the language incredibly beautiful and utterly fascinating. I definitely feel I’ve created a more eco-luxe style which feels much more aligned with the brand I wanted to create.
Could you walk us through your creative process when developing new products for Mokṣa?
My mind is a bit of a chaotic one so I’m not sure there’s a single process that I come up with every time! I get a lot of ideas constantly but as any formulator, or maker will know, these ideas take a lot of work to come into fruition. I usually jot ingredients down which I come across and their benefits and then essential oils which I think would go with different moods or create different emotions. I think I’ve got a good sense of what works together naturally so they can sometimes come together quite quickly. I’m working on something brand new now actually but it’s just in the ‘jotting down’ stages but I’m pretty excited about it!
Can you walk us through your daily skincare routine?
Being a mum of a little one time is always so limited so I like to keep it simple. For my everyday routine I just literally follow a 2 or 3 step routine which consists of a good cleanse, (and a face massage if I’ve got an extra couple of minutes) with the Daily Calm Cleansing Oil then a quick spritz of my Wild Rose Toning Mist followed by a facial oil; Wild Rose Facial Elixir in the morning and the Chandra | Moon Facial Oil in the evening. It doesn’t take long to have a good, natural routine. And I find these 10 step skincare routines completely overwhelming and unnecessary!
What challenges have you faced in building and growing Mokṣa as a brand, and how have you overcome them?
My gosh, so many!!!! Running your own business is incredibly tough and trying to grow in this market is definitely a huge challenge! I used to (and still find I do occasionally) compare myself to so many other brands but this is just a road to misery. Stick with who and what you are and just be your authentic self. Don’t spread yourself too thin, concentrate on a couple of things and do them really well.
Can you share any memorable customer experiences or testimonials that highlight the impact of Mokṣa products on their self-care routines?
“I cannot explain how much your products have helped my skin. I struggled for years with sensitive skin and had psoriasis over 100% of my body- even the doctors took photos for medical files because they hadn’t seen such a severe case. I massively struggled to find products that were kind to my skin, even ultrabase and aqueous cream would sting me- sometimes even Sudocrem! My only help came from a herbalist and the drinks she made me immediately started showing benefits. I searched for so long to find natural products that would help my skin and genuinely when I was about to give up my search I found you! Your oils have never caused me any soreness, itchiness or stinging. They’ve been a miracle cure for me and I take them everywhere with me. I even stock piled for my travels and wrapped them all up in protective bags so I had them whilst I was away especially with all the salt water and sun. When I came home in the depths of winter and my skin was screaming ARGHHHH the oils were so soothing. So THANK YOU for helping someone that had given up hope, was extremely self conscious about the state of her skin and also in part for the comments I get about still looking like a child even though I’m 31!”
- CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL
In what ways do you see Mokṣa evolving in the future, and what goals do you have for the brand?
I am so happy with how far Moksa has come so far, as when I set it up it was really just as a side line I could do alongside being a Mama but after 6 years, a multitude of awards for both my business and my products and a wonderful community behind me it’s definitely exceed my then expectations. My goal is definitely to grow further but also for it to be manageable. All I ever really wanted was to have a regular income to be able to pay our bills, the mortgage and to put food on the table so anything beyond that is amazing. My dream would be to run a spa with all my products in (there I said it out loud!!) but that feels like a long way off. But who knows…!
Lastly, what message or feeling do you hope customers experience when using Mokṣa products, and what do you hope they take away from the brand?
Moksa means inner peace, bliss and liberation and this is EXACTLY the intention of my products. I would never make or sell anything I don’t love using myself and I have a lot of return customers who just simply love the brand and the products and I use my own products every single day. I absolutely love a bit of pampering and love a spa and having facials so I wanted people to be able to recreate that feeling at home. A full ritual for me is lighting a gorgeous candle, soaking my feet (because I don’t have a bath!! Hopefully soon!) in bath salts, putting some relaxing music on and giving myself a little facial. It just feels so indulgent and luxurious. But equally you can also use the products really simply - even if it’s just the Wild Rose Facial Elixir in the morning. Honestly it’s so funny how many lovely compliments I receive on the school run in the morning about my skin looking so healthy, glowing and fresh!
Finally - where can our readers shop Moksa?
I sell mostly through my online store, but am also on NOTHS, The Common Ground, VEO and lots of other bricks and mortar stores across the UK - check my stockist page on my website for more details.