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Mutki founder of Mutki Botanicals

When two like-minded, entrepreneurial women decide to join forces, the result is certain to make waves.

Miranda Bond, co-founder of Inika

Sunshine Coast-based organic skincare company Mukti Botanicals has teamed with renowned mineral cosmetics company Inika to form parent company A Truth in Beauty.

The merger is the culmination of a long-term friendship between Mukti, who founded Mukti Botanicals, and Miranda Bond, co-founder of Inika. The two met two-and-a-half years ago at a professional beauty expo in Melbourne, where Miranda tracked Mukti down and the two met for lunch.

During the meal the women swapped stories and later found themselves in tears as they realised the similar background and philosophies they shared. “We immediately had this friendship and we were looking at a way we could do business together,” Mukti said.

The two kept in contact, but with Mukti based on the Coast and Miranda in New South Wales, working together seemed an impossible feat. Then, a year or so later, Miranda asked Mukti if she would be interested in making a primer and body bronzer for the Inika collection.

Mukti agreed and the idea of bringing the businesses together began to take shape. The merger has only been possible because both women

Find Mutki in the US at allnaturalcosmetics.com

believe that chemicals and other artificial ingredients, such as parabens and fillers, have a detrimental effect on the body.

Inika and Mukti Botanicals use only 100 per cent natural and certified organic ingredients, which are not harmful to the body. “I have always used natural products since I was 12 or 13,” said Mukti, who has studied naturopathy and natural therapies, including aromatherapy and herbs. Mukti was at first unaware how to impart the knowledge she had gained. After marrying a hairdresser, she opened a beauty salon in a vacant

spot in his studio, but when she started looking for a beauty brand to stock in the salon, she drew a blank. So, gradually, she started making her own products. However, she realised she needed to do more study and undertook training in cosmetic chemistry in early 2002, while continuing to add to her line of natural products.

By 2003, Mukti Botanicals was a leader in natural skincare. However, the toll of overseeing every stage of the business development, from production to marketing, meant Mukti was spending less time in the production phase, which she felt was stalling the growth of the company.

It also meant she could not devote as much time as she wanted to her passion - research, product development, education and training. The merger of Mukti Botanicals and Inika, and the subsequent capital input, will allow Mukti to take a step back from the marketing side of the business and focus on her product.

More at: http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/jul/18/natural-choice/