Meet Shalini Seneviratne | Beauty founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shalini Seneviratne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shalini, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I moved to the States (New York) 4 years ago from Asia and was immediately caught up by the energy and the feeling that the American dream was real. And I met founders and thought leaders and saw the spark in their eyes, I really wanted in on that! I had worked for 15 years in corporate and I felt like I was done working for someone else.

So I considered a number of “business opportunities” but none of them felt right. One evening I massaged my 6 month old son with coconut oil before giving him a bath (like I always do) and jumped into the shower myself, that’s when it hit me! Coconut oil is the first beauty ingredient any Sri Lankan gets exposed to. For generations we have been infusing it with herbs and making home made concoctions that we swear by. The ingredients, the recipes, the rituals are like an extension of myself that I knew I had to share. It felt like a calling.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are in the business of reframing the beauty narrative and adding spirituality to beauty. Wildpatch launched the world’s first range of coconut oils infused with ayurvedic adaptogens, made with food grade ingredients.

Growing up in Sri Lanka I have always known beauty to be closely interlinked with holistic wellness and to be slow, purposeful and clean rituals that nourished you physically, emotionally and spiritually. It’s this deep belief that led me to starting Wildpatch. I spent 15 years in the beauty industry and saw first hand the impact of unattainable beauty standards. I believe in a different approach to beauty, I believe that its time to reframe the narrative that you can only look beautiful by correcting your flaws.

Our customs blends are sold together with soulful beauty rituals, beauty recipes and relaxation music to create a holistic wellness experience. Because for us beauty means a healthy body, mind and soul. We want to be the anti thesis to vanity and promote a minimalistic, ritualistic approach to beauty. This is the opposite of a wasteful multi step routine that the beauty industry is built on. Our oils are the ultimate multi taskers, thereby promoting less product use, less wastage; all leading up to a more sustainable beauty industry.

The beauty industry is guilty of cultural appropriation particularly through ingredients. Little known fact is that coconuts which are now plentiful in any tropical coastline are endemic to Asian coastlines like in Sri Lanka and travelled the world through trade routes and colonization. Coconut oil is the very first beauty ingredient any child in Sri Lanka gets introduced to. We are so used to seeing coconuts on every tropical coastline around the world, we never stop to think how it got there. But there is scientific evidence to prove that this humble plant originated from our part of the world. That’s why Wildpatch is committed to ensuring that the people and communities where these powerhouse ingredients and rituals originate from are the ones benefiting from its fame in the west. Our ingredients are sourced from regenerative, certified fair-trade, small family-owned farms in Sri Lanka where 60% of the workers are female, an unusual statistic in a male dominated industry.

Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt –
1. Do not compare yourself with anyone – we don’t know the circumstances and support behind other businesses, comparing yourself and wondering why you don’t have the same success as someone else will only pull you down
2. Build a community of peers that you can reach out to – I launched my company after a few years of moving to the States, I knew no one. But sliding into people’s DMs really helped me build strong relationships and made a huge difference
3. Murphy’s law is real. All you can do is know that everything that can go wrong will go wrong, so always be on a solutions mindset. If you need a moment to recover, take it. But you have to bounce back and be willing to let things go.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
New York has so much to offer (and so many famous things!!)! This is a tough question!!

Day 1 – We’ll start with a stroll and picnic in Central Park, I love the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain area. Maybe we’ll catch Shakespeare in the Park in the evening. Late night drink at Dear Irving

Day 2 – Maybe Brunch in Soho (Jacks wife feda) and then the MET. No other museum compares! End with a drink on the rooftop bar

Day 3 – Walk the highline, brunch in meat packing, check out Hudson yards. maybe dinner in Chinatown – prosperity for dumplings

Day 4 – Cross over to Brooklyn with a walk across the bridge. Lunch in Dumbo, pizza at Julianas. Walk around Williamsburg and check out Smorgasburg

Day 5 – take the ferry to Staten Island with views of the empire state. Check out the Sri Lankan food scene there – lunch or dinner at Lakruwana

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My grandmother – Wildpatch is built on beauty rituals and ingredients she taught me. Things she valued like spirituality, mindfulness, being connected to source of ingredients, championing women are all built into the brand. Unfortunately she passed away before we launched, but the brand and our mission to radically simplify and add spirituality to beauty is an ode to her.

Website: www.wildpatch.co

Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildpatch_

Image Credits
Sachi Peiris Malaka Premasiri