Forest Essentials Store Experience

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my first blog post. Today I wanted to talk about my experience shopping at a Forest Essentials store. If you don’t know what Forest Essentials is, it’s a luxury Indian Ayurveda brand that creates beauty and wellness products. According to their website, their products are certified 100% natural and they are inspired by Ayurveda recipes by the ministry of AYUSH. The products are non-toxic, not tested on animals (cruelty free), and unadulterated. They don’t use parabens, sulphates, chemical sunscreens, and synthetic fragrances. The products are made in India and sourcing of ingredients are from different parts of the country. To know more about the brand, you can check their website here.

Before we talk about the store experience lets revisit some of their claims,

Luxury – Forest Essentials is a luxury brand. You’re not just paying for the products but for the whole experience as well. Any of their products can be substituted for other items from more affordable brands. However, if you’re a luxury beauty enthusiast (such as myself) then this brand is for you.

Natural (inspired by Ayurveda) – I love that the brand is inspired by Ayurveda and creates products based on that. This makes it stand out from other luxury beauty brands. However, I want to quickly point out that ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean good and ‘chemicals’ are not always bad. There are plenty of videos (like this one) and blogs on the topic so please do your own research and educate yourself. Don’t just buy the products because they’re natural. Personally, natural products never work well for me, however, I'm willing to risk it this instance.

Note - there's a small caution on the packaging that states that some people may be allergic to natural products and should discontinue the use of product if irritation occurs.

Made in India – Forest Essentials is an Indian brand which is perfect for consumers who want to support Indian businesses.

Cruelty free – cruelty free refers to products and ingredients that aren’t tested on animals. But there is no proper or legal definition of what is truly cruelty free. India has banned animal testing which sort of makes all products in India cruelty free, however, if you’re someone who is really committed to the cause then I suggest checking out Ethical Elephant’s article ‘What Does Cruelty-Free Mean in 2020?’.

Hair Cleanser Amla, Honey & Mulethi

Ayurvedic Herb Enriched Head Massage Oil Bhringraj

Velvet Silk Body Cream Indian Rose Absolute

Advanced Moisturising Hand Purifier

Body Mist Nargis (10ml)

Now that I’ve covered some aspects of the brand lets move on to the store experience. It was amazing. The SAs were helpful and polite, they let us browse the store without following us and didn’t hesitate to help when we asked (I went with my mom). The store is beautiful with the décor inspired by nature and details of gold. The thing that stood out for me was the way they packed the products. I bought two products worth ₹3300 (which is a lot) but they gave decent sized samples to try out. The SA wrapped the products in a gift paper which then went in a good quality cloth bag, sprinkled some rose petals inside and lastly sprayed the bag with a perfume. It smelled divine. I would 100% go to the store for that last part.

My point is, do your research regarding natural products. If you like forest essentials then I would recommend you visit the store and make your purchases there than ordering online. I mean you can do whatever you want. It’s just that, I feel like you would be missing a big chunk of that luxury experience if you order online. But hey, this was just my experience. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section and drop suggestions for future blog posts.

See you soon

Love

Shivi

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