Best natural and sustainable deodorants – not owned by Unilever
In our series, Changemakers, we interview people who have shifted their work to focus on sustainable and ethical issues. We ask what the ‘lightbulb’ moment was that inspired them to make the leap and what their biggest successes and challenges have been along the way.
Arati Nar spent 14 years at Ocado before co-founding a beauty and wellbeing services company. After selling the business in 2019 and navigating deep personal loss, she launched Anara Skincare, a luxury, natural origin skincare brand designed to nurture sensitive skin through life’s many stages.
Created following her own experience of grief-led skin sensitivity, Anara offers a capsule collection of multi-use products for the eyes, face and neck – combining quiet luxury, performance and simplicity.
Live Frankly: When did you launch Anara Skincare, and why?
Arati Nar: After my husband passed away, my skin changed almost overnight. My cheeks and eye area became incredibly dry and reactive. Days and nights filled with tears left them raw, and even gentle touch or fragrance stung. For the first time in my life, I had breakouts. Beauty products I had used for years suddenly became unbearable.
Around the same time, I began experiencing early perimenopausal changes, and the combination of the two made it clear how few options existed for people navigating sensitivity, hormonal shifts or emotional stress.
So, I decided to create a trusted skincare range that stays with a woman through all the seasons and sensitives of her life, including pregnancy and menopause. Four years later, Anara was born.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I am an early riser and love having a quiet hour before the world wakes up. I start with lemon water, fruit with yogurt, coffee and a candle. It is my way of creating calm before the day begins.
After this, no two days are the same and that is what I love. Mornings are usually filled with replying to customer messages, packing orders, engaging on social media and reviewing the many wonderful opportunities that come my way each day. I like to spend some time in the afternoon being creative with design and photography.
I also care for my elderly parents. My dad has dementia, so spending time with them daily grounds me. It’s a reminder of what really matters.
Evenings are for family and friends and late at night is when I do my clearest strategic thinking and a bit of daydreaming, too.
Can you tell more about your career before Anara?
Before starting Anara, I co-founded a beauty and wellbeing services company called MILK Wellbeing.
Before that, I spent 14 years at Ocado. I joined six months before launch and left in 2015 as Head of Marketing. It was an incredible experience. I learned innovation, growth and how to build something from the ground up. Ocado gave me the confidence and entrepreneurial foundation that shaped everything that came after.
When we sold MILK in 2019, I knew it was time to fulfil my lifelong dream and create my own skincare brand.
What did you love about your previous work? What didn’t sit right with you?
I have always loved the energy of start-ups; the innovation, the creativity, the chaos. But over time, I realised I wanted to work in a way that aligned with my values and where I would make all the decisions centred on care, for our customers, partners and for the planet.
In beauty, I also began to notice how far marketing could drift from reality. The lack of transparency and the vague use of words like “natural”, “organic” or “clean” just didn’t sit right with me. It became one of the key reasons I wanted to do things differently with Anara.
Was there a lightbulb moment that led you to start Anara?
There was, though it came from pain. Losing my husband made my skin hypersensitive; it was my body’s way of responding to the grief. A few years later, early hormonal changes amplified things further.
That period made me reassess everything. I wanted to create skincare that felt like care – something gentle, honest and uplifting.
What challenges did you face when starting your business?
The biggest challenge was simply knowing where to start. I had no background in formulation or chemistry, so I began studying a diploma in natural skincare. I didn’t plan to create the products myself, but I wanted to understand every ingredient, every claim, every process.
I then found an incredible formulation team in the UK who understood my vision completely. Still, it wasn’t easy. Some products took over seventy iterations; others went back to the drawing board multiple times. Packaging challenges cost me a lot of money. But I refused to rush. Shortcuts were never an option. I wanted to build something with integrity.
Have there been any “I can’t believe this is happening” moments along the way?
There have been many. Winning twenty two prestigious industry awards within our first year was surreal.
But the moments that move me most are the quiet ones – when someone messages to say their sensitive skin finally feels calm again, or that they’ve fallen in love with their skincare routine for the first time in years. Those messages mean everything.
What’s a challenge you’re currently working through?
The biggest challenge is making Anara’s voice heard in a very crowded beauty industry. One full of big players, big budgets and a lot of greenwashing.
What do sustainability and ethics mean to you personally and professionally?
To me, sustainability and ethics are about responsibility – to ourselves, to each other and to the planet. It is not about perfection. It is about making conscious decisions and ensuring they do no harm.
Personally, that mindset became even stronger after loss. It made me more intentional in how I live.
Professionally, it is non-negotiable. For Anara, it means honouring the integrity of every ingredient and partner we work with. Every product is designed to be multi-use – for the eyes, face and neck – so people can buy less, waste less and still get exceptional results.
Our formulations are 99–100% natural origin and up to 92.5% organic, certified by The Vegan Society and approved as Cruelty Free under the Leaping Bunny Programme. The entire range is pregnancy-friendly, and we use that as our standard of safe, gentle skincare – for life. We use glass containers printed with organic ink, FSC-certified cartons and reusable metal spatulas in biodegradable pouches.
But more than anything, sustainability to me is about kindness and about doing business with care and integrity.
Why was this important to you from the start?
Once you see that gap between marketing and reality, you cannot un-see it, and I truly believe we all deserve to know exactly what we are putting on our skin – transparently and honestly, and without compromise.
What is next for you and Anara?
My focus is on deepening what I’ve already built. Anara was two years old in September, and I’m not chasing fast growth. I’m focused on mindful, meaningful expansion, connecting with more stockists and customers who share our values.
What kind of support or collaboration are you currently seeking?
Community is everything to me. As a solo founder, I value connecting with others doing meaningful, purpose-led work – especially in the ethical wellbeing space – people who prioritise long-term impact over short-term noise.
What message would you like to share with others building ethical or sustainable businesses – or thinking about it?
Do not wait to feel ready because you never will. If your intention is rooted in honesty and care, for people and the planet, it will guide you through every decision.
And don’t think you have to shout to be heard. Quiet conviction, consistency and transparency are powerful and will let you see through the noise. Start building your community early – even before you launch. They will be your anchor.
Interview with Arati Nar, founder of Anara Skincare.
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