It is almost as if June Rose Vaiphei lets her name define her. After all, there’s nothing quite as soothing as the scent of a rose. It has been extolled by poets, scrutinized by scientists and worshipped by aromatherapists. And for June, it has decorated the path she’s chosen to tread.

June Rose Vaiphei is the founder of ‘Soothe’ and the synergy that exists between her name and her business is quite simply undeniable. The rose embodies what ‘Soothe’ stands for – an all-encompassing experience that is pleasing to the senses. At ‘Soothe’, June makes scented and decorative candles and chemical-free soaps and sanitisers from local flowers and herbs. 

Growing up in Manipur, June was always fascinated by the wonders of nature – its many colours, textures and fragrances filled her curious mind with awe. But it is nature’s extraordinary power to heal that got her creative juices flowing. A skin rash that refused to go despite numerous medicinal lotions and ointments, set her off in search of a cure among the flowers and herbs that grew in abundance around her. She researched and experimented on herself until one fine day an unguent she created soothed her skin and made the rash go away. “Nature,” she says, “is quite a healer.” Then, in around 2017, when she was invited to a cousin’s wedding, June decided to create a hamper of ‘nice and beautiful’ things that she would distribute among her family and friends. She made soaps, scented candles and body lotions that smelt and looked beautiful. Her family was ecstatic. Many at the wedding said her products looked like they could be eaten!  Buoyed by their response, June decided to tap into her entrepreneur gene (her late mother, who trained as a nurse, was an entrepreneur herself) and ‘Soothe’ was born.

But it’s not just the ‘nice and beautiful’ that inspire June to keep going. It is her ability to use Manipur’s bounty and to train and employ local people that truly excite her – that opportunity to give back to the land that has given her so much. It is in recognition of that zeal that she was awarded the 1st Northeast Unsung Heroes Red Carpet Social Award 2019 by the Manipur government.

In this interview with The NorthEast Stories, June - the only entrepreneur in a family of two sisters who are state government employees, a brother and her father, a former IPS officer – speaks with passion of her experimentations with plants and the importance she places on quality above all else. “Everything I do comes straight from the heart,” she says, as she dissects some of the challenges she faces as a businessperson in a state where government initiatives that promote women entrepreneurs are inadequate. “Hopefully things will change with technological advancement,” she says.

How did you get the idea of making the products which you are making now?

Anything nice and beautiful has always drawn my attention. My curiosity is aroused by things that are extraordinary. One day it so happened that I developed rashes on my skin which did not go despite my using different kinds of soaps and lotions. This evoked in me a challenge to develop a solution to this problem in the form of experimenting with various kinds of soaps. Once I could do so, it re-instilled my belief in the miraculous properties that exist in natural products. Nature itself is quite a healer.

 What convinced you to get the products to the market?

It so happened that during this time my cousin's wedding got fixed, and I decided to make some beautiful soap hampers to be gifted. The feedback that I got was really good. Some of them called me to say that the soaps looked and smelled so good that they would want to preserve them while some of them said that they felt like eating them up because they resembled pastries and they really soothed their olfactory senses. Some of them called asking for more and this was the encouragement that drove me to launch my products in the market.

Is finance an issue with most entrepreneurs? Did you take help from financial institutions?

I did not take any help from any financial institution or any government scheme whatsoever. The money that I needed for my project was raised solely by me. I did borrow some money from relatives which was quite a huge help. Yes, many young start-ups face problems for want of funds and I really feel something must be done to help them.

Why do you think your products are going to succeed in the very competitive market?

My soaps are chemical and preservative-free and they tend to have a very good effect on the skin and that is why there are repeat customers some of whom also claim that these soaps and lotions have a curative effect on irritation of their skin. These are some of the factors which give a winning edge to my products. For instance, my conditioning shampoo gives hair a very light feel after using it. It takes care of not only washing the oil off but also makes the scalp soft and clean. My tea tree soap is a huge hit amongst people with skin problems. I also have a moisturizing sesame seed oil that repairs damaged and dry hair.

What are the challenges you face in promoting your products in the domestic market?

Initially when there was no social media, not even YouTube, evolving my products depended solely on my experiments and trial and error. I remember when I launched my candles, I used to make them with bamboo moulds. I had to experiment to get things right.  Social media these days is a huge help and serves as quite a substantial source of knowledge and information.

What is the USP of your candles?

I use wild dry flowers that are locally grown here. They not only make them smell great but also add to the aesthetic beauty.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently researching a local herb called nongmankha, also known as adusa. I am still in the process of convincing myself about its health benefits because I just don’t launch anything randomly. I only make products that I can myself use and recommend. Everything I do comes straight from the heart.

What are the challenges in the e-commerce field?

In E-Commerce, the commission to the middle agents is quite substantial which may make my products unviable. Further, we still lack electronic equipment like laptops and printers which I feel can be supplied by various government agencies trying to help women entrepreneurs, but it is difficult to accept their support because it comes with many conditions attached. Thus, it is quite a big struggle for small entrepreneurs like us but hopefully, things are going to change with the advent of modern technology.