Sensatia Botanicals goes halal, writes Stephanie Mee.
Bali’s favourite all-natural beauty-care brand, Sensatia Botanicals, earned yet another accolade with the announcement that their products are officially halal certified. This means that every single bar of soap, fragrant bottle of shampoo, and any other divine product you pick up in their stores and the online shop is made with all-natural, plant-based products that adhere to Islamic qualifications.
Sensatia Botanicals has always been so much more than just a luxe cosmetics company. The story begins when a young Michael R. Lorenti Jr. washed up on the shores of Jasri, Karangasem in East Bali. He immediately fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle, epic surf, and the villagers, who quickly became like family to him. It wasn’t long before he started dreaming of how he could build something meaningful with his newfound family.
In 2000, Michael and just three employees began making natural handmade soaps with local ingredients. Almost immediately, a large US chain store group picked up the brand. It was a logical leap to start experimenting with other products, and after just a year, Sensatia Botanicals had 23 employees and were distributing to various clients and countries.
From the beginning, Michael wanted to promote equality and ensure that the people he worked with also benefitted from the company’s success, so he set Sensatia up as a profit-sharing cooperation. To this day, each Sensatia Botanicals employee has 20 per cent shares in the company. And with a wildly successful collection of over 200 products sold in 40 countries worldwide, this has made a huge difference in the lives of many.
What also sets Sensatia apart from other brands is their commitment to quality products that truly adhere to the eco-friendly, all-natural ethos. This means minimising the company’s environmental footprint by using pure, natural ingredients to create products that are cruelty-free, free of parabens, palm oil, synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances.
Before any products go out the door, Michael and his team source the freshest ingredients to create samples, then work with a pharmacist at the Sensatia lab to test the samples and ensure they meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Process) standards. In fact, Sensatia is the first and only GMP certified cosmetic company in Bali.
With such care for what goes into their products, it should come as no surprise that Sensatia applied for halal certification. Michael says, “Since 2000, we have been committed to producing high quality cosmetic products. As an extension of our understanding of the special needs of our Muslim consumers in Indonesia and throughout the world, we started the application for halal certification in mid-2017.”
To become certified here in Bali, the LPPOM MUI Bali (Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics – The Indonesian Council of Ulama Bali) must do a thorough examination of all ingredients, production processes, and implementation of the Halal Assurance System (HAS) within the production facility.
Not surprisingly, Sensatia passed the audit with flying colours. On April 4th, the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Council of Ulama Bali officially affirmed that all Sensatia Botanicals products are officially halal-certified, giving us yet another reason to love this homegrown brand.
