Celebrating Mother's Day with Zareefa, the founder of AMMU Beauty

Zareefa’s story highlights the importance of continuing traditions, something that seems to occur less and less as we become a more global, homogeneous society. Special occasions like birthdays and Mother's Day are one of the few times when we stop to reflect on our memories. Mother's day is one of the most special days where we honor not only our mothers but all mothers around the world. The one who inspires us countless times throughout her life to believe in ourselves and that beauty is more than just skin-deep. 

Source: AMMU Beauty

Tell us about your background.

“Born to a Bangladeshi family, raised in NYC, I was raised with the idea that self love and self-care were one and the same. Growing up with a close relationship to my mother, Ammu, my earliest memories include seeing the world through my mother’s holistic healing and natural remedies for almost every ailment. Raised with the mentality that our bodies are our temples, natural remedies always resonated with her.

As I grew older, I began to struggle with a reactive body & skin whenever she found herself out of balance. Dealing with skin conditions resulting from her fertility issues, Ammu and I figured out how to heal anything - together. Soon enough, we became the go-to amongst friends and family in need of Eastern healing for any and all of our skin & body ailments.

However, suddenly in February 2020, Ammu passed away. Struck by the shock of my mother’s passing, I began to put my life choices into perspective. Just weeks away from returning from maternity leave to work, I had no desire to return back to my old job and life. Instead, I chose a more fulfilling route - quitting my job, and entering the beginning stages of Ammu Beauty.

What started off as a way to grieve, soon enough became an extraordinary, results-driven success. Ammu Beauty is my way to prove that real results can be achieved - naturally. What our bodies yearn for is clean beauty products; those that have been used and documented in our beauty rituals for thousands of years. Channeling my mother’s expertise, and my father’s entrepreneurial spirit, Ammu Beauty became a way to bring Ammu’s recipes to life and share them with the rest of the world. All the love I still want to give to my mother is now hand-poured into each and every product.

What started as an outlet for grieving after mother passed away in February of 2020, spiraled into something extraordinary. Hours of writing formulas, paired with months of meticulous ingredient research, topped off with several months of testing, and a lot of love along the way, birthed the newest beauty brand for everyone to adopt into their daily routines and finally begin to prioritize themselves in the purest form of love, self-love.”

Zareefa developed Ammu Beauty with the desire to restore the connection between you and your skin, and reignite the spark of self love in you. Taking her mother’s century-old, natural remedies and creating a refined version of her mother’s love that she can share with the whole world, Ammu Beauty delivers recipes documented in the earliest beauty rituals providing refined products rooted in high-quality ingredients that have healed skin conditions around the world for centuries; sans the man-made, or lab-made ingredients. The ayurvedic beauty brand creates micro-batched, hand-crafted products people don’t know they need - and won’t be able to live without. Hand-poured in its purest and most potent form, each bottle is the embodiment of Ammu’s love for her daughter, Zareefa.

Source: AMMU Beauty

Is there a product that you swear by for South Asian skin and color?

Our best seller is the Trifecta mask bundle which was meticulously created for delicate, South Asian skin. We've included ingredients such as neem, tulsi and manjishtha that pull dirt, grime, and congestion out but simultaneously, the ashwagandha, licorice root, and sandalwood deposit deep nourishment into the cellular level. This creates an incredible glow and diminishes skin textures and hyperpigmentation over time.

Source: AMMU Beauty

For a South Asian bride-to-be, what should be the skincare routine and the products that you would recommend they follow at least 6 months before their wedding?

The transformations we have seen from using our masks and night oil have been incredible. We have watched men and women completely erase texture and stubborn hyperpigmentation from their skin leaving their skin like glass. This is so important for brides to be as they gear up for makeup trials, engagement photos, and all the pre-wedding festivities. All of our products were initially created for south asian skin. Skin that is prone to uneven tans, hyperpigmentation and texture. All of our products tackle just that!

Routine: The Trifecta Mask bundle (3x a week) + Glow to Sleep Oil as the last step to your nighttime skin routine.

Source: AMMU Beauty

Tell us more about the AMMU Dry Face Masks.

Our mask bundles will leave you with incredibly bright, even, texture-free skin. Our formulas will tighten pores, lift and fade hyperpigmentation and leave you with a head-turning glow. It delivers deep hydration that instantly comforts delicate, dull complexions and completely transforms fatigued skin. Its ionic charge is powerful enough to pull toxins deep within your skin's layers while lifting away hyperpigmentation and stimulating collagen.

The best part of our masks is that each and every time you treat your face you are creating a fresh, nutrient-dense mask (unlike other masks on the market that have been sitting on the shelves for several months). Our masks only activate when it's mixed with water so you get the most potent mask, every time.

Final Thoughts

AMMU Beauty was founded in 2021 and honors Zareefa’s mother who taught her all about natural beauty. The brand is a tribute to her mother's love of beauty and well-being as she personally shared her most prized rituals with Zareefa. Mother's day is a special day for every family. We hope you take a moment (or more than just a moment) to celebrate those who have inspired us along your journey of life.

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