Who's That Gal: Gayatri Pradhan, Founder of Poéthique Skincare

Name: Gayatri Pradhan
Occupation: Founder of Poéthique - 100% plant-based, luxury skincare
Hometown: Wellesley, MA
Currently Reading: Thinking Fast and Slow, The Gene: An Intimate History and a variety of fashion rags….so, a mix of heavy and light reading :)
If You Could Fly Anywhere Right Now, Where Would You Go: London. As flights go, it’s quick enough, and I love, love, love how incredibly cosmopolitan and friendly the city is. Walking through Camden and Borough markets, fresh scones and a perfectly brewed cup of tea, the bookstores and galleries around street corners, window shopping at Harrods, and a ramble on the Heath - that would be a perfect few days. Right! I’m booking my tickets now!

Tell us a about Poethique! What inspired you to start the natural skincare line?

Poéthique was inspired by my twin passions - skincare and travel. I’ve been fortunate to have traveled all over the world, and what I came to realize, is that every culture around the world has a wealth of knowledge on the botanical ingredients that are native to them. This includes using botanical ingredients for effective but safe skincare. I thought to myself, why not bring this knowledge over and share it here. For example, turmeric is having a moment in our culture here, but it’s been used for millennia in Asian cultures, for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, amongst others. There’s a lot of amazing wisdom like this across the world, and we’re really trying to bring it to our audience here.

How does your passion for travel play a role in your line?

Passion for travel is integral to the line. Without the travel, I don’t think I would have been able to connect the dots between cultural wisdom on natural ingredients in skin care.

But it’s gone beyond that. I’ve been able to see how communities harvest ingredients, how they are stewards of the land, and how environmental changes really impact them.

Connecting these dots also made me aware of how important it was to ensure we built a high ethical bar into Poéthique’s business practices, from the get go. We’ve built it into our practices to buy from suppliers that can certify that they source sustainably - if we cannot source in a manner that doesn’t have a deleterious impact on the local ecosystem, then we’re not going to use the ingredient, no matter how amazing it is.

We love that you are partners with 1% For the Planet. Tell us about the decision to give back some of your proceeds.

I have come to be completely in awe of all the bounty that our planet has. Everything we need to sustain a healthy existence is right here. But we haven’t always treated our planet with gratitude and with respect. Partnering with 1% for the Planet is our way of giving back by working with organizations that are driving positive environmental change. In addition, to express our gratitude for the local keepers of natural ingredient knowledge, we support organizations like Fairwild, that are dedicated to sustainable sourcing and to fair trade practices.

What’s your favorite product in the line?

Ah, that’s like choosing a favorite child. I am very excited about the two new products we’re launching this month - a cleansing milk with neem and chamomile that cleans without stripping skin dry, and, a facial elixir, loaded with amazing oils to nourish and bring skin back into balance.

Why did you start your line in Boston?

It couldn’t possibly be anywhere else - this is home! A lot of people said I should move to New York where all the beauty buzz is, but I’m determined to show we can build an amazing skincare brand out of Boston.

How do you stay inspired?

The inspiration comes from a lot of different places - the amazing feedback we’ve had on our products, the team we’ve put together, the suppliers and broader community we work with. My amazing guy reminds me to celebrate the wins, which helps too, because as an entrepreneur, you’re always focused on the next milestone. It’s good to pause, look back at how far you’ve come and savor that for a minute.

What’s next for Poethique?

We’re just looking forward to getting the word out there on our brand and our products! We know the people that use it love it and keep coming back, so now it’s a question of getting the products into more people’s hands!

This post was sponsored by Poethique - but note that JUGS only accepts sponsorships from mission-aligned brands that meet our core values of compassion + fulfillment.