Meet the Founder: Haven’s Yasmine Salem

We have a lot of different brands in our catalogue, and while you may know and love a lot of products by these brands, odds are, you don’t know much about the stories behind them. Over here at Source Beauty, we’ve decided to give you a glimpse behind the curtains and give you a peek into the founders' minds behind some of your favorite brands. This month, we’re spotlighting Haven, an Egyptian all-natural self-care brand known for its non-invasive and fabulous products. We sat down with Yasmine Salem, Haven’s founder, to discuss how she came to start this beloved brand!

Where did the idea for Haven come from? What inspired you? 

It wasn’t something that I knew I wanted to do. I was a professor teaching Mass Communication and Political Science, so self-care wasn’t something that was a part of my career. However, I was always interested in self-care and I loved keeping up with what was new in the world of self-care, especially when I travelled to new countries. After I had my son, I started to notice substantial hair loss and started suffering from bald spots because of the hormones. I tried everything that wasn’t invasive and it didn’t work. So I thought, “let’s see what nature has to say about this…” I created my own remedy, which was rosemary oil, and it worked wonders. Not only was my hair growing back, but it was thicker and healthier than before. That encouraged me to keep using it. I started creating other products to treat other ailments, such as a product for treating my son's eczema. That’s where Haven kicked off.

Why did you choose the name Haven for the brand?

I was starting to enjoy making these products, and it relaxed me a lot. That’s where Haven came from. After a really hectic and tiring day, I would go to my station and start making soaps and scrubs, which became my “me time”. 

What kind of products do you focus on with Haven?

The main idea with Haven is to take care of yourself. Taking care of your body will make you feel a lot better emotionally. We focus on creating products with natural ingredients, all not invasive. It’s essential for us that our products aren’t just good for people but that they’re also good for the environment, from the packaging materials that we use to the ingredients that we use. I thought,isn’t it wonderful that self-care  can save the world?

How has Haven affected your personal life?

When I started Haven, and still to this day, all that matters to me is that I put my heart into my work. The people around me also feel that I make these products with a lot of passion and heart. It’s even translating into my products, my customers can feel this intense care and passion in what they buy. I can’t describe how much this has impacted my life, it’s an excellent escape for me, but it’s also something that others can benefit from. I think that when products feel authentic and personal, they have a much greater impact on the customer than commercial products that oftentimes just feel flat and without character.

There’s an array of new all-natural self-care brands. What makes Haven stand out in such a competitive market?

Making all-natural products is very accessible and easy; anyone can make natural products if they want to – the formulas are out there, and they’re not a secret. What makes a product suitable, however, is finding quality ingredients. That’s where Haven excels at. I’ve travelled  all around, and I’ve experimented so much that I know exactly where to get the best ingredients. That’s what makes our products stand out!

Where do you see Haven in the next five years?

I want to keep Haven small and unique . It will never be a commercial brand, and I will never head towards mass production. I want to promote handmade products and keep supporting the environment. The less we use factories, the more we save our planet. Handmade and more bespoke products really can change the world!