MOSAIC: Can you share what’s the inspiration and origin story of Floreaves?
Shalini Modi: I was born and brought up in a small hill station, Kalimpong in West Bengal. Kalimpong is all about lush greenery, sunny days, and closeness to nature. My mother used to make neem-leaf and rose-petal uptans and skin packs for us every Sunday. So, in a way, I grew up with natural skincare in my DNA.
And Floreaves was started during the COVID times when the pandemic struck and market access shut down, children were home, and I began making skincare products at small scale. Often there would be extra batches that I’d pass along to friends. Over time, these turned into a seed of an idea: if something works well for the people around me, perhaps I could share it with more people. That’s how the journey began. It’s been about five years since Floreaves came into being, and now we have a presence which is steadily growing.
MOSAIC: Did you have formal study or training in skincare or formulation?
Shalini Modi: Yes and no. I did a couple of online classes during the lockdown to brush up and solidify my foundational understanding on how ingredients interact, appropriate ratios, good production practices. But I didn’t want to wing it. I knew the basics from tradition, and those classes helped me bring structure and coherence. They helped me avoid scatter and get all my thoughts in order.
I also tested my formulations personally, also involving my friends in giving genuine feedback. For example, one feedback was, “your soap needs more fragrance.” So I’d iterate. I did and still do my R&D for at least three months, I use the product, I share it, refine it — before releasing any batch to market.
MOSAIC: In today’s world, everyone is excited about Korean skincare, high-tech formulations, and synthetics. Do you think natural skincare has been side-lined?
Shalini Modi: Absolutely, I feel the problem is people wanting instant results, glowing skin overnight, acne gone instantly. That impulse drives them toward chemical-based, composition-heavy, high-tech products. Those carry side effects, while natural skincare is not magic as it’s slow and requires patience from three to six months, at least, to see real changes, but its beauty is that it’s gentler on skin, safer, and more sustainable.
I always tell youth: you don’t need to buy Floreaves or any brand necessarily. You already have many ingredients in your backyard, such as neem leaves, rose petals, curry leaves, moringa. Natural skincare is here to stay. My products are designed for everyone from a 3-year-old to an 80-year-old. My mother-in-law (83) uses it, my grandson (3) uses the aloe vera gel. So the idea of natural is universal, not niche.
MOSAIC: Let’s talk sustainability. What does sustainability mean to you in the context of skincare?
Shalini Modi: When we talk about skincare, sustainability and packaging often don’t align, almost every product needs containers, jars, labels. But within Floreaves, I aim to make every piece as sustainable as possible. For instance, with my rose face pack, flowers are plucked, washed, air-dried (never sun-dried) to retain colour and properties. During grinding and sieving, coarser residues are not wasted, I use them as scrubs. For leaves (like neem, curry) after the fine part is used, the coarser part goes into oils. Nothing is discarded, every little bit is reused or repurposed.
On packaging: I try to use containers that are reusable, people can reuse them in kitchens, dressing tables, anywhere. The only plastic I currently use is minimal (bubble wrap for shipping) with idea to switch greener packaging soon. As much as I can, I lean on the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). I care more about what’s inside than how fancy the packaging looks. If you eat something, you should be able to put it on your skin — that’s my philosophy.
MOSAIC: What products Floreaves offer currently?
Shalini Modi: We have a wide range.
- Face packs / masks
- Hair packs
- Aloe vera gel (one of our bestsellers)
- Soaps (glycerin-based and goat’s milk versions)
- Lip balms (pure beeswax)
- Hair oil (multi-use)
- Toners (rose toner, sandalwood toner, witch hazel toner)
- Body butter (made with natural butters)
For the aloe vera gel, though gels often require preservatives, ours is done with a plant-derived preservative (not chemical). Everything I make is designed to be minimal in additives and maximal in natural benefit.
MOSAIC: Who is your target audience?
Shalini Modi: In a traditional sense, we don’t narrow it down to one demographic. My products are used by children, elders, women, and men too. Men particularly use toners, gels, and scrubs. Even my youth reaches out to me personally for skincare. So it’s not a gender-specific or age-specific brand, the need for healthy and happy skin is common to all.
MOSAIC: What is your vision? What impact do you hope Floreaves to make in the skincare industry?
Shalini Modi: My vision is to show the younger generation that skincare is not difficult. It’s not just about stacking ingredient lists with niacinamide, retinol, hyaluronic acid – it’s about holistic care: what you eat, how you live, how you treat your skin. I want people to realize that sustainability can begin in your skincare routine. Don’t hoard tubes and throw them away, that’s how landfills grow. Even small choices matter. Also, I want Floreaves to be not just a brand but a catalyst for change: to encourage mindfulness, responsible consumption, and reconnection with nature.
MOSAIC: Do you think Gen Z will adopt this mindset? Or is the demand for quick fixes too strong?
Shalini Modi: It’s a bit of both. Right now, I see a 50:50 split. Some young people want organic, natural, sustainable products — others want immediate effect, just like everyone else. My strategy is sampling. I give them small trial sizes — let them use, feel, see results. Don’t ask them to blindly trust me. Let them experience the difference. I believe Gen Z is moving toward more conscious consumption. They are more aware of themselves and of the environment. Even if adoption is slow, the curiosity is there, and that’s promising.
MOSAIC: Given that Floreaves is Gorakhpur-based, do you feel your local base poses limitations? Will people in Gorakhpur understand sustainable skincare?
Shalini Modi: It’s a challenge. In Gorakhpur, explaining what “zero preservatives” means sometimes feels impossible as people often say, “without preservatives, nothing is possible.” Some find the concept too abstract, too out-of-the-box. But I don’t give up hope. I’ve participated in exhibitions in Gorakhpur; I showcase, explain, sample. It’s a long journey. But if we can build it here, we can show it’s possible everywhere.
MOSAIC: This issue of MOSAIC is about sustainable travel, what message or advice do you have for eco-conscious travellers?
Shalini Modi: First: stop asking for those hotel mini toiletry bottles they generate so much plastic waste. I’ve personally stopped using them and I carry full-size or refillable products. Bring your own natural skincare kits. Reuse them. Avoid single-use wherever possible from toothbrushes, shaving kits, scrubs, face wash etc. Also, choose products that nourish your skin without polluting water or land. Our products are so pure you can even use the leftover remnants as compost for plants. That’s how minimal their environmental impact is in my design.
MOSAIC: Finally, can you share a message to the readers, what you want them to take away from this interview?
Shalini Modi: Floreaves, the name is a union of flowers + leaves. Our essence lies in the traditional skincare that our nani-dadi passed down. That is our foundation, and we will continue to innovate from that base. We are about traditional skincare at your doorstep, available when you want it. But more than skincare, we are about preserving culture. These “nuske” (remedies) of our elders are not relics, they are living, evolving traditions. And Floreaves is one bridge connecting them to the present.