Daily Times

Ambitious entrepreneur and mommy-of-two, Sumbul Yusuf is owner of the brand 100Percent which offers a range of vegan, cruelty-free, organic essential oil blends. These oils are extracted purely from plants and can help treat specific ailments such as inability to sleep, headaches, stress, teething pain, tummy aches and so much more.

Daily Times had the honour to interview Sumbul Yusuf to learn more about her brand and her products.

Tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I am an Indus Valley graduate and I have felt that I’ve got that creative spark inside of me ever since. I am one of the founding members of Evenchia Events in Karachi. At the moment, I am a full-time mommy of two amazing kids whom I love spending time with.

What is 100% all about and what inspired you to establish this brand?
100% is a brand that offers pure essential oils and blends that are beneficial for your body, mind and soul.

I have always loved learning about aromatherapy and essential oils but just never got the chance to pursue this passion until the Covid pandemic started. I saw the extra time on my hands as an opportunity to slow down, learn, and grow. I took an intensive online course and became a certified aromatherapist. I began experimenting with various essential oils and developed a range of customized essential oil blends for babies, kids and adults.

What is your definition of an essential oil?
Essential oil are plant extracts that are made by pressing or steaming various parts of a plant to capture the compounds that produce the fragrance. It can take several pounds of a plant to produce a single bottle of essential oil and these these oils can be absorbed by the skin which can have a positive impact on your health and well-being.

What are these essential oils good for?
Our essential oil blends are natural remedies for a number of ailments such has headaches, stress and anxiety. They can be used to aid sleep, improve digestion, build immunity, improve focus, boost energy and they can help with so many other health problems that we deal with from day to day.

We know that apart from the adult essential oil blends, you also have products for both babies and kids, but are these blends really safe to use on the little ones?
Yes, of course. Like I said before, these essential-oil blends are made from plant extracts so they have no harmful side-effects even on babies. Having said that, we encourage everyone to do a patch test before using our products to ensure they have no allergies.

Well, your products are definitely interesting, but may be completely new to many. What kind of a feedback are you receiving?
Oh, the response has been great! We honestly thought it would take us a while to establish a new brand especially because of the COVID situation, but Alhumdulilah people are loving our products. We have received an overwhelming response and we’re getting orders from all over Pakistan. What’s really amazing is that people in even the smaller cities like Mirpur Khas understand the benefits of this natural way of living and have shown great interest in our range of products.

Do you plan to expand or introduce new products?
Absolutely! We are constantly experimenting, learning and creating innovative products that will appeal to our customers. We’re currently working on some exciting new skincare products so stay tuned.

Now that you’ve successfully built a brand identity in Pakistan, do you plan to go international?
Well, why not. I think when we first started we didn’t think so much about going international but now that we’re getting a good response from our local customers, we’ve definitely got that on our to-do list. We haven’t officially started just as yet, but we have been receiving queries and orders on our range of oils from a few different countries. Some are even looking for partnerships and so yes, it’s all very exciting!

What is your take on collaborations?
It is interesting that you mention that. We don’t want to disclose too many details because things are quite initial, but we are actually already in the process of collaborating with a popular salon here in Karachi. We’re working on a line of customized essential oil blends for the salon industry that will help them serve their clients better and will also help them stand out from their competitors.

That is awesome! Is there a message you would like to give to your audience?
I will just say that essential oils are a wonderful gift given to us by Mother Nature and we shouldn’t underestimate their power. Instead of using harmful medications to treat minor health issues, turn towards methods of natural wellness and try using essential oils. You’ll feel the difference yourself!