We meet: Plenaire | Feature

When we first caught sight of clean beauty brand Plenaire, we got very excited. The minimalist packaging; the pretty, Parma Violet hues; the fact that it’s vegan and made in the UK… perfection. Plus, the products sound so fun to use – Skin Frosting (hello), Rose Jelly (yes). But what struck us even more was the brand’s self-care, wellbeing centred approach to beauty. In the first of our series on behind of the label, we sat down virtually with the founder Namrata Kamdar to go deeper on the brand that takes beauty one layer deeper.

‘Plenaire is this idea that what is different about you makes you beautiful,’ Namrata says. Evidenced in all of the brand’s content, they show diversity from disabled models, to girls and guys, to people of all walks of life. ‘We’ve shown that it’s ok to cry,’ Namrata recalls. Aimed at young people but loved by many ages, the brand’s ethos stems from two-years of research and really, really listening to the teen girls they’re catering for. They went to Urban Outfitters, chatted to the girls, looked in their closets, their journals – we were really struck by how intently they listened to their customer.

Talking to girls aged 17 or 18 up to 25, Namrata recalls how they went in to chat about skincare but every single conversation led back to mental health. Social media and toxic comparisons were huge. ‘I got thinking about my own mental health journey,’ Namrata explains, ‘and thought what if beauty wasn’t about external appearances or fixing a problem. But what if it could be a tool to discover more about yourself?’

Therein lies the beauty of Plenaire. With multitasking, carefully formulated products that are ingredient-transparent, the brand is all about products that are a pleasure to use, with calming ritual in tow. It’s such a refreshing outlook compared to the pressure of lip fillers and really aggressive beauty regimes that fill our feeds.

Routine wonders

Talking of products, the one Namrata would take to a desert island is the Tripler. A mask, cleanser and gentle exfoliator, all in one, it has a glycerine, creamy feel so doesn’t crack or harden on your face like a typical clay mask. ‘You don’t want to encourage excess consumption,’ Namrata says, so their products have a real multitasking nature. On top of this, the brand has really strong sustainability credentials – from fully recyclable packaging to organic flannels, to the fact their products are water-efficient, requiring minimal water to wash off. But Namrata is adamant you shouldn’t judge brands or people who aren’t making such sustainable decisions because it’s expensive.

Working it out

Talking of careers, her own story plays out as a corporate career in consumer goods and after leaving that and having two beautiful kids, she started Plenaire. ‘I didn’t feel this pull to create something for me,’ she explains, ‘I wanted to create something that was for future generations, something my daughter could pick up and use’. Juggling so many things (her lockdown life sounds very hectic), she’s built a fresh brand with an already cult following.

‘Women are constantly underestimated. I feel like I was.

But it’s also very motivating to be underestimated’

‘Being beautiful is not rushing through life and rushing through experiences, which is perhaps the way I lived my life before,’ she admits. In the corporate world, she felt a huge pressure to always fit in and that left her feeling physically and mentally unwell.

And it’s this journey that’s led to Plenaire. ‘Those things the girls were talking about in the research’, Namrata confesses, ‘it’s everybody’.

The name comes from the French for ‘in the open air’ and it feels like that. What’s different about you makes you beautiful and we love what’s different about Plenaire. We’ll take the whole range, please.