Hey y’all, I’m Atiya, the founder of Creative Aura, a small-batch, handmade cosmetic and skincare brand rooted in natural ingredients, wellness, and self-care rituals. Since day one, I’ve believed that skincare should be more than just a routine - it should be a sacred act of self-love, a way to reconnect with your body and nature.

This year, I’m proud to celebrate a major milestone;

🎉 5 years in business 🎉

Building this brand from the ground up has been a journey of love, learning, pausing and restarting, and also building a community. From my small lab to your beauty shelves, every product has been crafted with care, integrity, and intention.

Now, as I celebrate this anniversary, I’m preparing to take the most meaningful step in this journey thus far - a research and sourcing expedition to Senegal, West Africa to explore the ancestral, botanical wisdom that’s been quietly nourishing skin and soul for generations.

✈️ Why I’m Traveling to Senegal?

Senegal is a land rich in culture, healing traditions, and appreciation for natural beauty. It’s also home to some of the most potent, time-honored ingredients in the world like baobab oil, moringa, shea butter, and healing clays - all used by generations for their powerful skin-loving benefits.

But beyond the ingredients themselves lies something deeper: a connection to ancestral skincare rituals, women led cooperatives, origin stories, and indigenous knowledge that has been undervalued and underrepresented in the global beauty narrative.

🌿 Why This Trip Matters - For You, For Us, For the Industry

The beauty industry is in flux. Everything is about enhancing what’s on the outside and not nurturing what’s on the inside. Not only are companies just creating products for you to buy, but the ingredients are far from natural and there is no care for the consumer. As a small independent brand, I believe we can and should lead by a better example.

This journey is about education, elevation, reconnection - with the earth, with culture, and with the spirit of care that inspired my brand in the first place.

As my business grows, I want to go deeper - not wider. I want to create products that are not just good for the skin, but good for the soul and responsible to the source.

With the knowledge and ingredients I bring back from Senegal, I plan to:

Create a new anniversary collection inspired by the traditional beauty practices of Senegal
Highlight and support local growers and producers, ensuring fair trade partnerships
Share the cultural stories behind each ingredient to inspire more meaningful self-care rituals
Educate my community on the value of ancestral knowledge and slow beauty
Continue evolving my brand with purpose, transparency, and impact.

🎯How You Can Help

Your support will directly fund this transformative trip and help bring these stories and products to life. Funds raised will go toward:

Roundtrip airfare and travel costs to Senegal
Local transportation, lodging, and meals
Translator and guide services
Ingredient sourcing and fair trade payments to local partners
Documentation (photo, video, interviews) to share this journey with you
Research and development of the new product line

✨The Bigger Picture✨

When we care for our skin with intention, using ingredients that were grown, harvested, and crafted with care, we do more than just “treat” ourselves - we heal, we honor, and we connect.

This trip is not just for me. It’s for anyone who believes in slow beauty, true sourcing, and the power of ancestral knowledge in modern self-care.

If you’ve ever used one of my products, shared my story, or believed in the mission of handmade, heart-centered beauty - THANK YOU ❤️. Your support means everything.

Any contribution - big or small - helps me create a more ethical, transparent, and culturally respectful beauty brand. We’re not just celebrating 5 years of growth - we’re planting seeds for the next generation of beauty; one thats rooted in truth, tradition, and transformation.

Join me. Let’s go back to the roots - together.

With deep gratitude,

Atiya

Founder, Creative Aura 🔮

Celebrating 5 Years of Beauty, Soul & Sustainability

🌿Journey to the Source: A Beauty and Skincare Exploration in Senegal 🌍

Support a Small Business Owner on a Mission to Create Conscious Beauty

Team Members