I wanted to create a product to perpetuate my memories,
to raise natural beauty to a pedestal
and enjoy the naturally glowing skin.
MILOTKA
I briefly told you the story of MILOTKA, which started with my grandmother Milka and continues with my mother Rada.
Now I will tell you how I made up my mind to create the present-day MILOTKA that has made its way to you.
After Grandma and Mom, I received numerous calls from their girl friends asking, “Aren’t you going to produce the balms? What are we going to do without them?” Wonderful, but difficult to accomplish. Mom and Grandma had the education and qualifications to make them, and I’m a manager and marketer by profession…I can promote them rather than create them. And I initially replied to them with a smile, “It’s not like mixing up a cake…” I can’t deny that I had long wondered what I would one day do with all these years of hard work that I had witnessed more than once. Yes, but it’s not an easy path from thought to decision. And so the days went by, and the project stayed somewhere in my mind without me delving deep enough. Until one day when, looking for something in their belongings, I came across the many containers, scales, test tubes, leftover ingredients I had helped them obtain over the years. I also remembered the calls from people asking for the balms when there was such an abundance of products in the market. And then, with a heart full of affection, I said to myself: “You should at least try, see what you can do. It’s a shame to throw away all this work, all these years.” So, after many sleepless nights, I decided that I would look for a good technologist to discuss the project and check its feasibility. I started meeting with acquaintances who had contacts in this field and they referred me to various specialists. I had discussions with technologists and little by little things became clearer. The task turned out to be quite difficult. On the one hand, I had to set up manufacturing of products that had so far been made as a hobby at home. On the other hand, I wanted to keep the original recipe as much as possible and at the same time update it to meet the needs of ladies today. I also intended the balms to be natural, regenerating, moisturizing, protective against the adverse effects of the environment, suitable for people with sensitive, redness-prone skin. I sought to achieve all in one because I myself am tired of using multiple creams. So I went around from one technologist to another. They found my idea interesting, but most told me directly that they were not into it and preferred mass products. I was already enthusiastic and didn’t give up.
And that’s how I found him… a professional with a proven name, many years of experience in Bulgarian and international companies. But the most important thing for me was that he loved challenges and did not stop in the face of difficulties. A person for whom there are no impossible things. We started step by step: from grandmother’s products, through the whole process of updating, aiming for high-class cosmetics, Bulgarian answer to established international brands. Tests lasted for half a year. I read a lot of specialized literature to take part in the process. We kept most of the beneficial ingredients in the original recipe: olive and cocoa oils, honey and beeswax. Wax makes the products different, thicker than the mass-marketed ones, which is why they are called balms. We replaced the rose from grandma’s recipe, with geranium, from the cranesbill family. We made this decision due to the fact that the scent of rose is not liked by many people, and many of the beneficial ingredients of the two oils are similar. I was adamantly opposed to using a perfume composition. I read the history of world famous perfume brands and it turned out that most of the fragrances are based on the combination of geranium and lavender.
So the idea was born to add lavender oil, which in addition to its many skin benefits, created an irresistible natural scent when combined with geranium oil. The issue of colour remained, which in the intensive cream is yellowish. This is derived from the olive oil, but we had reduced the amount of olive oil a little to improve absorbency. Again the question arose as to how to achieve the original colour without adding preservatives. And so came the idea of sea buckthorn which naturally brings a yellow colour. It is also very trendy and not so used in cosmetics, with numerous regenerating properties. Well, voila, as the French say. Our unique formulas for the two types of balm were created.
In terms of packaging, I also met with various companies. I insisted that it complemented the natural character of the products and for this purpose I chose glass jars with wooden oak lids.
It was time for testing among a wider circle. I selected 60-70 ladies, aged between 25 and 65, who use high-class cosmetics, value naturalness and like to experiment. Thus they became part of the MILOTKA adventure, full of memories and dreams come true. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their cooperation and frankness, for their helpful comments, recommendations and advice that helped me to refine and enhance the balms. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear ladies, for your enthusiasm and determination to become part of the MILOTKA world full of glamour and perfection!
