Love Local – Kent Brand Photographer with The Beard of Attraction, Kent

Welcome to the next interview in my series Love Local! This week we meet Mustafa from The Beard of Attraction. They provide Premium Beard Grooming products which are vegan, with amazing scents based on his Turkish heritage (they smell so good!) It was so lovely to meet him for our mini brand shoot in Rochester, and I love his family values which are clearly very important to him (as they are to me too).

So let’s meet Mustafa…

What motivated you to start your business and how did you get the idea or concept?

In early 2016 I started buying beard oil and balms to try and control the frizziness, itchiness and patchiness that came with growing this beast. I got to about 7 months and had enough of the products out there, they would dry my beard out and weren’t giving me product satisfaction, so I decided to shave it back off again. I started to research organic carrier oils, essential oils and came up with a concoction that I believe would help tame my beard.

I’ve gone back to basics and taken out the unnatural ingredients (Isopropyl Alcohol, Sulphates, Mineral Oil, Petroleum Jelly) to name a few and kept the oils to a minimum. I’m now using oils, that soften, condition and shine as well as preserve and maintain. All this by only using the finest Organic & Vegan oils, waxes and butters available. To my surprise it worked, and I now support a conditioned, soft, well-groomed beard. Not only do I find these much better for my hair and skin I also found one my biggest passions.

I’ve started with a few scents which are based on my Turkish heritage and some which are classic trends. The Rose (Gül Suyu) and Lemon (Kolonya) are my personal favourites as these are memories of my childhood and remind me of my late Nan who passed away in 2013. This is a testimonial for her. She would bake Turkish desserts using Rose water, Vanilla also used in Turkish delights, and the sweet scented liquid Kolonya is a staple in every Turkish household, usually smelling strongly of lemon and held in a decorative glass bottle and given to guests when they visited.

How did you come up with the name for your company?

The Beard of Attraction name and idea come from what I believe in which is, The law of attraction and the book The Secret. I believe what you put out in the universe will happen in some form.

How many employees do you have?

Me and my wife

What services or products do you offer?

Men’s Vegan and organic Beard Grooming Products and tattoo aftercare

What is unique about your business?

We only use organic and vegan ingredients

What three words would you use to describe your business?

Men’s Beard Grooming

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Making the products by hand and getting feedback from clients, also coming up with new ideas.

Can you describe your typical day at work?

As it’s a small run family business and it’s not my fulltime job I make a fresh batch as and when orders come in.

How have you had to adapt during the pandemic and what is the biggest thing you have learnt as a result?

Business has been good since lockdown as all products are only sold online which gave us a chance to promote and reach new clients.

How would you like people to remember you and your company?

I would like them to remember us as a family run business who help and stop animal testing on cosmetic products and how great our products smell and feel.

What to you envision for your business in the next few years?

I would like the brand to go global and be picked up by a chain of shops who believe in our services.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Marrying my beautiful wife and having our daughter who is now 2.

Plan B – If you could choose any other career what would it be?

Most likely footballer

What do you typically tell people when they ask what you do?

I’m an entrepreneur and video editor.

What motivates you?

My family

What’s your favourite piece of advice?

Live your life to the fullest