As the need for relaxation now skyrockets due to fatigue associated with the novel coronavirus pandemic, Jamaica’s award-winning aromatherapy company Starfish Oils has been way ahead of the game with their impressive array of all-natural products geared at providing customers with peace and tranquillity.
With a wide range of natural body oils, candles, soaps, bath salts, body scrubs and essential oils, the Kingston-based company has been offering their therapeutic products to hotels and spas across the island.
“More than 50 per cent of our sales go to hotels on the north coast. Our products not only go to their gift shops, but they go to the spas on location as well. So, if you’re getting a massage in one of the north coast hotels, it’s more than likely that the body oil being used was made by us,” General Manager Stella Rosen tells LetsTravelCaribbean.com.
Starfish Oils, Rosen said, produces high-quality products using natural and essential oils extracted from plants such as lemongrass, peppermint, lavender and eucalyptus. These oils, she added, force users to “loosen up” and unwind after what might have been a stressful day.
“Our intention is to enhance the mind, body and soul through the use of essential oils which are natural oils from specific plants that naturally enhance your feelings and mood. So, we use these oils in various products. With our candles, for example, a fragrance can enhance your mood; the lemongrass is a pick me up, it enhances your mood and encourages tranquillity,” says Rosen.
“We also put the essential oils into our bath soaps so when you’re having a shower you can breathe them in and they will also be absorbed through the skin, promoting the same healing aromatherapy. We have them in bath oils which do the same thing and our massage oils for when you’re having a massage,” the general manager adds.
The aromatherapy company also created three unique blends of body oils for customers wanting to take products back homes. They are the ‘Rejuvenate Body Oil’, ‘Energize Body Oil’ and ‘Relax Body Oil’, all of which are made with carefully selected essential oils
“We blend fragrances together to give a better effect, so we tend to put eucalyptus and peppermint together because it really enhances the breathing; lemongrass and rosemary because they are both uplifting fragrances; and also lavender with ylang-ylang which are both soothing, calming essential oils fragrance,” says Rosen.
“We have lots of different blends that people love very much,” the proud general manager adds.
Though last year’s closure of local hotels hampered sales, Rosen shares that Starfish Oils has been doing well due to increased interest in health and wellness tourism as travellers are now seeking places to “take mental health breaks”.
In preparation for the upcoming winter tourist season, Rosen tells LetsTravelCaribbean.com, Starfish Oils will be releasing a Christmas fragrance.
“We plan to do a big promotion for Christmas with our new chocolate candles. Chocolate, as a fragrance, basically makes you feel really good; so that’s our holiday scent for this year,” she says.
As for future plans, Rosen tells LetsTravelCaribbean.com, Starfish Oils is looking to solidify their presence as the leading all-natural aromatherapy company in the region. This, she said, will be done through strengthened branding strategies.
“That’s really what we’re moving towards, having simple explanations on our branding so customers can just pick it up and say, ‘Oh, this is relaxing’. So, we want to have simple explanation, simple products, simple solutions and we are sticking with our aromatherapy theme; we don’t want to expand to anything that’s not natural,” says Rosen.
