Kreolfleurage saves the day with local-made sanitiser |26 March 2020
A sample of the locally made hand sanitiser
As stores and supermarkets were flooded with people panic buying only a couple of weekends ago, hand sanitisers were among the first things to fly off the shelves, understandably so, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) advises to sanitise hands as a personal measure to reduce the risk of catching the coronavirus currently savaging the world.
Since then, sanitisers have become a sought-after but scarce commodity, that is until perfumery Kreolfleurage started concocting its own, making it available to local customers over the weekend.
Co-owner of the perfumery, Daniel Hugelmann, who owns and runs the iconic creole brand alongside his mother Dagmar Ehlert, dreamed up the idea when the product sold out across Seychelles, only a couple of weeks ago and started making batches for sale, under the Monsoon Collection label, over the weekend.
“We are a perfumery and we use alcohol to produce our perfumes. Usually we use 96 proof alcohol which we get from a local supplier. In fact, just two weeks ago I was joking to mum about using the alcohol to make sanitiser as there are no tourists, nor will there be any for a while, the main market for our products,” Mr Hugelmann noted.
The handmade and hand-bottled sanitiser is priced at R35 for a 125ml spray bottle and contains only four ingredients, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, glycerine and water, as per the WHO Guide to Local Production of Handrub Formulations (Revised 2010). All the ingredients are sourced locally, although the company currently obtains hydrogen peroxide and glycerine from pharmacies and retail stores, all of whom are currently running low on most stocks amid the panic buying frenzy.
“We have been blown over by the influx of request just over the last couple of days. Our aim is not to make a lot of profit but to do our part to help the community and keep the curve of the coronavirus flat. If it helps keep us afloat a while longer however, it will also be a plus,” Mr Hugelmann added.
No marketing campaign was needed to get the customers flocking to the humble perfumery, based in North East Point, from individuals to business organisations and public service departments, requesting different amounts of the product. A whopping 530 bottles have been sold already, and all it took was a personal Facebook post by Mr Hugelmann himself and a short, simple post on the Monsoon Collection Instagram page.
Considering the limited resources available to the small team at the perfumery who are working tirelessly to whip up and bottle new batches for sale, products are limited to two per customer.
“We don’t intend to continue with the production of sanitisers in future but will do so for the time being as we are grateful to be in a position to be able to help at this hard time. It is also for that reason that we are limiting it to 2 per person so that as many people can have access to it,” he said.
“My personal hope is that the economy can bounce back from the hard blow. Kreolfleurage is fortunate enough to be able to do something else when other businesses don’t have that opportunity and I hope we can together find a solution for the economy,” he added.
For the present moment, the perfumery is not producing its signature perfumes but has a small stock, which the public may also purchase.