To celebrate Indonesia’s independence day, we are running a special week-long Made in Indonesia series where we highlight brands in beauty and style that were engineered by this country’s best and brightest. We kick off the first installment of this special series with a body care specialists, Vimala.
I first ran into Vimala when I was surfing through Bobobobo; I was immediately hooked on the minimalist presentation. How lucky was I, then, when I ran into the Vimala booth at a Market & Museum bazaar at Kemang Village this weekend. Between all their natural soaps, solid perfumes, essential oils, and other bath and body products that were on display, I had a hard time picking out my favorite scent blends.
Vimala’s claim to body care greatness is “100% natural artisan aromatherapy.” They take great care in combining different oils and scents, making use of ingredients with powerful aromatherapy benefits like lavender and shea butter. All the raw ingredients that make up Vimala products are imported — even the packaging is brought in from overseas. So while I fell head over heels in love with the gorgeous packaging, I also really appreciate how short the ingredients lists are (indicating minimum lab synthesis) and how they were displayed clearly on the label.
Griss picked up a 100 ml bottle of Body Mist called Love Potion (IDR 120,000), which is a concoction made up of distilled water, witch hazel extract, vegetable glycerine, and an essential oil blend. It’s a very fresh concoction that’s great for a midday pick-me-up. The size of the bottle also makes it great to carry around in your purse, so you never have to go without it when you’re out. 
I went for a 150 ml bottle of Body Oil in a blend called De-Stress (IDR 190,000), which is made up of sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, vitamin E, an an essential oil blend. Vitamin E is an powerful antioxidant that helps fight the onset of aging skin; but because this is an oil, it is better off for use after your nighttime shower. The scent is rich and calming, reminding me of all my favorite day spa parlors.
Vimala price ranges start at IDR 55,000 for lip balms and go up to IDR 200,000 for a 10 ml vial of essential oil. Get Vimala products at their website, or over at Bobobobo. Subscribe to them on Facebook to stay updated in case they pop up at bazaars and expos.
