Cliara Essential Oils got a superb rating for me because they fulfil 3 things that I'm a total sucker for:
- Locally-produced merchandise
- Cute packaging
- Delicious natural smells
They're a little local company that sources and bottles a variety of essential oils, sprays, and diffusers. And they deliver to your doorstep – score! While we usually order things ourselves, in this case the brand sent us a few samples.
The Goods & Prices
All Cliara's products are pure, locally-sourced, chemical free, and with no animal testing. In fact, the owner Heshan Edirisinghe and his team plan on building a "chemical free, 'plant driven', nature centric community through the use of 100% essential oils (plant essences)". Their signature products are the cinnamon and cinnamon-bark based oil products, which make great gifts and souvenirs for foreigners or visitors.
The Mood Boost Roll-On (Rs. 490) was one of my favourite products from their range. Featuring a bunch of gentle oils and fragrances like bergamot and ylang ylang, this roll-on oil is super subtle so you don't walk around smelling like a massage parlour. It's perfect for stashing at your desk at work and rolling on your wrists or temples for a quick mood elevation. They also have Energy and De-stress roll-ons.
We tried the Peppermint (Rs. 380) and Cinnamon Bark (Rs. 430) Essential Oils, which I found very reasonable. The usual price for essential oils (usually imported), is closer to about Rs. 1000-2000 for a bottle. I have a Body Shop bottle of Peppermint essential oil which is way stronger, to the point that my eyes water when I sniff it and my skin tingles upon application, but it also cost me around Rs. 1400 for 5 ML.
At Rs. 475, the oil warmers are made of clay rather than plastic, which I thought was a great touch. I used mine recently, and while the smell and effects are really only effective in enclosed spaces, it still makes a fragrant addition to the garden if you're sitting outside. It works to some extent as a mosquito deterrent, but I'd suggest you still use topical repellent to stay safe. It comes complete with cinnamon leaf oil, and a tea light candle.
How Do You Use Them?
Essential oils have a bunch of uses, from cosmetic and aromatherapeutic to pest-repelling. When you choose a product on the site, they'll give you a break down of how you can use it. They'll also send you detailed instructions with your package.
You can put a couple of drops into a warm bath to ease muscle pain, a few drops into a diffuser to make a room smell nice, use citronella essential oil to drive away mosquitos, or simply inhale them to calm down or boost your mood. Check out this article or the brand's blog for fun tips on using their products, like creating home made tea tree face masks or reed diffusers.
Order & Delivery
Ordering online is an easy process, just head to the site, choose your products, input your details and shipping address, and check out. Deliveries are despatched via courier and will take about 5-6 days to arrive. If your order is above Rs. 5000, your delivery is free, or else you'll be charged Rs. 150 per kilo. Just a heads up, this gift box doesn't come with every delivery and was a special package.
Overall
I loved Cliara Essential Oils' products. Everything was beautifully branded (especially the mood booster, which is perfect for gifting), ethically sourced, and was wonderful in usage. Plus, if you suffer from headaches, anxiety, or are just having a rough day, I can't recommend aromatherapy enough.
They'll be accepting credit cards in a couple of months as well, to make your life a tad bit easier. My only complaint was that the oils were a bit less potent than others I've tried, but the prices are also a fraction of other commercially-available options, so I didn't mind too much.
