Christobel Daniel : A woman who created wide range of organic beauty products in Caribbean

Tuesday, 3rd May 2022

An entrepreneur from Anguilla had an iconic idea in 2018; the business idea aimed to create organic, paraben-free beauty products. In the age of impurities, she dreamt of helping people reach their beauty goals with naturally picked ingredients. Cari Bella's Handmade Bath and Body were established in 2018 by Christobel Daniel, who is a certified organic skincare formulator. The company creates simple yet effective "local luxury" skincare products that focus on improving both the texture and appearance of the skin. Cari Bella offers a full skin care line which includes cleansers, toners, botanical facial steam, facial masks, moisturizers, serums, and night cream. The bath and body products include natural soaps, body oils, body scrubs, lotions, lip balms, after-sun skincare and hair products. All products are made in small batches to ensure quality and maintain the freshness and efficacy of the formulas.

The products are made with high-quality vegetable oils and butter, botanical extracts including local plant materials, locally produced Anguilla salt, hydrosols, essential oils and fragrance oils. Christobel's motivation for starting her own business stemmed from a decision to be more intentional about what she used on her skin. She shared, "I began creating natural skin care products for myself in 2015 when I became interested in what was in the products that we used daily. After creating a few products for myself, which I also shared with friends and family, I was encouraged by the positive feedback of the effectiveness of the products and the request for a steady supply. Additionally, at that point in time, natural skincare products were not readily available locally," Christobel Daniel. The decision to launch her own skincare line has resulted in Christobel becoming a leader in her field and producing a wide range of quality skincare products with quality ingredients. Cari Bella does not have an official storefront, but customers are invited to visit the business's production studio in Little Harbour (flexible hours between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm).

Cari Bella's products are also available at local health food stores, including Inspire Naturally and Simply Natural, some local artisan stores and many hotel boutiques and spas. Prior to this business venture, Christobel's love for animals led her to a career path in Veterinary Science. Her last few years, before taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship, were spent at the Agricultural Department here in Anguilla. Running a business is also not new to this talented and versatile entrepreneur. Christobel is Montserratian by birth and a belonger of Anguilla. In Montserrat, Christobel owned and managed a popular deli, the first of its kind on the island, which sold panini sandwiches, calzones, and cold cuts. She is also a sugar artist, skilled at cake baking and customization. While Christobel has encountered many benefits on her entrepreneurial journey, being associated with the Backing Winners programme offered through the Anguilla Chambers of Commerce and funded by the Caribbean Development Bank ranks highly. She was excited for the opportunity to strengthen her business and build her skill set through access to free training and one on one support in areas including customer service, marketing, accounting, recording keeping, human resources and business planning. The biggest challenges Christobel has faced so far in her business are being an entrepreneur without a proper support system, having the drive to keep going when it gets challenging and finding persons skilled in her line of work. Despite these challenges, her 'Can do' attitude has seen her business continue to grow and thrive. Christobel has not faced any major obstacles during her three years of operation due to her focus on quality in both her work and attitude. Both businesses and individual customers have welcomed and supported Cari Bella's skin care line. Her top business tip for others in business or who wish to start a business is to stay focused and persevere. She shared the reminder that most businesses are not overnight successes but the result of many years of work. Looking ten years into the future, Christobel hopes to have her own commercial boutique and product line internationally recognized. "Having the right products is essential for maintaining healthy skin. Healthy skin is the best thing you can wear at every age, and it all begins with using ingredients that are as close to nature as possible. At Cari Bella, we offer you products that are created with carefully researched and sourced ingredients. Call or visit us to try our products today."