A trip to a cosmetic store with his mom and sister led Akash Gupta down a path he never expected. As they picked out lipsticks, Gupta realized he couldn’t even pronounce the ingredients inside the products. He reached out to fellow University of Alberta chemical engineering student Sravya Kalyanapu and together they got to work creating Seleste Lipsticks.
The all-natural lipstick includes ingredients you might find in your own home, including avocado oil, cocoa powder and organic bees wax. The product is made in their kitchens and is growing in popularity. In a short period of time the duo was thrown into everything from production to how to manage supplies and inventory and how to ship, all while also trying to keep up on their studies.
Sarah Richter gets the story of Seleste Lipsticks in this Breaking Ground.
