How CEO Rovita Budhu Is Promoting Inclusivity With Her Cosmetics Company, “Sugah Essentials”
At a time where issues of inequality are ever present in our national discourse, Rovita Budhu has built her cosmetics and skincare business on a simple principle: “‘Sugah Essentials’ is for everyone.” While the inspiration for this business came from helping her younger sister, Rovita has since made it her mission to provide cosmetics and skincare products for any woman with any complexion. I had the pleasure of interviewing Rovita, and this is what I learned.
Rovita Budhu was born and raised in New York. At 21 years old, she has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from SUNY Buffalo. Currently, she is pursuing another Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business/Management from SUNY Plattsburgh. Furthermore, she has one full-time job and another part-time job. Not to mention, she has created her own cosmetics and skincare company. Why would someone put themselves through that? Two words: Passion and Inclusivity.
As mentioned earlier, Rovita’s inspiration behind “Sugah Essentials,” began with her sister, Navita. Due to her dark complexion, Navita had difficulty finding complementary lip glosses that didn’t irritate her skin. Rovita explained that, “it broke my heart to watch her struggle to find products that worked for her. She was 19 years old, and you could see that it was a source of frustration. There were always people making fun of her for being too dark, and this was supposed to be an empowering moment for her.”
In order to help, Rovita began making lip gloss for her sister in October of last year. The components of her lip gloss largely consist of a coconut oil base, various natural oils, such as lavender and peppermint, and versagel to hold it together. At the time, Rovita didn’t realize that these same components would allow her products to be cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and vegan. It was only a few months later when she decided to turn this act of kindness for her sister into a company.
When asked why she named her company, “Sugah Essentials,” she explained that, “I wanted to pay homage to my West-Indian roots. West-Indians say ‘sugah,’ instead of ‘sugar.’” She also added that, “the idea of ‘essentials’ goes beyond cosmetics. Essentials mean that this is part of your life, and it’s something that you have with you at all times. That’s my goal, especially as I expand my collection and begin adding skincare products.”
Officially, Rovita began selling lip gloss in April of this year. Within three weeks, she completely sold out of her initial inventory, amounting to 90 units of lip gloss product in 15 different shades. Aside from business in the United States, she was able to sell her products in a Guyanese store. She believes that this is an important stepping stone for the international expansion of her business. However, like any business, Rovita has not been immune to complications due to COVID-19. Specifically, COVID has impacted her ability to garner supplies to restock her site. However, she took that time to create new products, and will be restocking soon with a larger collection.
As with most businesses in their early stages, the CEO likely handles most of the company’s responsibilities. When I asked Rovita what her current roles were, she effortlessly listed web and product design, marketing, customer service, packaging, and at times, delivery to locals. With all of this to juggle, what keeps Rovita motivated?
She explained, “this is something that I’m passionate about. It’s not like school where you have professors to keep track of you, or at your job where you have a boss. Nobody else is pushing you. You have to want it and be your own incentive to succeed. On top of passion, I value autonomy. I want to be able to live the life I want, and with my company, it feels like something that only I control. Most importantly, I want to help other people in the same way I helped my sister.”
With that said, Rovita didn’t shy away from giving repeated credit to those that have helped her along the way. She explains that her sister, who inspired her company, has offered a helping hand throughout the entire process of creating and running this business. Rovita also thanked her parents for allowing her to use their basement for storage and packaging purposes, and even paying the start-up costs for her website, which she has since paid back. She also thanked anyone who has supported her company, in any capacity. She explained that, “people are a lot more supportive than you think, even strangers. There are people from my high school who I never talked to or random strangers who I’ve never met that are purchasing my products, telling other people about it, and sharing it on their social media accounts. This kind of support makes you realize how capable you are of creating and maintaining success.”
If you’re interested in purchasing products from “Sugah Essentials,” you can visit sugahessentials.com, or click here. You can also follow her company’s social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram @sugahessentials.