Inspired by family traditions, Naila Alremeithi transformed a personal passion for natural skincare into a thriving UAE business
Dubai: From home to the world. The story of how Emirati entrepreneur Naila Alremeithi turned traditional home wellness routines into a successful business is an inspiring journey rooted in family, learning and perseverance.
For Naila Alremeithi, beauty and wellbeing were never separate from everyday life. Growing up in Abu Dhabi, she was surrounded by family traditions that relied on natural ingredients for skincare, haircare and personal wellness. Long before natural beauty products became fashionable, they were simply part of how her family cared for themselves.
“We grew up using ingredients from our surroundings to prepare face masks, homemade hair treatments and different home remedies,” she recalls.
These rituals were passed down through generations and became part of daily life. They taught her to pay close attention to what she applied to her skin and hair, and to value simple ingredients that had long been trusted within the local environment.
As she grew older, familiarity turned into curiosity. Naila began asking why certain ingredients were traditionally used, what benefits they offered and how they could be transformed into products suited to modern lifestyles.
Those early experiences also sparked another passion: creating things by hand.
Some of her strongest childhood memories involve preparing homemade face masks and hair treatments with family members. Beyond the ingredients themselves, she became fascinated by the process of making something from scratch.
“There is something meaningful about a handmade product because it carries the attention, effort and personal choices of the person creating it,” she says.
That belief would later become the foundation of a business.
A mother-daughter beginning
The person who had the greatest influence on Naila’s entrepreneurial journey was her mother.
Soapbar did not begin as a carefully crafted business plan or a calculated market opportunity. It began as a shared hobby between a mother and daughter who enjoyed making soap for their own use.
“We initially started making soap for ourselves,” Naila says. “We enjoyed both the creative process and the experience of using something we had made with our own hands.”
What started as a personal craft gradually evolved into something bigger. After enjoying the products themselves, the pair began to wonder whether others would appreciate them too.
Her mother’s encouragement proved invaluable.
Starting a business meant stepping into unfamiliar territory that extended far beyond soap-making. It involved learning about formulation, sourcing, packaging, customer service and business management. Having someone who believed in the idea from the beginning gave Naila the confidence to pursue it seriously.
Learning beyond the classroom
Naila’s academic background had little connection to skincare or cosmetics.
She studied International Relations at university, developing skills in research, communication and analytical thinking. However, the technical knowledge needed to create skincare products came through a completely different route.
Recognising the gaps in her expertise, she pursued specialised education in formulation, learning from internationally recognised experts and educators in the field.
She was determined not to rely solely on recipes or informal experimentation.
“Once you begin creating products for customers rather than only for yourself, you have a responsibility to understand what you are making and why each ingredient is included,” she says.
The transition from making products at home to producing them for customers brought one of the steepest learning curves of her journey. Homemade products could be adjusted from batch to batch, but commercial products required consistency, reliability and quality control.
As Soapbar expanded beyond solid soaps into shampoos, creams, scrubs and other personal care products, each new category demanded deeper knowledge and increasingly advanced formulation skills.
Building Soapbar
Soapbar officially launched in 2019.
At the time, Naila felt there were relatively few locally made natural personal care brands in the market. She wanted to contribute to that space while encouraging people to become more aware of what they used in their daily routines.
“The business did not begin with a large commercial plan,” she says. “It began with a product we genuinely enjoyed and believed was worth sharing.”
The company started with solid soaps, allowing the team to focus on a single category and refine its approach. As knowledge, experience and customer demand grew, Soapbar gradually expanded its product range.
Today, the brand offers shampoos, soaps, creams and scrubs, but growth remains deliberate and purposeful.
“We do not want to introduce a product simply to make the collection appear larger,” Naila explains. “Each product should have a clear purpose.”
Earning customers’ trust
One of the biggest challenges in the early years was building trust.
As a new local brand operating primarily through an online store, Soapbar had to convince customers to purchase products they could not see, touch or try beforehand.
Product quality became essential, but so did presentation, packaging and customer communication.
For Naila, the defining moment came when customers started returning.
“When someone tried one of our products and later came back to order it again, it showed me that we had created something more than an interesting handmade product.”
Repeat purchases became the strongest validation of the business.
Every returning customer represented trust, and that trust motivated the company to continue improving and expanding.
Growth with purpose
As the company evolved, Naila became increasingly conscious of sustainability.
One of the most significant changes involved packaging. Initially, some products were offered in plastic containers because they were practical and accessible for a young business.
Over time, however, she felt those choices no longer fully reflected the brand’s values.
Soapbar therefore began transitioning towards glass packaging and reducing its reliance on plastic.
“It reminded me that a business should be willing to learn from its earlier decisions and make better choices as it grows,” she says.
That willingness to adapt has become one of the defining characteristics of the brand.
Looking beyond the UAE
Naila believes home-grown brands have an important role to play in shaping the future of the UAE’s skincare and wellness industry.
Local businesses, she argues, understand the culture, environment and daily routines of the people they serve. They can draw inspiration from traditional knowledge while combining it with modern education, formulation and design.
She also believes local brands do not need to imitate international companies to earn credibility.
“We can learn from global practices and standards while maintaining our own identity and responding to the needs of our customers.”
Looking ahead, Soapbar plans to continue expanding its personal care range while pursuing international growth.
A message to Emirati women
For young Emirati women hoping to turn a hobby into a business, Naila’s advice is simple: start with something you genuinely enjoy, but take the time to learn it properly.
“Passion is a valuable beginning, but turning that passion into a business requires knowledge, consistency and responsibility towards customers.”
She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs not to feel limited by their educational background.
Her own journey demonstrates that expertise can be developed through specialised learning, persistence and curiosity, even after graduation.
More than a business
When asked how she hopes people will remember her journey, Naila returns to the beginning.
“I hope people remember that Soapbar began with something genuine: a mother and daughter making soap for themselves, enjoying the experience and deciding to share it with others.”
For her, the company’s success is not defined solely by sales figures or expansion plans. Instead, it is measured by the trust of customers who incorporate the products into their daily routines.
Above all, she hopes her journey demonstrates that a simple idea rooted in family traditions can become a successful business when supported by education, perseverance and care.
And she hopes it inspires other Emirati women to recognise the value of their own knowledge, creativity and ideas, and to believe that something created locally can grow far beyond its beginnings.
Source: Emirates 24|7