Notably a siren in interior design, Datin Catherine Lai is now making her mark in the world of wellness with the launch of her brand YouZenAn.
Born from the names of her sons, Alexander Lee Zhen An and Adrian Lee Yu An. The name carries three interwoven meanings: You (We create for you), Zen (we create for your zen) and An (peace and light).
Fittingly, her flagship product, the 7 Bunga Radiance Multi Dry Oil, was also inspired by her family.
During childhood Lai suffered from eczema and as a cure attempt her mother turned to mandi bunga, the traditional seven flower bath.
While it didn’t cure her eczema, it did leave with Lai the strong imprint of her mothers tender care and love.
This memory, coupled with the South-East Asian tradition that she grew up with, was what birthed the luxurious product.
Coming from the field of interior design was of benefit to Lai as this involved taking an idea that she could feel and see in her mind and working with the relevant specialists to bring it to fruition.
However, that’s where the similarities end.
Lai was open to share that she had faced some hiccups with the initial formulation as balancing the scent of seven floral essential oils was no easy feat.
Determined, she worked closely with a professional perfumer to help create and bring to life her envisioned scent that lived vividly in her memories.
But, that turned out to be just the first step. Being as we’re in a humid and tropical country, Lai was conscious of the importance of the skin feel of her oil which entailed numerous more rounds of reformulations and product testing to finally pass her highly discerning standards.
“I don’t want to launch products simply to fill shelves. Every product should have a reason to exist and a place within the YouZenAn world. Flowers. Fragrance. Nature. Self-care. That remains our compass,” says Lai.
Mandi Bunga might not be as common a custom these days, however Lai is gentle to encourage people to try.
“Sometimes it is simply the pleasure of flowers, scent and water. Sometimes it marks a new beginning, a celebration or a moment when I want to pause and reset,” says Lai.
The 7 Bunga Radiance Oil was inspired by a traditional ritual.
Lai and singer Ning Baizura.
Friends of Lai paying close attention during the launch.
Datin Catherine Lai is making her mark in the world of wellness with the launch of her brand YouZenAn. Pictured is Jasmin Efendieva (left) sampling the product during its launch. Photos: YouZenAn
