About Youlaix
"There is nothing more
satisfying to me than the olfactory experience."
- Ali Ahmad, Founder
I think it was when I was nine or ten years old, at most, when I started my scent journey. I began with traditional fougere colognes and aftershaves that my father would have me try. I didn’t shave at the time. A short time later, I branched out to the typical adolescent aftershaves of the time like Adidas Moves, Old Spice, and Brut. This was before Axe came out into the market. My favorite cologne those days was Acqua di Gio, but Brut aftershave is still dear to me to this day.
The best part of all this discovery was getting complements on my hygiene, and the fact that everyone around me and whoever I met was positively influenced. I was motivated further to try different colognes and products that guys typically weren’t accustomed to trying.
Fast forward to my early twenties, and I had a collection of at least 50 colognes. I had become known as the guy that always smelled amazing. I also tried different creams, soaps, scrubs, oils, and other products. However, by the time I reached my late twenties, I reached a plateau on my scent journey, and I felt that everything I tried smelled similar and synthetic. There was less awareness of natural and handmade products back in the early 2000s.
Thankfully, I had the extra money to try the latest trend at the time, subscription boxes. Both of my sisters subscribed to make-up subscription services, and they would often give me the items that they thought I would like. The subscription boxes were a great concept, which led me to a soap subscription box.
I looked forward to the soap box every month, and it opened my mind to the world of natural and niche products. The world of scent expanded in all directions for me from
there. I was trying different soaps and perfumes from niche brands at the time like Tom Ford’s Private Collection, stores like Lucky Scent’s Scent Bar, and even perfumes from the Mid-East.
At the same time, the reality of many manmade and synthetic chemicals, in personal care products, were causing allergic reactions to an increasing number of people. Members of my own family were experiencing conditions like dermatitis, and
eventually, even I started having allergic skin reactions to certain perfumes. My family members would even use the unscented mainstream soaps that claimed to have a large amount of moisturizer in their soap, but the dermatitis would not go away. This problem lead me to do research and find a solution.
It was the summer of 2019, and as I was sitting thinking about what I should do, I remembered that several years ago, one month my soap bar subscription boxes came several weeks late. I also looked on Amazon and saw that there was Amish soap being sold. I thought, maybe I can make this on my own. I then did further research and found out the soaps that we buy at the local store isn’t real soap. Many products that we buy in the store are made from detergents and surfactants and legally can’t be called soap. Real soap is made from mixing oils and lye, which retains naturally occurring glycerin.
I was home more often since the Covid-19 pandemic was underway. I did hundreds of hours of research online about soap-making and watched hundreds of videos as well. Soapmaking was so therapeutic to me. It seemed like something that was right up my alley since I was so interested in personal care products from a young age. After all
of this research, I was ready to make my first batch.
The first batch came out decent, and it took me several dozen recipes to find one that I could confidently offer as The World’s Finest Soap. The soap that my family manufactures contains more than 50% olive oil and is made with skin-loving ingredients like shea butter and avocado oil. It has been six years since I have been making soap from my family’s
homestead in Corona, CA.
I am currently running Youlaix Body Care Company with my beautiful wife Sanum, and my two daughters, Arzu and Arwa. We hope that you will also share your encouraging stories with us like the many stories we have already heard from our clients that have positively benefited from using our artisan handmade bath and body products.
Ali Ahmad
Founder