He is changing the concept of lotion.
A Long Island man with cerebral palsy has unveiled a unique line of products using remedies he learned as a little boy from his grandmother, mom and aunt.
“They take yogurt, add spices like turmeric, saffron and cinnamon, and throw it in our faces as a mask,” Atul Batala, founder of Atul Skincare in Hicksville, told the Post.
He said his gorgeous amber-colored products are rooted in those same simple ingredients. Plus, the mildly irritating lines of cream, clay and cleanser also include the protection of blue light blockers.
“Your pores really open and your skin feels beautiful from the inside… That's what I mimic with these products, colors, home remedies, they're very different from what's already there,” added Bhatara, 45.
Born in Queens and travelling around the world from 5 to 9, Batara said she discovered an unexpected passion for cosmetics in 2020.
“I've always underestimated my life,” Batara said. “The first reaction I usually get from people is, “I can't understand you, I can't put you, I don't know where you belong”…it makes it [people like me] Become stronger. It also helps us become a voice. ”
A huge stride moving forward
Born early by almost four months, Batara endured 14 businesses throughout his body, related to the mobility issues caused by his condition.
It begins when Batara returns to Woodside as a boy, and the teacher manages to “fight” for two years to get him kicked out of special education when he tries to come back to life in the United States.
“Thanks to God that someone believed in me,” he said.
“I was able to focus on other positive things. I still went to the gym, looked at my friends, finished my education,” he said proudly.
Batara graduated from St. John's University in 2003 with a degree in finance. And soon after running the business end of his family's restaurant and catering hall, the world's Fair Marina Banquet adjacent to Citifield.
After more than a decade of success in his administrative role, Batara suddenly changed his mind when the pandemic attacked and forced him to temporarily close his business.
“My cousin and I went to visit one of his clients on Long Island, and they just happened to be a private label skincare line,” he said.
After that accidental meeting, some quick networking changed to “The Beginning of Atul Skincare.”
Exfoliation with exclamation points
Starting a LI-based company was a leap of faith, but rewarding, as he has no industry experience than seeing his family's homestyle work.
“It's when people react to the product and people look at the bottle,” he said. “If you say, “I don't have a skincare background,” they say, “I don't have at all! I can't.” ”
To say that she is grateful for the support of the local community, Batara will hand out 200 products to Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park on March 26th.
“My mother was a nurse,” he said. “They spend so much time caring for others that they don't take care of themselves.”
Currently settling and hoping to succeed in a home-based online business, Batara realizes that it represents something more important than sweet childhood connections.
“[People with long-term disabilities] There's absolutely no financial strength…everyone is just in survival mode,” Batara said.
“When you're in survival mode, you don't get the chance to thrive… so for me, the way you return is that when you walk through the door, you leave it open a bit to follow behind you.”
He has become an individual with a disabled person who encourages them to find and pursue passions that can somehow be monetized, particularly in order to use the internet to draw attention to their causes.
“Dreaming. Dream bigger than anyone around you,” he said. “And keep that dream.”
