Claire Croft

I've always loved the bath; it's the one place I can fully relax, unwind and focus my energies. For me, the bathroom is the most important living space in the house and is where Abahna finally took shape in my mind, after many years of thinking and daydreaming.

The beginning

Abahna was inspired by my long-standing interest in bathing rituals and the multi-sensory experience they offer, and my passion for design. Having studied architecture at university, I set up my own interior design practice. One thing led to another, and before long I was designing homewares to complement my work in that field. Considering my obsession with the bath, it was probably only a matter of time before I started to create bathing products too. I'm lucky to have been able to turn one of my hobbies into a full-time pursuit.

The name

During my research I came across many words that are used around the world in connection with bathing. Abahna is a hybrid, borrowing from nahana, meaning 'to take a bath' in Urdu, along with other words such as banya, banho and snana. These were combined to create the name Abahna.

A natural way

One of the first things I learnt when I started out in this field is just how many chemicals and synthetic fragrances usually go into making bath and skin care products. Whatever you put onto your skin is eventually absorbed into your system, so when we started Abahna I was determined to make our products as natural as possible.

Feel the benefits

Bathing is even more enjoyable when you know you're benefiting from essential oils and active plant extracts in the products you use. If only our quest for Abahna to be like this had been so easy - it's been a long, hard struggle to find manufacturers who could work with our range of ingredients. In order to create fragrances from natural oils, we have also worked alongside aromatherapists and perfumers so that each blend has a subtle, mood-enhancing effect as well as a gorgeous smell.

A rich tradition

Bathing has a rich and varied cultural history, and now encompasses many different traditions from around the world. But whatever the tradition, it's always a ritual practice that bestows deep benefits. Being a great believer in the physiological and emotional value of these ritual experiences, I set out to create a modern bath brand with the ceremony of bathing at its core. The result is Abahna, a range designed to enhance the benefits that bathing can bring. It gives me great pleasure to introduce it to you.