Viva Shop Feature: Shinorganic online store

organic skincare range

I stumbled upon Shinorganic when I was looking for John Masters Organics line of products. I’ve read some good comments about them in the forum and since their prices were cheaper than the other sources I found on the Net, I decided to order from them. In addition, I like the fact that they operate in Singapore which means I could save on shipping costs!

Small operation with prompt service
I have ordered twice from Shinorganic so far and their service has been very prompt, and I was able to receive my order within two days upon payment. The website has easy navigation and even even caters to customers who prefer to read in Chinese! Sandy, who runs the online shop with two other friends, Lisa and Gerlad, has also been very prompt in replying to my questions about the product ingredients.

Shinorganic Website

Inspiration for the online organic store
In addition to John Masters Organics, Shinorganic carry organic skincare products from Elly B, Balm Balm, Pai and Carmaje. Sandy told me that they started their business last year because they wanted to introduce the benefits of organic skincare products to people they know after experiencing the benefits for themselves. All products carried by Shinorganic are therefore sourced and tested on themselves, as well as friends who serve as “guinea pigs”.

Products are ordered in small batches to ensure freshness
When asked how the company guarantee that the products are all within the “fresh” period since some of them do not have a “used by” date, Sandy said that they order in relatively small quantities and usually clear the products in about two months from the time they place their order. In addition, she confirms that their products have shelf life ranging from 1.5 years to 3 years.

Shinorganic workspace

Simple daily operation geared to meet customer demands
Since Shinorganic only deal with the end products, so there is not much product preparation they need to do. Only a daily basis, they will check the orders that come in over the night, start packing them and ship them out. This explains why I could receive my order so quickly. And the workspace for the team is very simple. A notebook or a computer with Internet connection would suffice.

Customer testimonials on organic skincare benefits
One of the questions I usually pose to sellers of organic skincare products is their take on organic skincare products being useless and of course Shinorganic did not agree. “Many organic brands are started by people whose skin just won’t agree with the harsh chemicals in non-organic or other off-the-shelf products. In fact, some of my customers actually have these problems too. Their improvements and testimonials surely justify organic skincare’s usefulness. And it’s also about the harsh ingredients that organic products do not contain that makes a difference to the users,” replied Sandy.

SLS is a no-no for the team
And according to Sandy, the number one chemical ingredient she avoids it is Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS). “It is actually the same ingredient used in engine degreasers and harsh floor detergents. It can irritate skin and damage eye development. It is being used mainly because it is a very cheap ingredient and because of its foaming properties which makes us feel clean.”

Organic products

Plans to increase product range to include makeup
Shinorganic ships internationally but has about 80 to 90% of their customer base from Singapore. I was happy to learn that the team has plans to review other brands of organic skincare products as well as explore the possibilities of bringing in natural makeup lines.

Advice for first-time customers of organic skincare
And for customers who are looking at organic skincare products for the first time, this is the expert advice from Sandy of Shinorganic:

“My advice is that as long as you are going to put any product on your skin (organic or otherwise), always do a patch test (behind the ear or on the inside of your wrist). Because you never know if you might be allergic to any of the natural ingredients too! As for customers trying organic hair products, you might need a little getting used to as it probably won’t foam as much as one with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate but it cleans without the harsh chemicals.”

Well, I need time to accept the latter fact because till now, I have been resisting organic shampoos for that particular reason!

Comments

  1. ParisB says:

    Organic skincare must be really taking off in Singapore. Here, I have only seen small batches available in some organic food stores.

    ParisB: Yeah, it’s taking off. There are more organic skincare products here these days. We have a few specialized shops selling them, and also they’re available at Watsons and Guardian’s.

  2. Bee says:

    A bit off topic but I was kind of wondering whether you’ve tried any of John Master’s shampoo and conditioner yet, specifically the honey and hibiscus. I’ve wanted to try it before but it IS quite pricey and I have no idea whether it’s good or not..
    Thanks in advance

    Bee: Hey, not off topic at all. I haven’t tried John Master’s shampoo for the same reason as you. I have a sample of the conditioner but it’s not something I use. I’m keen to try but I really need something to get rid of my greasy sebum so have been skeptical about organic shampoos.

  3. flym says:

    I noticed that prices in the online store are quoted in USD. Do they bill in SGD or USD?

    Flym: They bill in USD. I paid via paypal last 2 times.

    *Update: Flym, I hope you read this in time. If you’re planning to order from them, wait awhile. I just got a promo code from them and that should bring some cheer. I’m running it tomorrow.

  4. ayrineta says:

    They bill in SGD too now

  5. Carrie says:

    Hi, I made an order on from shinorganic.com on October 12th for three products. When I log in to my account for shipping information, it says that I have no order history. The money has already been taken out of my account. All items were in-stock, and the order is set to be delivered to a Singapore address. On their site, delivery to a Singapore address is only suppose to take two days. I have a paypal receipt number and an item receipt number and I have inquired bout my shipment four times and have received NO response from Sandy, or anyone, for that matter.

    Is there any way for you to help? You seem to get responses from them.

    Thank you,

    Carrie

  6. Sesame says:

    I apologize for the lack of response till now. I hope you have sorted your order. I am not in touch with them anymore.

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