After discovering the benefits of CBD for his mental health, Hey Jane founder, Rupeen Mavani, filled a gap in the market with skincare products designed for conditions such as acne and eczema.
In 2016, Rupeen Mavani hit rock bottom. He was facing problems with his previous business, while also going through a difficult time in his long-term relationship.
“It felt like everything was going downhill at the same time”, he said. “I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t eating well, I lost so much weight just through the stress and anxiety.”
Rupeen went to his GP, and like many people struggling with their mental health, was prescribed antidepressants.
Although these medications can be beneficial for some, Rupeen took one look at the possible side effects and knew he wanted to find an alternative.
At this point, CBD was just at the beginning of its rise in popularity and little information was available about the uses of the supplement. But having heard positive reports from friends who used cannabis regularly, he was intrigued by the potential anti-anxiety effects of THC’s non-psychoactive cousin, CBD.
A number of weeks after he started taking ingestible CBD oil, Rupeen noticed improvements in his sleep and anxiety. But what surprised him most was the effect it had on his skin.
As a result of his anxiety, Rupeen’s skin had broken out with severe eczema. Learning about the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD, he began using the ingestible oil on patches of his skin and soon experienced relief as his skin began to heal.
Rupeen Mavani, founder of Hey Jane
It was this experience that inspired Rupeen to delve deeper into the health and wellness space.
Even as the CBD industry began to flourish towards the end of the 2010s, Rupeen could not find a CBD skin product that was designed for sensitive skin, acne or eczema. Even now, few products on the market are fragrance-free and those that are carry a strong smell of hemp, he said.
Around this time, he had suggested to his partner, who suffers from hormonal acne, to try using CBD on her skin to curb the outbreaks. She saw huge improvements but also struggled to find a brand that worked for her.
Rupeen made it his mission to create the perfect product for his partner, containing not just CBD but other herbal extracts that are known to improve skin conditions like acne.
“The majority of products on the market are not specifically formulated for helping acne, eczema or skin conditions,” Rupeen said.
“We’ve actually focused on these conditions [and] included things like green tea, which is antimicrobial, cucumber seed oil and meadowfoam, which helps drive active ingredients deeper into the skin and locks the moisture in.
“Every ingredient we use has a function and brings something to the table.”
What started as a personal project has since evolved into a business. Since launching in 2021, Hey Jane has had a positive response from those suffering from skin problems.
“We’ve had a client who is an optician and right through Covid have been in full PPE, so as a result, were suffering from ‘maskne’,” Rupeen said.
“They got to the point where they were using steroids to try and help it. Then they gave this a try and it’s really helped.”
Rupeen has owned businesses for the past 15 years, working across a range of disparate sectors. While in the past, money has been a primary driver in his entrepreneurial ventures, he said his mindset has since changed after entering the CBD and wellness space.
“The beauty with this business is that my mindset shifted,” Rupeen said.
“Before Hey Jane, I got into business because it was cool and exciting and the driver was money-focused. This time it’s not just all about money. My mindset now is about wanting to be in a space where I’m doing something that helps other people.”
Hey Jane is still in its early stages, but Rupeen has big ambitions to see the brand stocked across the UK.
He also has dreams of opening a retail store that incorporates wellbeing activities such as yoga, spa treatments and meditation.
“That’s the dream; having that physical element of going somewhere, or being in a space where there are good vibes and people at hand to help,” he said.
“We’re taking this one step at a time but that is the vision. After that, if we can start exporting the business model to other countries that would be phenomenal.”