We like to describe Sift as a company rooted in intentionality.

The word intentional can be a bit abstract, so we’d love to share more about what we mean.

The idea of sifting comes from the way that our aunties taught us personal care. They would sit on wooden stools over newspapers in our kitchen with their giant sieves, examining ingredients by hand. Grinding and mixing up the pastes, they would carefully craft a treatment for each of our personal needs. With each and every step of the process, our aunties would thoughtfully explain the purpose behind each ingredient, including the science or custom behind it.

This concept of 'sharing the why' stuck with us. Today in our own personal care routines, we still crave that same experience of learning the why and feeling cared-for so fully. And that's why, as Sift comes to life, we feel strongly about intentionally formulating products with ingredients that are necessary and value-additive. It’s why we spend precious time and space explaining the intention behind each ingredient or routine. It’s why we don’t just stick our label on a finished product and leave it at that.

This value of intentionality is in our bones. In fact, our family home in South India — where much of Sift's inspiration comes from — has a brass placard by the door that reads "sankalpa." This word, to us, aligns with setting a positive intention in life. In the spirit of this, we strive to be open about our intentions as we bring our products with Sift to life, too.

Now as much as we value intentionality, it is crucial for us to acknowledge that intention is not everything. Certainly the IMPACT of our actions is of great, and often greater, importance. For example, we might include an ingredient with a purpose of calming your skin, but you might have an allergy or reaction that makes its impact not-ideal for you. Or we may have an intention of making someone feel welcome, but our words may not resonate with that person. When we say that we care about intentionality, that does not mean that the impact is any less important. Sift is not perfect, and our intentions and their impacts might not always be either.

This we know though: we strive to do our best to be open about our why, to listen to yours, and to learn as we continue on this journey of intentionality.