If you’re someone who regularly does the dishes, you’ll notice that it can be quite rough on your skin.
While many of us choose to just put up with it or wear gloves for protection, that problem is something Riinse’s co-founder Phoebe decided to solve back in 2021.
“My mum often voiced frustration about the dish soaps available in the market—some were effective but overly expensive, while others were affordable but harsh on the skin,” Phoebe shared.
Driven by the need to create a solution for her mum, she signed up for a formulation course to gain technical understanding. From there, Phoebe actually ended up creating a makeshift product at home to address her mum’s pain points.
Together with her co-founder Sharmaine, she was able to scale that solution and bring it to other households.
Meet the duo
Sharmaine and Phoebe make up the dream duo behind Riinse. Sharmaine oversees sales and marketing, while Phoebe leads product development.
“We’ve been close friends since our university days and share a unique connection as both of us are ex-consultants turned entrepreneurs,” they said.
But Riinse isn’t either of the women’s first brush with entrepreneurship.
“After my time in consulting, I joined my family’s agriculture business and also managed a distribution and trading company with my sister, supplying FMCG products to supermarkets,” Sharmaine shared.
Meanwhile, Phoebe had been running an ecommerce beauty brand while working as a management consultant, an experience that deepened her understanding of product formulation while honing her passion for creating consumer-focused products.
“After transitioning out of consulting, I joined a Malaysian coffee chain, where I gained valuable hands-on experience in scaling operations and navigating the fast-paced startup environment,” Phoebe added.
Beyond complementary skillsets, Sharmaine and Phoebe share a passion for creating practical, well-designed cleaning products that make everyday life a little better.
With that shared ambition, they launched Riinse at the end of 2023. At first, both of them were juggling two jobs. In August this year, though, they decided to go all-in.
For Sharmaine, taking that leap of faith was essential. “Born into a business family, I was taught that in order to succeed, you have to take risks. It’s definitely scary, and doubts will always linger, but my motto has always been: Never try, never know.”
As for Phoebe, entrepreneurship had always been a part of her lifeblood. In fact, she ran her own fashion jewellery brand on Blogspot.com at age 12.
“When you are given a vision, you are also granted the strength and faith to take that first step toward making it a reality,” she said.
More Riinse for less rinsing
Not your typical household cleaning brand, Riinse offers plant-based, well-designed cleaning products. Ironically, Riinse wants users to do less rinsing.
“Life is hard enough, make cleaning simple,” is the brand’s motto.
Their first—and currently only—product is the SuperRiinse, a three-in-one dishwashing liquid. It comes in two scents: Orange Kick & Grapefruit Splash.
Aside from dishes, the liquid is good for washing fruits and vegetables, as well as baby bottles and toys.
“It’s because we specially formulated this product using natural ingredients like coconut oil, organic salt, and aloe vera,” the co-founders proudly shared. “There are no harsh chemicals, meaning it’s free from SLS, SLES, colourants, dyes, parabens, and phthalates.”
They know what you’re thinking. It’s natural, so it probably doesn’t clean as well.
But that would be wrong, the duo said. “SuperRiinse is actually super. With 5X concentration, its strong cleaning power kills 99.9% of bacteria, germs, and fungus. We even tried it after a heavy Mala noodle night. Trust us, it cleans.”
We’ve been using it in the Vulcan Post office for a while now, and I must say, both scents are incredible. The soap is rather liquid and runny, but sudsy and effective. It does feel very comfortable on the skin too.
Priced at RM19 for a bundle of two 600ml bottles, I’d say that the prices are rather reasonable.
While the first version of Riinse was created by Phoebe using soap-making ingredients, the team eventually partnered with scientists, chemists, and R&D teams whose in-depth industry expertise helped them refine the formulation.
The products are proudly made in Malaysia—something the co-founders aimed for. “It was important for us to keep the product local to support the community around us.”
Riinse products are now manufactured in a Halal-certified facility that adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and ISO 9001 standards.
Getting onto the shelves
Riinse’s business approach has been somewhat unorthodox. Rather than start with an online presence, the team chose to enter retail stores right from launch.
“In the first six months of our journey, we’ve seen organic growth in supermarkets and grocers, so most of our sales currently come from these physical touchpoints,” they said. “However, we’re now equally focused on building a strong online presence.”
The startup is present in notable stores such as Ken’s Grocer, MeMiZoooZooo, Qra, and more.
And starting December 1, the business’ products are also available in all Jaya Grocer outlets nationwide.
As a new brand, it’s impressive that they were they able to get their products on the shelves of these stores.
“While managing a distribution and trading company with my sister, I was lucky to have gained valuable experiences in pitching products to buyers,” Sharmaine explained.
“Though I’m still new to this, my humble advice to other entrepreneurs is simple: don’t be discouraged by the first ‘no’,” she advised. “The process can be slow, but with consistency and patience, the doors will open.”
Driven by the future
It’s been over a year since the brand’s inception, but Riinse currently only has one product, SuperRiinse.
“But here’s a little secret—our second product is already in R&D,” they told Vulcan Post.
Don’t expect just dishwashing liquid or typical household cleaning products from the brand, though. Rather, Riinse aims to release well-designed solutions that elevate everyday cleaning.
To do that, they want to build a brand culture that resonates. That desire is reflected by their first activation event earlier this month.
“The push to build a community comes from a genuine desire to connect with people, spark conversations, and create a sense of belonging around something as simple yet universal as dishwashing,” they said.
But having a vision is one thing. Executing it is something else entirely. As full-time entrepreneurs, Sharmaine and Phoebe have to balance looking at the big picture while focusing on the daily operations—something that requires drive and discipline.
“There are everyday challenges in building a brand, but honestly the biggest challenge we’ve faced is waking up every day and keeping the same drive to chase our goals,” the duo admitted.
“It’s easy to get lost in the hustle, but we always remind each other why we started Riinse in the first place—to create something meaningful.”
- Learn more about Riinse here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Riinse