“I remind myself sometimes that whatever comes our way – we can figure it out and find a way to grow.”
Mazzi Peled started Latika, the Austin-based beauty brand, twelve years ago. The company was born from her passion for adding a creative aspect to the natural apothecary soaps and products she learned about from her mother. Both business owners, her parents helped their children learn about the challenging but satisfying path of owning a business. “My father has so much soul and passion for helping people; he also supported and encouraged my mother to find her passion and pursue it.” Because of this, Mazzi says that her parents have greatly influenced her on her journey and that the secure space they created gave her the confidence to dream big.
Her mother, an aromatherapist and skin esthetician, was always learning and investing in her knowledge and skills in the natural beauty space. As a kid, she was around her mother's business a lot; at one point, she and her mother took some natural apothecary courses together, and Mazzi loved the idea of creating a brand for her natural soaps. She grew up seeing her mother constantly studying, always with a community of women alongside her, and growing her business passionately. Her mother, however, had no interest in selling her products but was happy to make them for her clients. “I always loved art and design, and one day the idea of making a natural product giftable and beautiful just called to me. I started making my own molds for soaps, and from there on, it just kept growing.”
Mazzi grew up in a small town, and after high school, she served in the military and became an officer. After that, she traveled for almost two years, backpacking and meeting new people. Once she returned, she "was fortunate to find a fun and exciting job as a television producer and then assistant to a director", which she says gave her much insight into making things happen and creating reality from a concept, something she was able to implement in her own business life later. She then went to college to study anthropology, and that was when her business took on a life of its own and started growing.
What started as a line of fun dessert soaps evolved through the years to include creams, scrubs, skincare, shower steamers, and what the company is best known for today: Mess free, ultra-moisturizing, beautiful bath bombs. Her now husband, Erez, joined the venture, and after they married, they decided to move to Austin and make the Latika dream a reality. It has since grown into the business it is today, led by a passion to make self-care an easy and accessible part of people’s daily routines.
Having now been running their business for twelve years, eleven of them in Austin, she says that this journey has taught her a lot. The most important lesson being that we cannot do big things alone. “A sound support system is crucial. Whether building a great team or nurturing our personal relationships outside work. Life is more about how we navigate through, less about where we are going, and the relationships are what make life better—starting with the closest one- the relationship with yourself, your partner and family, and so on.”
She described owning a business as being out of your comfort zone daily – constantly overcoming challenges and creating new goals. “We immigrated to this country to build this business, which was the biggest challenge. The process was long and expensive, but we knew Latika belonged here and wanted to give it a real chance to succeed. Everything was hard, and now we know so much more and appreciate every little achievement, thanks to having to go through that laborious process.” Mazzi’s goals for the future are to continue to grow Latika as a business that contributes to its local community, to be a great brand, and to be a great employer. She strives to see their team grow and their brand's community thrive. “We work with wonderful people, our team, vendors, and customers. I hope to be able to say we influenced someone's life for the better.”
All of the products offered by Latika are hand-made with care. Using safe ingredients and cruelty-free methods and suppliers, they combine effective formulas with creative design to inspire self-care and elevate your daily routine. Pamper yourself by checking out their Instagram and website to find self-care tips, local retailers, and your new favorite products.
