Community Highlights: Meet Oussama Ajerd of Ayyur

Today we’d like to introduce you to Oussama Ajerd. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! My name is Oussama Ajerd and together with my wife, Mariam Tolba, we founded Ayyur in 2020. I grew up in the rural areas of Morocco and while living there, I was constantly surrounded by nature and Morocco’s rituals of using nature’s beauty products. My grandparents rooted a love for the culture and beauty within me that I’ve always wanted to share with others. After getting married, my wife and I were motivated to bring Ayyur to life. Especially since friends and family would request Moroccan products like the pure Argan Oil when we would come back from trips. Seeing the need from those around us motivated us to start the business and share the products with others. 

Ayyur means ‘moon’ in Amazighi – the language spoken by the Berber people of Morocco. The moon has long been a powerful symbol across different cultures and regions. One of the symbols the moon represents is beauty which is what Ayyur is stemmed from. Ayyur includes products typical to the Moroccan hammam as well as products that are enriched with potent essential oils such as Organic Argan Oil. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been good months and bad months. One of our first struggles is that we both come from an engineering background so there was a learning curve when it came to marketing, design, social media management, customer acquisition, and more. This is all while we’re continuing our full-time jobs. However, it’s been a great experience and we’ve definitely learned so many new skills that we can always apply to different aspects of our lives. We’ve also been able to meet a lot of amazing people through Ayyur and we’re always grateful for that. 

We’ve been impressed with Ayyur, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Ayyur, we aim to share organic and natural Moroccan beauty products that have been used for generations. Some of our products like Argan Oil are present in cosmetic products like shampoos and conditioners. But you’ll also find a lot of additives that take away the benefits of the oil. Our goal is to bring pure and clean products for people to benefit from. We currently carry both hair and skincare products like pure Argan oil and black seed oil, Moroccan black soap, exfoliating gloves, natural rosewater, face masks, and more. 

What sets us apart is that all of our products are directly from Morocco with no scents or additives of any kind. We love when a customer sends us a message saying they love the natural smell or their skin/hair felt nourished after using the products or even that although they have a lot of allergies, they had had no issues with our natural products. 

Sometimes it’s hard to take that first step to a more natural skincare routine, but we’d love readers to know that they can reach out at any time with questions. We’re usually very quick to answer social media messages and love connecting with new people. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Having a mentor really helps pave the way so our advice would be don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you! People are usually more than willing to help and give advice. 

Additionally, get yourself in the habit of always starting conversations no matter what setting you’re in. Have genuine conversations and ask people about their interests. You never know where a connection might develop! 

Pricing:

• You can get a bundle of most of our products for less than $50!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.ayyur.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ayyur_co/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ayyur.co/

Image Credits
Muniphoto