Innovation

Aura Beauty is a beauty and wellness center operating near the Çubuk/Yenice area, offering popular beauty and care services, personal care consulting, and community-focused dance workshops. It stands out for its sustainability-centered approach and active encouragement of young female entrepreneurship.

In addition to its beauty services, Aura Beauty occasionally organizes women-only dance events aimed at enhancing emotional expression, body awareness, and overall well-being. These events provide a safe space for women to come together and express themselves through movement. The enterprise continuously improves its services by considering customer feedback and adapting to the changing needs of the community. Aura Beauty’s mission goes beyond external beauty, focusing on a broader understanding of beauty that encompasses environmental awareness, mental health, and social empowerment.

Inspiration

The main motivation behind founding Aura Beauty was to make beauty services affordable and accessible to young women, especially university students like the founders themselves. As current students, the founders understood firsthand the challenges of balancing education with financial independence, which inspired them to create a business that supports women in similar situations.

One of the founders shared: "Starting this business while still studying was challenging, but it gave me confidence and showed me that young women can be entrepreneurs too. We wanted to create a space where other women feel empowered to take control of their lives."

The name "Aura" reflects their vision of personal energy and inner beauty, emphasizing that true beauty comes from confidence and positive impact — both individually and environmentally. Their entrepreneurial journey began with limited resources, demonstrating how creativity and determination can turn challenges into opportunities. By stepping into entrepreneurship at a young age, they hope to inspire other women to pursue economic independence and personal growth.

Overall impact

Short-term effects include increased self-confidence among customers, as many students and village women report feeling empowered and valued through the services provided. For example, a student shared, “Aura Beauty helped me feel more confident during important events at university.” The center has also fostered a sense of community solidarity by creating a welcoming space where women from diverse backgrounds can connect.

Long-term effects are visible in the empowerment of female entrepreneurship and sustainable local economic growth. By offering employment opportunities and encouraging women’s economic participation, Aura Beauty supports gender equality and decent work (SDG 5 and SDG 8). Its commitment to using natural, locally sourced products and recyclable packaging reduces environmental impact, contributing to responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).

Evidence of these impacts comes from consistent positive customer feedback, steady growth in clientele, and ongoing community engagement. The business’s adaptability—listening to customer needs and adjusting services accordingly—has helped it maintain relevance and deepen its social and environmental contributions over time.

Business benefit

Aura Beauty prioritized employee wellbeing by offering fair wages, skills training, and a supportive work environment, staff retention rates have improved significantly. Employees report higher job satisfaction, which in turn reflects positively on service quality and customer experiences. These efforts have enabled the business to maintain consistent growth and a positive reputation in the local beauty market.

Looking ahead, Aura Beauty plans to expand its service offerings to include new wellness and beauty treatments, responding directly to customer feedback. The enterprise is also exploring opportunities to open additional branches in nearby towns, aiming to reach more communities and create new local employment opportunities. By combining sustainability with economic growth and social empowerment, Aura Beauty has not only carved out a competitive advantage but also opened new avenues for investment and community development.

Social and environmental benefit

Aura Beauty places social responsibility at the core of its business model, making significant positive contributions to both society and the environment. By actively supporting women's participation in the workforce, it offers job and internship opportunities particularly to young women—mostly students and local residents. This empowerment plays an important role in promoting economic independence and aligns with the goal of gender equality (SDG 5). Additionally, thanks to its affordable pricing policy, Aura Beauty ensures beauty and care services are accessible to a wider audience, including disadvantaged rural communities, thereby enhancing social inclusion and community well-being.

From an environmental perspective, Aura Beauty demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability. It applies responsible waste management techniques, including recycling and minimizing the use of disposable materials, thereby reducing environmental pollution and carbon footprint. By adopting sustainable beauty practices, Aura Beauty contributes to raising environmental awareness among its customers and the local community; combining social empowerment with environmental responsibility, it serves as a role model for the beauty sector and a more sustainable future.

Interviews

Ece Ulusoy, Founder

Hayat Genç, Founder