Inside a Long Island mans journey from struggles with cerebral palsy to launching a skincare line with unique family remedies

He’s changing the notion of lotion.A Long Island man with cerebral palsy has unveiled a unique line of products using remedies he learned from his grandmother, mom and aunt in India as a little boy.“They would take yogurt and add spices like turmeric, saffron, cinnamon, and they would throw it on our faces as a mask,” Hicksville’s Atul Bhatara, founder of Atul Skincare, told The Post.He said that his posh amber-colored products are rooted in those same simple ingredients.On top of that, the mildly pungent line of creams, clays, and cleansers also contain blue light blocker protection.“Your pores really open up, your skin feels clean from the inside… that’s what I mimic in these products, the colors, the home remedies, they’re much different than what’s already out there,” Bhatara, 45, added.Bhatara, who was born in Queens and moved across the globe from age 5 through 9, said he uncovered his unexpected passion for cosmetics in 2020.“I’ve always been underestimated my whole life,” Bhatara said.

“The first response I usually get from people is ‘can’t figure you out, can’t place you, don’t know where you belong’ … it makes [people like me] be stronger.It also helps us to be a voice.”Bhatara, who was born prematurely by almost four months, has endured 14 operations all over his body related to mobility issues caused by his condition.It began when Bhatara returned to Woodside as a young boy, and teachers spent two years successfully “fighting” for him to be moved out of special education as he tried to readjust to life in the US.“Thank God somebody believed in me,” he said.“I was able to focus on the other positive stuff.

I still went to the gym, saw my friends, and finished my education,” he proudly said.Bhatara graduated from St.John’s University in 2003 with a degree in finance –and soon after ran the business end of his family’s restaurant and catering hall, the World’s Fair Marina Banquet adjacent to C...