As of 2021 the skincare market in India was worth $2.6 billion dollars and is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 10%.Â
While the trend of skincare has been gaining popularity, the pain point with most of the products is that they are made by international companies and may not suit the Indian skin type.Â
To deal with these issues, Sunayana Walia started Raw Beauty Wellness in 2017. Initially, she locally sold her homemade family recipes of tooth powder, shampoo, face and body scrubs, and dental care.
Raw Beauty Wellness is a Punjab-based D2C skincare and haircare brand. The brand claims to use a high percentage of natural ingredients combined with globally sourced active ingredients. It offers a total of about 50 products currently.
Products are sold on online marketplaces such as Amazon, Vanity Wagon, Sublime, Amala Earth, among others, in addition to its own website. The products are available offline at Happy Soul and The Tribe, both of which are located in Goa.
Customers are given a choice of free consulting about the choice and usage of products with the founder as part of their user experience. Having studied organic skin care from UK-based Formula Botanica, Walia is aware of the various fixes that can be made using various ingredients. These consultations are typically conducted online.
Walia, founder and CEO of the company, told Entrackr, “I believe in simplicity and minimalism. I have tried to impart that in my products as well. During the consultations I ask them [customers] to use a maximum of 2-3 products.”
The brand adjusts its formulations annually in response to market developments. The company adds ingredients to the three most popular products each year in an effort to improve its performance.
The company claims to source its ingredients both locally and internationally. It gets its Kakadu extract from Nepal, saffron from Kashmir, turmeric from Himachal, and cardamom from a Tamil Nadu NGO. All of the products’ actives, preservatives, and emulsifiers are eco certified.
As a D2C brand, online channels account for approximately 95% of its sales. With a total of 10,000 unique customers, the founder said that they add around 3000 new users to its customer base each month.
It is currently focused on leveraging influencer marketing in India to push the growth curve, competing with Aminu and Vaunt locally and The Ordinary internationally. The recent launch of mini sizes of half of its catalog was a step taken towards this aim.
Walia anticipates a 5x increase in customer base in the coming fiscal year.
The company intends to grow its presence internationally and add sunscreens to its existing product line as part of its expansion strategy. Currently bootstrapped, the business is also looking to raise external funding to meet these expansion goals.Â
