VLCC-owned Ustraa’s revenue declines to Rs 73 Cr in FY25; losses cut by 72%

VLCC-owned Ustraa continued to face topline pressure in FY25, as it reported a second consecutive year of revenue decline since the acquisition, while aggressive cost rationalisation helped the men’s grooming brand sharply narrow its losses.

Ustraa’s revenue from operations fell 22% to Rs 73 crore in FY25 from Rs 94 crore in FY24, according to its financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). 

The Delhi-based company saw nearly 3% decline in revenue in the previous fiscal year (FY24).

Founded in 2015, Ustraa offers products such as fragrances, hair care, face care, and beard care. Following its acquisition, the company's founders, Rahul Anand and Rajat Tuli, continued to work with the brand while also leading VLCC's D2C initiatives.

Material cost, its largest expense component, fell 55% to Rs 27 crore in FY25 from Rs 60 crore in FY24. Advertising expenses declined 60% to Rs 9 crore in FY25. Employee benefit expenses reduced 35% to Rs 10 crore, and transportation costs decreased to Rs 7 crore.

The company, however, saw its commission payouts grow 36% to Rs 15 crore during the fiscal. Overall, Ustraa’s total expenses dropped 39% to Rs 88 crore in FY25 from Rs 145 crore in FY24. For more detailed expense breakup, refer to TheKredible.

With the company’s expenses contracting more than revenue, Ustraa managed to narrow its losses by 72% to Rs 14 crore in FY25 from Rs 50 crore in FY24. Its EBITDA loss stood at Rs 13.4 crore with an EBITDA margin of -18.36%.

On a unit basis, Ustraa spent Rs 1.21 to earn a rupee in FY25, improving from Rs 1.54 in the previous fiscal. The company reported cash and bank balances of Rs 4 crore, while its current assets stood at Rs 30 crore, down from Rs 42 crore in FY24.

Ustraa was acquired by personal care brand VLCC through a share swap and secondary buyout in the first quarter of FY24. Following the acquisition, Ustraa’s existing investors including Info Edge, 360 One and Wipro Consumer Care Ventures became stakeholders of VLCC.

The brand directly competes with Beardo, The Man Company, and Bombay Shaving Company. Beardo reported a 23.7% rise in revenue to Rs 214 crore in FY25, along with a 3.6X jump in profit after tax (PAT) during the same period. The Man Company and Bombay Shaving Company, which recently raised Rs 136 crore ahead of a potential initial public offering (IPO), are yet to report their FY25 numbers. Notably, all these companies have either become part of a larger group or sold a significant stake to a major corporation.