Building Brand Beyond Babycare In the coming year, Honasa Consumer parent company of brand Mamaearth is focusing on launching new brands and venturing into new categories with existing brands

When Ghazal and Varun had their first child, they started looking for chemical-free products for their baby, but couldn't find safe baby products and hence ended up importing products, which was both expensive and time-consuming. Identifying this gap, they decided to create Mamaearth with Made Safe certified, "Toxin-free' baby care products. They launched the brand with limited SKUs and a premium proposition very targeted towards metro consumers in the beginning. Talking about taking the digital-first route, Varun Alagh, Co-Founder, and CEO, Honasa Consumer shares, "Since the scale at which we were trying to make and sell something was small, online was the best, and the only, place to start as we wanted to test waters before taking the plunge."

When asked about the role investors played in the growth of the brand, Alagh mentions, "Most of the entrepreneurs, like Ghazal and I, come with a limited understanding of the various aspects of business, and hence we learn most things on the job. Hence, our investors become extremely critical in this learning curve. Apart from the influx of funds, investors act like mentors that bring in a lot of strategic strength and help give direction to entrepreneurs."

In the coming year, Honasa Consumer parent company of the brand Mamaearth is focusing on launching new brands and venturing into new categories with existing brands. "Aqualogica is a new brand that we launched this year, and we will direct all our efforts towards building that. Apart from that, we have entered into the color cosmetics category with Mamaearth bringing with an innovative line of toxin-free, made-safe certified products across sub-categories like Liquid lipsticks, bullet lipsticks, Kajals, Lip Balms, and more innovations in the pipeline. We are on a constant quest to solve millennial personal care concerns, so as and when we identify a gap, we will start working towards filling it, either with our current portfolio of brands or venture into launching new brands," states Alagh.

FACTSHEET

· Bestseller: Onion Hair Oil, Ubtan Face wash, Ubtan Face Mask and Vitamin C Skin Illuminate Serum

· Total SKUs: 160+ across Hair Care, Face Care, Baby care and cosmetics

· Team size: 400+

· Online platform resulting in maximum revenue: 70% revenue from digital platforms

· Turnover: 465 Cr for FY 20-21