Life & Pursuits
Brand story: Life & Pursuits was founded in 2015 by Mudit Consul, an alumnus of IIM, Indore, and Harvard Business School, along with his wife, Aditi, and Manshu Aneja, a graduate from IIT Guwahati. Products are based on principles of Ayurveda and 10% of the profits go towards child safety and community welfare.” The extent to which our children are exposed to toxic chemicals, today, is unprecedented — the human abuse of Nature is coming back to haunt us,” says Consul.
Brand philosophy: Creating a happy, healthy childhood. This reflects in their logo — a lotus that merges with a butterfly, signifying purity and beauty and joy, respectively — and their mascot, Joyosaurus.
Major challenges: “‘Green-washing’ by many companies, to project themselves as organic or natural, when, in fact, they use all sorts of synthetic ingredients, without even disclosing them, is our biggest challenge, in the market.”
Safety standards: Certified organic and natural by the USDA, Natrue and NPOP.
Star products: Mother’s Touch & Love Child Massage Oil (₹500), Breathe Free Cold & Cough Balm (₹400), A Healing Touch Diaper Rash Balm (₹400).
Available at: lifeandpursuits.com, amazon.in, flipkart.com, firstcry.com, nykaa.com and organic stores in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Juicy Chemistry
Brand Story: When Pritesh Asher turned over to look at the label of a product his wife, Megha, was looking to buy, he realised most of the ingredients were raw materials they used at their petroleum products manufacturing unit. His curiosity was piqued and he started reading labels of products. “Anything I looked at, had carcinogens and allergens listed,” he says. “Just the word ‘fragrance’ has a hundred ingredients that should not be there in anything you’re putting on your skin.” So, in 2014-15, Juicy Chemistry was born. A year later, when a niece was born to the couple, they realised babycare products were no better off. In 2016, they brought out their first baby products. “Our range, which uses avocado, almond and apricot oils, is safe for expectant mothers as well as babies.”
Brand philosophy: No nasties. “Our ingredients are all fresh — even the aloe vera for our soaps is cold-pressed.
Major challenges: “For one, our choice of ingredients is extremely limited,” says Asher. “Two, convincing the consumer about the efficacy of our products, since the consistency of our products may not be what they’re used to — our body butter is an actual butter, which sometimes melts in transit, but can be restored by refrigerating it, which is not something consumers often understand. Consumers don’t read labels and compare our products to 95% organic products that contain stabilisers and preservatives.” The lack of preservatives also means they have a shorter shelf-life.
Safety standards: EcoCert Cosmos 100% Organic certified.
Star products: Rosehip & Calendula Diaper Rash Balm (₹350), Avocado & Coconut Baby Shampoo and Body Wash (100 ml, ₹450).
Available at:
juicychemistry.com, nykaa.com, Juicy Chemistry store in Coimbatore.
Rustic Art
Brand story: “For as long as we can recall, we’ve been on the lookout for high-quality, organic personal care products,” says Sunita Jaju. “Since we couldn’t find any, we usually made our own, at home.” In 2010, Jaju realised that there was a huge gap in the market, she could fill. “And that’s how we started with a line of organic soaps, in 2011.” Rustic Art has, since, expanded to include body washes, shampoos, lotions and gels, for adults as well as babies. They also produce eco-friendly laundry powder, especially for babies.
Brand philosophy: Sustainability, in everything.
Major challenges: “Most of our challenges were about working in a commercial space with a product line that is handmade,” Jaju reveals. “Scalability, maximising our reach and working with a minimal marketing budget are our key constraints. We’ve had suppliers trying to sell us chemical ingredients, and big brands asking us to produce in bulk, so they can sell our products under their own labels. We’ve also had people ask if what we’re producing is a fairness range!”
Safety standards: Rustic Art uses only organic-certified ingredients, and is in the process of procuring an EcoCert Cosmos certification.
Star products: Organic Aloe Vera Neem-Basil Gel (₹320), Organic Baby Soap (₹155), Natural Little Laundry Powder (1 kg, ₹335).
Available at: rusticart.in, amazon.in, firstcry.in, nykaa.com, organicshop.in, pharmacies.
The Moms Co
Brand story: Banker Malika Datt Sadani delivered her first baby in the UK, where her husband was working on a project, at the time. “Just being there was an eye-opener, as far as products for babies go,” she says. “All the while that we were there, I used organic baby skincare products, but when I got back to India, in 2012, I was in for a shock.” Sadani’s older daughter developed ectopic eczema, which would get better for a while, with medication, but then relapse, till one dermatologist told her ectopic eczema was a direct result of skin dryness. “Most baby oils we find, in India, are mineral-based, and don’t permeate the skin at a deeper level, leaving your baby’s skin still dry,” Sadani explains. So the couple started The Moms Co in 2017, with a range for moms.
Brand philosophy: A brand, by a mom, for moms.
Major challenges: “Finding a manufacturing facility that will give me the level of safety I was looking for,” says Sadani. “Besides, natural products don’t give the same consistency as synthetic products — consumers aren’t going to buy a product that doesn’t look or feel like they expect it to look or feel like.” In her quest to find the best ingredients, Sadani imported a lot of them, which also delayed deliveries.
Safety Standards: Australian Certified Toxin-Free, Safe Cosmetics Australia, Made Safe, Australia Allergy Certified and dermatologically tested.
Star Products: Natural Baby Wash (₹393), Natural Baby Shampoo (₹393), Natural Body Butter (₹699).
Available at: themomsco.com, select outlets in Delhi/NCR.
