Brihans Natural Products’ Bet On Omnichannel Growth To Mark 25 Years In Aloe Vera-Based BPC Category

Despite India’s strong tradition of Ayurvedic and natural remedies, the early 2000s marked a shift in consumer habits as multinational brands made fortunes selling chemical-based beauty products to Indian households. 

During this time, a Pune-based businessman and techie, Mandar Agashe, noticed that while modern products had overshadowed traditional wisdom, consumers were in a constant quest to find something better that is natural yet safe and effective.

Yet the more they explored, the more they found themselves surrounded by chemical-based options, leading an entire generation to lose touch with ancient ayurvedic wisdom and practices.

After identifying a clear market gap, Agashe floated Brihans Natural Products, a company  focussed on aloe vera’s therapeutic potential under their brand Greenleaf, in 2000. 

“We were one of the early organised players in the country to have launched aloe vera-based skincare and haircare in India,” said Sheetal Agashe, the cofounder & MD of Brihans Natural Products.

This helped the brother-sister duo of Mandar and Sheetal to quickly build a strong offline presence across 50+ Tier I and II cities and major metros. They build a wide distribution network through medical stores, beauty stores and modern trade to increase their reach offline.

Its clinically proven  Greenleaf Aloe Vera Gel has since become a category staple — although their catalogue of products comprises a range of skincare, haircare, healthcare and hygiene products under their brands Greenleaf , Brimune and Oraheal.

Twenty-five years later, Brihans Natural Products is now steering towards digital commerce, D2C and quick-commerce platforms.

What is expected to complement this leap is Brihans Natural’s control over its entire value chain — right from processing fresh aloe into juice in-house to ensuring full control over quality and safety. Cushioning this ambition is the bootstrapped company’s FY25 revenues, which stood at INR 10 Cr. 

With its eye on the omnichannel growth, Brihans Natural Products now seeks a bigger chunk of India’s booming beauty and personal care (BPC) market, expected to breach the $28 Bn mark by 2030.

Brihans Natural Products’ Big Playbook   

Today, aloe vera may have become a staple ingredient in skincare products across India, but Brihans Natural Products stands out for using 100% farm-fresh aloe juice sourced from  aloe vera grown on chemical-free soil. They control and maintain the quality through the entire chain from farm to the final product .

“Our process of harvesting and processing  the aloe leaves within 24 hours delivers maximum potency and is Ayurveda-backed. Scientific studies and Ayurvedic texts affirm that  the active ingredient in juice form (swaras) delivers real results than the widely used processed powder form,” said Sheetal. 

Despite Brihans Natural’s early-mover advantage and a reputation for quality, the market has grown highly competitive. Other competitive brands such as Patanjali, WOW Skin Science, Mamaearth, Kapiva and Himalaya have deep pockets, massive advertising budgets and a great omnichannel reach. They also create price pressure by offering heavy discounts. 

To counter this, Brihans Natural Products has focussed on customer retention, expanded its sales channels, improved its D2C experience and introduced strong measures to curb return-to-origin (RTOs) and fake orders. 

Investing In The Omnichannel Future 

Originally built on an FMCG-style distribution model, Brihans Natural Products expanded through medical and modern  trade networks across India. 

However, the Covid-19 pandemic changed India’s buying habits. Witnessing that the country was now more focussed on buying digitally, the brand expanded its ambit to include ecommerce platforms and embrace the D2C route. It has also jumped on the quick commerce bandwagon. 

Going ahead, the founders plan to focus on building brand awareness through video content and interactive storytelling. This is expected to help the brand bridge the digital trust gap for online-first buyers.

Plans are underway to launch a premium aloe-based skincare range and ayurvedic oral care range by FY26 and deepen its reach under the three existing brands — Greenleaf for skincare, Brimune for healthcare and Oraheal for oralcare which cater to different consumer segments.

Capitalising on India’s omnichannel boom, the founders forecast their FY26 revenues to be around INR 12-13 Cr.  As Brihans Natural Products marks its silver jubilee, its vision remains unchanged — blending ayurvedic wisdom with modern science.