SUMMARY
The D2C brand wants to make natural wellness an everyday affair in Indian households with authentic ayurvedic care
The Origin Story
Swagatika Das and Gaurav Agarwal were engineers-turned-entrepreneurs. Das, an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, worked on developing a consumer-centric business strategy at Apple before launching Stitchio, a social media platform focussed on tech products. Agarwal had a proven track record as an entrepreneur, having set up ZipGo and TaxiPixi. They also shared a common passion for natural living and natural wellness, stemming from their medical and agricultural roots. Aware that high-octane advertising promotes chemical-laden synthetic stuff and authentic ayurvedic products are hard to come by, the duo set up Nat Habit, a beauty and personal care range made from fresh and natural ingredients.
The Differentiator
Two layers of authenticity are required to create effective Ayurvedic products. The first involves using fresh, natural ingredients so that no harmful chemicals or preservatives enter the production process. The second is about using traditional ayurvedic procedures that help retain maximum natural benefits. Nat Habit ensures both by sourcing raw materials every day and preparing the products in its ayurvedic kitchens. All end products are certified by AYUSH and GMP and undergo annual audits. Additionally, all ingredients and pre-fill formulations are checked as per AYUSH criteria. While its transparent labelling features the ingredients of each product upfront, the brand uses eco-friendly packaging for 40% of its products to promote sustainability.
The Growth
It clocked more than 150% YoY revenue growth in FY23 and launched its patented facewash. Besides, it focussed on R&D to improve product shelf life to address ecommerce challenges. The brand’s marketplace sales increased 25x as it offset fast-selling products (due to shorter shelf life) with rapid supply cycles. Despite the ongoing funding winter, it raised $10.2 Mn in a Series B round to end 2023 on a strong note.
What’s Next
Nat Habit aims to strengthen its research and development capabilities and expand its product line, including shampoo, conditioner, soap, serum and all-natural hair colour. It also plans to develop a mobile application, venture into offline retail and enhance brand visibility through mainline marketing strategies. Educating consumers about the benefits of ayurveda and all-natural products will be another focus to raise awareness. The brand eyes INR 25 Cr in revenue by FY25.
