The ₹1,000 crore Honasa Consumer, which owns personal care brand Mamaearth, calls itself a company which crafts products by listening to consumers. Co-founder Ghazal Alagh talks to at least 35-40 consumers every quarter about what they like in their products and what they dislike, among other things. “But I am not the only one. Each member of our 800-strong workforce talks to at least 30 consumers every quarter. That’s the kind of insights we have about our consumers, which helps us in crafting products,” says Ghazal.
Mamaearth, launched in 2016 with six baby care products, is a full-fledged personal care brand with as many as 300 SKUs (stock-keeping units). Her forte, says Ghazal, lies in building brands organically. In the last few years, she has built three—The Derma Co (TDC), Aqualogica and Ayuga, besides acquiring skincare brand Dr Sheth’s and salon brands and services company BBlunt.
But isn’t launching too many brands a confusing strategy? No, says Ghazal. “They serve different needs,” she adds. “If consumers are looking for a sunscreen which is super hydrating, they would buy an Aqualogica, but if they are looking for one which has an active ingredient, they would go for TDC.”
Going ahead, Ghazal wants to go omnichannel with all her brands. She has already started to do so with Mamaearth, which has over 35 experience stores and is distributed in over 50,000 general trade stores. — Ajita Shashidhar