How This Women Entrepreneur Is Creating "One Stop Shop" for All Body, Skin And Hair Care

Beauty, skin, hair, and body care in India now have multiple addresses, especially since a massive chunk of the population is spending their hard-earned money on beauty and healthcare. 

With so many cosmetics brands flooding Indian beauty, skincare and wellness marketplaces like Gorg making them super accessible, the industry can be seen to boom. Research suggests the Indian retail, beauty and skincare cosmetics market stands at a current estimate of $ 950 million. The same is pegged to reach $2.69 billion by 2020.

With rising incomes and affordability, a brand like The Skin Story and The Beard Story have placed themselves as growing brands out there. We recently got in touch with Ravina Jain, Co-Founder of the said brands and learnt about how they have established as a 'One Stop Shop' for all skin, hair and body care needs.

KS: What is the genesis of your story, and what inspired you to begin your startup?

Ravina Jain (RJ): Most of the brands in the market today either don't work, or make your skin conditions worse. We can tell this because we are one of the largest R&D developers for personal care products. We formulate for other brands and help with high-quality ingredients. Our constant need to improve the market led us to The Skin Story and The Beard Story. Our team has researched for over a year. And, that's when we came with our moringa and witch hazel line. We have massive customer retention because fortunately, our research is showing and giving us results now. Trust me; if products don't work effectively, you will be replaced in a second as there are so many options available for the consumers. 

KS: What differentiates you?

RJ: World-class researched imported & active ingredients. For example, our French Clay Line of face wash and packs, they are specially imported from France from a company called Solabia. Imagine Multani mitti, which costs x. This costs 10x. That's the difference! Now take Witch Hazel, this wonder plant has been used in the US and Europe for years with massive differences to people. It works. Our entire line has American Witch Hazel. Because it works and it's unique to us. 

KS: Let's discuss the niche segments that you cover- skin care and beard care.

RJ: We are there in the market to cater to specific skincare needs like pimple/ acne, nourished skin, hydration. There are so many brands that have been launching their products with no skincare concern. We want to give our customers the benefit of high quality and researched ingredients. We want to provide them with products which work. 

Same goes for our men's care range. Our beard cream and hair creams are one of its kind with minimal fragrance but work more comprehensive sufficiently on skin. We have focused more on the functionality rather than launching me2 products. 

KS: Describe your experience with Gorg.

RJ: We launched in Gorg 4 month back, and Gorg has been excellent support for us. They believe in our brand, and they focus on collaborative growth. There was this activity that they were planning to do for IIT's & IIM's, they called us and asked for the products to display for free. There are not many brands who would focus on your growth, but Gorg is. They are one of a kind market place. 

KS: Kindly share your growth plans for the coming future.

RJ: We are currently moving slow, going step by step. We are in 500 stores now. We had planned to get into 5000 stores by year-end. But considering the current scenario, we are planning for focusing on online channels and pharmacies. We are also launching our hygiene products like sanitizers, disinfectants, hand rubs and more. We already have begun our 70 % Alcohol sanitizer with vitamin e and aloe vera. 

KS: Please share something very funny or unique about your brands that no one knows.

RJ: The Skin Story Brand name, no one liked it in the start, even me. People didn't like it that much. But, the more we stayed with it, the more it became unique and different. There is a story behind everybody, and that's what the brand is all about. 

KS: What are your highest-selling SKUs? What makes customers love them? 

Our moringa range ( moringa face wash, moringa scrub & moringa pack ) is the highest selling SKU's. Already taken its production three times since we launched it, it suits all skin types, and the results are very endearing. We have added moringa & witch hazel – well-read and researched ingredients. 

KS: Any message for fellow entrepreneurs, especially women who have been thinking of starting up on their business lines?

RJ: Go for it. Don't stop. If you think that the market is there, go ahead and start it. Trust me when I say this, you will lose your sleep, you will not look the same when you start working, you will have to handle too many egos. But in the end, the learning process will be satisfying. The feeling when someone goes and asks for your product in the store. Oh my god! The clock will stop for you, and you will say, now we work even harder. And ready to give up your life for ten years. 

KS: Share some stats so that investors can see those numbers.

RJ: We have made one crore sales already in the last six months only in 3 states – Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab with a team of just eight salespeople. And there is a long way to go for us, but we have full faith in our products and its effectiveness. We are targeting 10 crores by the end of March. It would be difficult seeing the current scenario but not impossible.  

I thank The Skin Story and The Beard Story teams for such an insightful conversation. We wish them all the luck to achieve their aspirations. They believe in only selling those products that they and their families use. And, that's what makes them stand apart among other skincare brands. Yes, they are making the right difference in the right direction! Kudos!