Inatur: Naturally produced health and wellness products

Irrespective of geography and demography, a few fundamental needs and wants remain unchanged. Each and every mature person in the world wants to consume nutritious and delicious food, wear socially relevant, trendy and well-manufactured clothes, have great skin and hair and take care of their bodies through exercise or learning new skills.

Food, textiles, health and wellness and the beauty categories have always remained evergreen, precisely because of the fundamental nature of these business categories for humankind. However, this also means competition, lots of it, with entrepreneurs from time immemorial, thinking and creating products to cater to the seemingly insatiable appetite of the masses to look and feel good.

For well over a century, brands and companies have dictated choices and trends, and the mass advertising era that began in the western markets after the end of world war two, made beauty, health and wellness products a necessity. However, in today’s era, where information is available to anyone with an internet connection, more and more consumers have begun to understand the role of chemicals and preservatives that is included in the manufacturing process.

Globally, a movement is underway, with a call to adopt products, whose brands are transparent about the ingredients they use, and more importantly, where those ingredients are sourced from, because the current consumer wave is well-geared and well-heeled to choose brands who create natural and green consumer care products, literally brining the goodness of nature for the human body.

 

Give a brief info about your startup?

Inatur is ethically produced beauty, skin care and wellness product that mark a wave of natural and green consumer care products in India. Inatur can be divided into two words I meaning innovation and India and Natur is Nature. I wanted to create a range of products where we declare all ingredients from water to preservatives mentioning in detail about the dosage and the results of active ingredients.

 

What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

I was always interested in learning more about the cosmetic ingredients, when and how they work on you. After completing my course in aromatherapy in year 2002 I started consulting people and prescribing them essential oil blends for both internal and external healing. The results inspired me launch my whole range of care and wellness products. It resulted in creating honest, skin and hair solutions where we mention all the ingredients.

 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

I am MBA in Finance and before this start up I was handling one of my dad’s factory that is into manufacturing printing inks. That bit helped me with understanding factory overheads and manufacturing processes

 

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

I started on a rented house in Mahipalpur where I was paying a rent of 25,000 in the year 2004. Me and my husband we were blessed with our first son. Those days we were in Gurgaon. Soon as he grew he got admission in a school in Delhi and we changed our residence and I moved my work to Noida. By Now I was more engrossed in research and development and also completed my second course from Beaumont college U.K. Noida came across as the best option for us at that time to enter into manufacturing.

 

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

All systems can be made for better processes and functionality but its the people who have to execute it. We are driven by SGS, Good Manufacturing Practices and there are various norms that have to be followed to give a good quality product. Ensuring that the same is followed is essential and that makes be sometimes worried as a product is speechless, its just the people and practices that make it.

 

Who are your competitions and how are you better than them?

All the skin care, hair care and wellness products manufacturing companies are a competition, everyone has their own philosophy and vision and we have ours. We cannot compare, we are different because we have carved our own path.

 

How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

It is hard and its only possible when you prioritize your life. You have to understand what is essential and divide your time accordingly.

 

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no, then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

No haven’t raised funding yet but are open to it when time rises.

 

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

I come across very clear and specific to people and don’t think that there is any misconception people can have about me.

 

What gets you excited about this company?

I am creative at heart, research and development gets most me excited about work. Working on new products formulations and designs.

 

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

My day start at 6 am with Yoga followed by tea and newspaper. I plan for a nutritious meal for my family organizing the menu. I believe healthy food leads to a healthy mind. I reach my office by 10 am. Daily meetings are scheduled with internal teams in the first half and external team meetings vendors, suppliers etc are all in the second half. I usually visit all the stores at least once every day.

 

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

I am lucky to have great team members. Met them through social platforms and recruitment portals.

 

 

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