Conversations over conversions

MAMAEARTH WAS BORN OUT OF A PERSONAL PROBLEM THAT CO-FOUNDER GHAZAL ALAGH FACED WHEN SHE BECAME A MOTHER

- S SHANTHI

GHAZAL ALAGH, CO-FOUNDER and chief innovation officer, Honasa Consumer, wanted to build a life around art which she pursued at the New York Academy of Art. The shift towards entrepreneurship came years later — after she became a mother.

When Alagh's son was born, he developed a skin condition, and she found herself constantly researching the ingredients in baby products. She was shocked to discover the lack of safe, trustworthy, toxin-free options available to parents in India. Mamaearth was launched in September 2016 as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand. "I realised that if I was struggling to find better choices, other parents too must be. That realisation became the foundation for what would eventually become Mamaearth," she says. "Entrepreneurship found me, not the other way around."

The idea continued to evolve, shaped by every piece of feedback Ghazal and her husband Varun, co-founder and CEO of Honasa Consumer, received. They spoke with hundreds of parents across different cities and backgrounds, focusing on conversations over conversions. The couple also consulted doctors to understand the concerns around baby care products.