#LocalPreneur: Megha Asher, Co-founder of Juicy Chemistry on Building an Organic skincare & Haircare brand!

If you are a fan of eco-friendly and sustainable products, there is a chance you must have heard about Juicy Chemistry. The Coimbatore based brand was established in 2014 by the Husband-wife duo Pritesh and Megha Asher. Juicy Chemistry is now one of the leading organic skincare and haircare brand in India.

We were in conversation with Megha Asher to know her journey of founding and running Juicy Chemistry.

Where did it all begin for you?

It all began with a casual trip to the mall in search of skincare that would suit my sensitive and acne-prone skin. An encounter with a salesperson selling a supposedly ‘natural’ skincare product really changed mine and Pritesh’s perspective of the world of ‘natural’ personal products.

Can you tell us something about you?

After completing my education in Criminology and Criminal Justice and Masters in Journalism from Griffith University, I worked with reputed print media such as TOI. Prior to JC, I had also started my very own clothing label. I feel both these careers, in a way, prepared me a little for what was to come with Juicy Chemistry and helped me understand Communication and expression. 

Pritesh, on the other hand, loves the science and the juicy chemistry of the ingredients! His majority of time is dedicated to formulation and overall management. His prior experience with industrial lubricants manufacturing has helped us a lot in understanding what ingredients are a complete no-no at JC!

Please share What, When, & How of starting your brand Juicy Chemistry?

As I mentioned before, I struggled a lot to find skincare products that were well-suited for my skin type. I came across a salesperson at a mall selling a ‘natural’ product. Pritesh was alarmed to note that more than half the ingredients list contained ingredients that were nowhere near the term ‘natural’. Rather, most of the ingredients for fillers and petroleum derivatives! We saw this across categories - even baby care products contained such ingredients. I began to wonder whether the reason certain products were not working for me was that they were simply not effective enough. 

Pritesh and I wanted to harness the power of natural ingredients and create something pure and effective. Thus, Juicy Chemistry was born!

Can you walk us through your journey so far?

We turned 6 in August and the journey has been one of the challenges and great experiences. As the brand has evolved, so has our understanding of ingredients and formulations. We are very committed to doing what we do that is what enabled us to become ECOCERT certified as well. While our initial motive was to promote a concept of skincare simplified - effective products that did what they were supposed to do - we have also begun to understand the importance of transparency. As consumers have become more aware of ingredients and formulations, we have made sure to keep a close ear to the ground and pay attention to what our customers want. We also want our customers to understand our point of view better and to understand the thought behind our products.

Megha Asher, What are some challenges that you faced while running Juicy Chemistry?

There were a wide variety of challenges that we faced at the beginning of our journey. We wanted to champion organic ingredients in particular and sourcing was an important part of that. It took us our sweet time to successfully source quality ingredients from certified organic farms across the globe. Then there is the matter of preservatives. As a brand, we believe a product is best when it is freshly made and, thus, we do not use preservatives. In such a scenario is it critical that we create sterile products that do not get contaminated at any point during the supply chain. While these are back-end concerns, another challenge was to get our consumers to understand why they should use preservative-free products. We’re very glad to see that a lot many people have decided to place their faith in our products and our brand, and it is this support that has always kept us going! 

How do you source organic ingredients for your products? 

We work closely with certified organic farms across the globe. We procure Tea Tree from Australia, Hemp from Germany, and Geranium from Bulgaria, for example. We plan ahead and reach out to our partner farms before the harvest season.

What according to you Megha Asher, makes Juicy Chemistry stand out amongst other brands?

We’re very committed to our customers and truly want them to understand the mission and vision behind our brand. We also want to make sure that our customers know what they are getting into and we do our best to educate and sensitise our customers. A lot of people tend to think that ‘natural’ skincare is just a fad and does nothing. We work to make our customers understand that we are so much more than just a fad. There is real research that goes into making a Juicy Chemistry product. I feel our transparency and honesty sets us apart from the rest and also the fact that we never bash any brand or ingredient. We believe in living and let live. Our goal is to ensure we provide our customers with the highest quality of organic products and ingredients and to ensure that our customers understand our products well. Transparent, honest, and organic. That’s us!

How are you using Social Media to promote your homegrown brand?

We are harnessing the power of social media to reach out to our followers and help them know more about our products and processes. Over the year, consumer awareness has really grown and so has rumour-mongering and we are firmly against the latter. Social media has been one of our greatest strengths - we have managed to connect with our customers, talk to them about our ingredients, products, and processes, and receive honest feedback. 

What is your 5-year plan for Juicy Chemistry? What are you looking forward to in 2021?

Our plan, for now, is to expand our presence in India and overseas. We are planning on entering markets such as the US, Germany, France, and Australia. At the same time, we intend to expand our reach in India as well through partnerships with brick and mortar stores across the country. 

Can you share your business model with us? 

We have an online-first and direct-to-consumer business model. While we do have an offline store, it has been closed for a large part of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One advice/suggestion Megha Asher you’d like to give aspiring entrepreneurs out there.

Honesty really is the best policy. Be sincere and dedicated to the path you have chosen. It may sound cheesy but sincerity and honesty are ultimately what people respond to - be it potential customers, clients, or anyone else.

Also Read:  Meet the Baker who introduced Mumbaikers to fresh-baked cookies! Neha Sethi, Co-Founder & Head Chef of Sweetish House Mafia

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