MamaEarth - A Baby Products Brand that Reduces Parenting Stress

Founded by husband and wife duo Varun and Ghazal Alagh, Mamaearth is Asia’s first Madesafe certified brand that offers 100% toxin free & natural baby and mama care products. The idea of founding Mamaearth came from the duo’s personal need of finding chemical-free products. With Mamaearth’s innovative product line, Varun and Ghazal have solved a common Indian parenting problem. In a country where most of the baby products available are not safe due to the lack of safety regulations, Mamaearth offers products which are safe by international standards and are filled with the goodness of nature.

The start up has recently raised $4 million in its Series A round of funding led by Stellaris Ventures and Fireside Ventures. Marico's Rishabh Mariwala, who manages Sharp Ventures, and Snapdeal Founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal also participated in the round. The start up had earlier raised funds in 2017 and 2017, led by Fireside Ventures and Kanwaljit Singh, respectively.

The digital-first brand is available across eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, Firstcry, Nykaa, Flipkart, Paytm and its own website - www.mamaearth.in. The brand has already sold more than 200K units to over 100K parents across India since its inception in December 2016 and is all set to target the stores in major cities in India. Mamaearth has Bollywood actress, entrepreneur, wellness ambassador, and an experienced mother, Shilpa Shetty Kundra as the brand representative

Narrating the story behind the homegrown brand, Co-Founder Ghazal Alagh says, "The lack of baby-safe products in India led us to conceptualize Mamaearth. There are certain parenting problems that only mums will understand, and as a mum, I can vouch for it. Right from the inception of Mamaearth, we have been collaborating with mothers to identify, understand and solve their baby-related problems by offering innovative, natural and toxin-free baby products."

MamaEarth is a brand driven by innovation and uses the best of science and Ayurveda to meet all personal care needs of moms & babies alike. Some of the most innovative products developed by the brand include India’s first Bamboo Based Baby Wipes, Easy Tummy Roll on with Hing & Fennel for Colic and Digestion Relief and 100% natural plant-based toothpaste for children between 0-10 years. Mamaearth’s proprietary mama’s love oil is its differentiator for the segment dominated by leaders like Johnson & Johnson.

A Corporate trainer turned artist cum entrepreneur Ghazal Alagh, co-founded Mamaearth, driven by the passion for making early parenting, stress-free. As the Co-Founder and Chief Mama at Mamaearth, India’s first toxin-free baby care brand, Ghazal is responsible for product development and community management. She works closely with a large number of mothers to develop a product line that addresses problems that moms face on a daily basis. The idea of a 100% toxin-free baby products brand came to Ghazal when she became a mom and had a difficult time finding chemical-free products for her son, Agastya.

Besides being a successful entrepreneur and devoted mother, Ghazal has been recognized amongst top 10 women artists in India, nationally and internationally. With a Bachelors in Information Technology and Intensive Courses in Modern Art, Design and Applied Arts from New York Academy of Arts Ghazal started her career with NIIT as Corporate Trainer, as a part of her role, Ghazal trained managers and engineers from various IT companies in SQL, J2ME, and Oracle.

Varun Alagh
Co-Founder, Chief Dad
mamaearth

Varun Alagh comes with over 10 years of leadership experience in sales and marketing roles with world-renowned FMCG brands. During this corporate stint, he has won multiple recognitions including Business Unit Presidents Award, Above and Beyond Award and I am Diageo Award. Varun is the Co-founder and Chief Dad at Mamaearth, a brand that reduces parenting stress by offering a line of honest, natural and safe products. Varun leverages his understanding of the FMCG market to develop, distribute and market Mamaearth's 100% toxin-free products.

“In India, it is difficult to find Paraben and Sulfate free products. The emphasis on the post-natal market is also low, which is quite developed in the US as most of the mothers go back to work full-time. This experience made me and my wife think of alternatives which are certified and can be retailed at 50% cheaper than the foreign brands present in India”, says Varun who earlier, as a Senior Brand Manager at The Coca-Cola Company, has been instrumental in launching Coke Zero in India.

With a Masters in Finance and Marketing from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and Bachelors in Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE), Varun started his career with Hindustan Unilever. For 3 years, Varun managed an 800 crore area for HUL dealing in more than 20 categories spread across home care, personal care & food. He had, twice, been listed amongst the top managers in HUL. He then went on to become the Senior Brand Manager at Diageo. As a part of this assignment, Varun managed the ATL, BTL, Digital & On-trade activations for Smirnoff across India. Varun has also completed a four-year stint with Coca-Cola as the Sr. Brand Manager for India and South West Asia. A loving father of a two-year-old baby and a farsighted entrepreneur, Varun Alagh is a fun loving guy, always game for new adventure and challenges.