What happens when a charted accountant decides to get into the business of beauty? A meticulously thought-out brand is conceived and rules of the game are reimagined. This is exactly what happened when Delhi-based entrepreneur Rahul Agarwal got his brain wrapped around a homegrown, natural beauty product label. Organic Harvest was, thus, born in 2013. “Innovation always captures my fascination. I wanted to develop a range of product that is free of harmful chemicals,” Agarwal says.
He spent over two years researching products and studying the market before launching the brand. “It was an uphill task. Discouraged by stalwarts of the industry, we focused on manufacturing good quality products that are reasonably priced too,” the 34-year-old says. Stiff competition didn’t dissuade him. “The personal care industry is overcrowded, but how many brands are purely organic?”
He set up a manufacturing facility in Parwanoo and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh to ensure better quality control. The natural ingredients—shea butter, sea buckthorn, marshmallow and iris root extract, tamarind seed extract, mulberry extract, honeysuckle flowers, Indian gooseberry—are produced locally without the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides, and are certified by global organisations such as EcoCert, OneCert & Natrue. The products—tested at labs like Tropical & Kelkar—that include cleansers, sunscreens, toners, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, treatment creams and serums, lip balms, scrub, anti-pigmentation cream—are priced from Rs 199 tp Rs 1,995. Each of their stores has trained beauty advisors, who help customers choose what’s best for them.
In just four years, Organic Harvest has found a loyal list of customers and has expanded. “We have 12 exclusive brand stores, a presence in 5,000 outlets, and export to Dubai, Bangladesh and Nepal,” he says, updating us about his plan to increase the presence to 100,000 retail spaces in a couple of years and a global expansion.