India is facing one of the worst water crises in its history. Around 600 million of its people face water shortage. Lack of access to clean water is leading to hygiene issues because of which five million people are admitted to ICUs every year.
These were some reasons that forced IIM-Calcutta alumnus Puneet Gupta, 33, to come up with an alternative to deal with such problems.
His innovative idea led to, what he claims to be, the world’s first waterless body bath and shampoo in 2018.
The company, Clensta International, was recognised among the Top 10 winners at Level Nxt Awards organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in February, for this innovation.
And now, the team has come up with a waterless toothpaste. This safe-to-swallow solution is meant for optimum oral hygiene.
Gupta, who founded Clensta International in 2016, says, “We are following a waterless technology. These products will contribute in saving water. An average Indian uses 70-80 litres of water for bathing every day, and 20ml of wash is what we need to replace. And one 100-ml bottle saves 350-litre water.”
The alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, gluten and paraben-free products are patent protected in 152 countries.
Clensta has been incubated as a company in IIT-Delhi and benefits from its funds and infrastructure. Moreover, the institute is a shareholder in the company and Anurag Rathore, professor, chemical engineering department, IIT Delhi, is the co-founder. The company is working with a complete team now.
Gupta says these products are easy to use. “Liquid-based body bath comes in the form of a spray. You can spray and then massage the area, and this creates froth, which absorbs the dust that can be wiped off. With shampoo, there are dry shampoos in the market and people confuse our shampoo with those shampoos. Dry shampoos manage oily hair, but our shampoo gives a comprehensive hygiene. You can put massage liquid on your scalp and clean it with a towel. It makes you feel as fresh as you feel after a hair wash.”
Catering to sectors of hospitality, railways, hotels, home health care, defence forces, and adventure tourism, Clensta has made the products available on e-commerce portals also. “We are planning an official launch for the toothpaste on World Health Day on April 7 next year.”