Until a few years back, luxury bath and body products were alien to India. Even today, most of us can hardly think of anything other than non-Indian brands like Body Shop and Lush. But, Mumbai-based Nyassa has become a well known brand in the short six years since its inception and founder Ishween Anand couldn’t be more pleased.
A company that has come to be known for its innovation in bath and body products, it has incidentally been around even longer than fromwhen some of the better known brands landed on Indian shores.
Established in 2007, Nyassa now has over 100 products to its credit including hair oils, body oils, soaps and so on. Spread across four cities including Mumbai, Pune and Nasik, besides Hyderabad, they also plan on opening a store at New Delhi soon.
So what makes the company such a success? Its policy to be “as natural as possible” is what Ishween feels gives Nyassa the edge. Combining nature’s best ingredients to give customers the ultimate experience, Nyassa believe in one key ingredient – innovation.
Behind the scene
When Ishween entered the Indian market, most people were not aware that bath and body products could be a luxury. A former chartered accountant from New York, Ishween was always fascinated by the variety available in the US. And so she decided to become an entrepreneur at the cost of leaving her well-settled career, and plunging headlong into a new playing field. Being a novice and knowing little about how to do business, the odds were against her. “I least expected myself to become an entrepreneur,” she says of her foray. Yet here she is. “I believe that if I do something that I love, people will have to fall for it too,” is her mantra. And that is the reason she chose to follow her passion – which has made her a pioneer in the industry.
Experimental value
Besides establishing itself as a luxury brand in the country, Nyassa has also made a killing with its wide range of natural products and is aiming at growing as a global enterprise. The company started as a small kiosk in Mumbai and began making a mark soon enough. Nyassa is now specifically known for its hand-made soaps and has introduced more than 150 products ranging from face creams to air fresheners, scented candles, shampoos, body lotions, bath salts and even loofahs. Using a variety of natural products, they are currently experimenting with materials like wheat germ oil, charcoal, birch tree extracts, coffee grind and are about to release 28 new varieties in soaps along with a range of hair products.
It smells good
Ishween knows that the trick to a successful bath/body product is the fragrance. And so the company has invested heavily in experimenting with ingredients that add that extra flavour. Using the tagline ‘From Heaven and Earth’, Nyassa tries to imbibe an almost ephemeral aura to its products, supplemented by the exotic ingredients they experiment with. In fact, Ishween says the very reason behind the establishment of her brand was because of her fascination for fragrances. “My mind never stopped thinking. I smelt fragrances everywhere,” says the entreprenuer who believes that fragrances were her
calling.
The Competition
When Nyassa began, their products were very new to the Indian scenario. Today, with the entry of international brands like Body Shop and Lush, the Indian market is opening up, and is also encouraging Indian companies to join the fore. Talking about local competition, Ishween says, “There are many small players who are very scattered. But what I don’t see is creativity. They is also lack in variety which is Nyassa’s stronghold.” The industrious woman also believes that Nyassa’s small structure is what will help her become a huge player.
Prices range from Rs 75 to Rs1800
Nyassa is availabale at GVK One Mall, Road Number 1, Banjara Hills.
Details: www.nyassa.in;
040 4476 7880