With E-commerce Gaining Wind In Country, Small Enterprises Have Become More Accessible: Juicy Chemistry

1. How difficult was it to enter a beauty segment when many other brands are standing strong?
When we started 6 years back, we reckoned that there was a very obvious gap in the market and Juicy Chemistry was born with an intend to fill in the void catering to that segment of the customers who were on a lookout for truly organic personal care products. 

While there were many big players, our research showed that none of them were really offering organic products. So even though we did face our share of challenges, we were able to create our place in the market by realizing the need of this untapped sector especially because as individuals we belonged to the same consumer group. 

2. How difficult is it to convince people for a new brand when they are already comfortable with the other beauty products?
We've never believed in convincing consumers to shift, we've always believed in educating and informing them about our products, techniques and why we function a certain way and then leave it to them to make a decision. 

The new age consumers are very intelligent. They know what they're looking for and with the right information, it only makes the process simpler for them. 

3. How much investment have you made to date?  Bootstrapped or Investors.
Currently bootstrapped, JC was founded in 2014, with an initial investment of Rs. 5,000. Since its genesis, we have catered to more than 1,00,000 customers in over 25 states in India, and reached 20 countries globally. In the last 18 months, we have received an overwhelming response which motivates us to keep doing what we do best as well as validates our efforts. Initially, we were aware of the resistance by the customer to switch to a new brand. However, JC has managed to walk through those tough waters and now most of our new clientele is through referrals. 

Lately, the JC family was joined by Amit Nanavati who entrusted us with an investment of 650,000 USD. The funds are going to be utilised for capital expenditure, this will upgrade and automate our manufacturing facility increasing its capacity to approximately 10x. This will also require the strengthening our supply chain and increase in the workforce. Additionally, we also plan on increasing out marketing budget and introduces new offerings for the stronger user experience. 

4. There are a lot of beauty brands around, how is Juicy Chemistry doing things differently?
We offer distilled nature in a box, that’s our USP! When we started Juicy Chemistry, the thumb rule was clear, to use simple yet effective ingredients for our formulations. We are committed to use only all-organic naturally occurring ingredients while not sacrificing the effectiveness of the product. Not only our products, but also our ingredients are certified organic and our sourced from small, trusted and certified farms and suppliers only. We follow a transparent policy and are proud to mention each and every ingredient we use in all our product formulations.

5. What are your expansion plans in or out of the country?
Recently, JC has been approached with various offers of distribution- both in domestic and international markets. We have also observed a spike in the interest of high-end spas and destination resorts in our products. 

Seeing the overwhelming support and increasing awareness of the cognizant customer when it comes to choosing organic brands for their skin and healthcare, we have planned an expansion to the US and will be launching there soon.

6. What's your take on the future for start-ups and entrepreneurship?
The future is all about being authentic and having a voice of reason, for us it was the lack of a reliable brand for organic beauty and skincare that lead to the birth of Juicy Chemistry. It is all about being true to your motives and not drowning in the noise of similarity. The key to any successful venture, lies in the authenticity the brand has to offer and the constant innovation it brings to its customers. 

We should hope to see more original solutions to long-standing problems as the consumers embrace homegrown organic brands. With e-commerce gaining wind in the country, small enterprises have become more accessible and customers are proactively seeking products and services that are worth their money. From where we are standing, if you have an idea to fill a void in the market, now is a better time than ever to make it happen!