Clean Beauty Brands Are Moving Beyond Niche Appeal
India’s beauty and personal care market is seeing a shift from celebrity-led hype to ingredient transparency and science-backed formulations. As consumers become more aware of toxins, allergens, and long-term skin impact, clean beauty brands are transitioning from niche positioning to mass-premium categories, drawing interest from strategic global investors.
Funding Snapshot and Capital Mix
Mumbai-based Secret Alchemist has raised $3 million (around ₹25 crore) in a funding round led by Unilever Ventures, with participation from DSG Consumer Partners.
The round comprised $2.5 million in primary capital and a secondary component, allowing a few early angel investors to partially exit. The startup had earlier raised $898,000 in a seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures.
What the Startup Is Building
Co-founded in 2022 by Ankita Thadani, Akash Valia, and actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Secret Alchemist operates at the intersection of fragrance, aromatherapy, and wellness. The brand focuses on toxin-free perfumes and personal care products built using essential oils and aromatherapy principles. Its portfolio spans clean perfumes, skincare, haircare, and wellness blends, with a positioning centred on transparency, sustainability, and nature-meets-science formulations.
Why This Funding Matters
The fresh capital will be deployed towards branding and marketing, widening the product portfolio, and team expansion, alongside deeper distribution across D2C, ecommerce marketplaces, and quick commerce platforms. For Indian founders, this round signals growing strategic interest in clean, wellness-led consumer brands that combine founder credibility with repeatable product science, marking a maturation phase for India’s premium beauty ecosystem.
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