Partners in Personal Care Being able to create products that customers want is key, but being able to create products that customers don't know they want yet is the key to success: Dhruv Madhok and Dhruv Bhasin

By Punita Sabharwal

You're reading BIZ Experiences India, an international franchise of BIZ Experiences Media.

Arata
Dhruv Bhasin and Dhruv Madhok, co-founders, Arata

One evening in January 2016, Bhasin decided to use his mother's homemade hair gel recipe to style his hair for Madhok's wedding celebration. When Madhok asked Bhasin if he was concerned about hair fall or whitening from the excessive use of hair gel, Bhasin responded that his hair gel was 100% natural and made with organic flaxseeds. The next day, Bhasin sent Madhok a sample. Madhok tried it and noticed that this gel held his hair just as well as any other hair gel in the market. He immediately called Bhasin and said "Let's make this for everyone looking for a safe alternative to style their hair."

They discovered that the same ingredients that caused hair fall and hair whitening were being widely used. Not just in styling products, but in virtually every single personal care product in the country. A larger problem became apparent. Chemical ingredients, known to be carcinogens banned in North America and Europe, are still being used in products made and sold in India.

From that day forward, they envisioned an honest personal care company that would offer trustworthy and credible products, made of the highest quality ingredients that were safe and clean. Based on that vision, with the help of a very talented group of people, the duo brought Arata to life. Arata's focus is to provide premium and aspirational hair care products for enhancement, styling and maintenance.

Talking about their mantra for success, the duo says, "Being able to create products that customers want is key, but being able to create products that customers don't know they want yet is the key to success."

The brand is looking to get to 100crs ARR by the end of this financial year and create an offline presence in the last quarter of the financial year. Giving an insight into the operations, they add, "We work predominantly with contract manufacturing partners, maintaining an asset-light business. We believe that we should not dilute our focus on branding and marketing, which is our core skill set. Our formulations are proprietary and formulated in-house."

Factsheet

  • Bestseller: Hair Gel and Hair Cream
  • Total SKUs:36
  • Team size: 37
  • Repeat customer ratio: 35% monthly
  • Online platform resulting in maximum revenue: own Website
  • Turnover for FY 2021-22: 20crs MRP
  • Split between offline and online sales: 100% online
Punita Sabharwal

BIZ Experiences Staff

Managing Editor, BIZ Experiences India

Punita Sabharwal is the Managing Editor of BIZ Experiences India.
Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

OpenAI's Latest Move Is a Game Changer — Here's How Smart Solopreneurs Are Turning It Into Profit

OpenAI's latest AI tool acts like a full-time assistant, helping solopreneurs save time, find leads and grow their business without hiring.

Business News

Here's How Much Google Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Data Scientists Make in a Year

Data revealed in federal filings shows how much Google is compensating its employees.

Growing a Business

10 Habits That Separate Rich and Successful Founders From Wannabe BIZ Experiencess

Successful BIZ Experiencess adopt rich habits. Unsuccessful BIZ Experiencess ignore their habits.

Science & Technology

AI Isn't Plug-and-Play — You Need a Strategy. Here's Your Guide to Building One.

Don't just "add AI" — build a strategy. This guide helps founders avoid common pitfalls and create a step-by-step roadmap to harness real value from AI.

Business News

How Much Does Apple Pay Its Employees? Here Are the Exact Salaries of Staff Jobs, Including Developers, Engineers, and Consultants.

New federal filings submitted by Apple reveal how much the tech giant pays its employees for a variety of roles.