Arata Zero Chemicals, a personal care start-up which makes vegan and chemical free unisex skin and hair care products, said it has raised seed funding in a round led by venture capital fund DSG Consumer Partners.
Utsav Somani of AngelList India, a venture fund and Dr. Rajan Raghavachari, former personal care research and development director at Unilever, also participated in the fundraise.
The company aims to use the funds for new product development, product launches, marketing, building the team and investment in its online and offline presence.
Launched in February 2018, Arata has been selling its products online across various marketplaces as well as on its own website. It has also curated an offline presence across select modern trade stores in the Delhi-NCR region. It claims to have over 10,000 customers across India.
Arata was founded by Dhruv Madhok, a former strategy consultant in the US and UAE and Dhruv Bhasin, a former finance executive in the UK and India.
“We were becoming increasingly aware of the harsh effects of synthetic chemicals in the products we were consuming daily. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a single reliable brand that made truly clean label products in the country,” said Madhok.
“We had the vision of an honest personal care company that would offer trustworthy and credible products, made of the highest quality of safe and clean ingredients. Based on that vision, we, along with a very talented group of people, brought Arata to life,” he added.
Arata Zero Chemicals makes 100% nature-derived hair care and skincare products for both women and men. The company uses only safe and non-toxic, nature-derived ingredients and is Peta-Certified Vegan and Cruelty-Free, it said.
Deepak Shahdadpuri, managing director of DSG Consumer Partners, said, “Consumers across the globe are becoming more conscious about the safety and efficacy of personal care products they use on a regular basis. At the same time, younger consumers are showing a strong preference for natural and plant-based ingredients.”
“We believe there is huge scope for an honest, clean label everyday personal care brand that consumers can trust. We are excited to partner with Dhruv Bhasin and Dhruv Madhok to build this brand and scale the business,” he added.
Source: Mint