Fuschia by Vkare - Handmade Cosmetics Startup

There are about a million skincare and beauty products available in the market that promise to give you a glowing, flawless skin. But how do you know which ones are the best for you? Or what kind of chemicals are used to manufacture them? 

According to ASSOCHAM, the Indian market for beauty, cosmetics and grooming will touch $20 billion dollars by 2025 from the current level of $6.5 billion. ASSOCHAM has also found that over 68 percent of young adults feel that using grooming products boost their confidence. About 62 percent of young consumers in big cities prefer to buy beauty and grooming products online.

Alarmed by people’s ignorance about daily skincare products, Dr Mohit Bhatia, started thinking about it and together with a team of doctors, decided to enter the natural skincare market in India and hence Fuschia was born. Taking a leaf out of its parent company Vkare Bio Sciences, Fuschia has been consistently evolving and has established itself as a brand dedicated to natural, handmade skincare products.

About the Founders 

Mohit, 34, holds an MBA in healthcare management, and has experience in medico-marketing and clinical research at international pharmaceutical MNCs. His wife Dr Harsimran Kaur, a practicing ophthalmologist and also a creative designer in her off-practice time and brother Paras Bhatia, 28, an engineering post graduate with professional training in digital marketing, joined him in the entrepreneurial venture. The trio had already launched Vkare Bio Sciences, in 2012, to manufacture and sell surgical instruments.

So what makes Fuschia by Vkare a cosmetic brand to reckon with?

• Idea of Hand-Made natural products - Though the idea of chemical-free skincare has been widely accepted by our Indian customer base, ‘natural skincare’ still remains a blanket term for many. The existing confusion about ‘natural skincare’ has been strategically exploited by a lot of labels. Just adding the label of natural/ herbal/ ayurvedic doesn’t make it so, the ingredient list is what will decide the fact.
  Talking about the ideology behind the brand and products, Bhatia says, “Having studied the never-ending market of skincare products in India and abroad we realised that most of the labels were fraught with harsh chemicals. To our surprise, the majority of customers were more or less unaware of the ingredients they were feeding their skin. This is what led Fuschia to promote ‘natural skincare’ as products essentially free of SLS/SLES, Parabens, Phthalates & Mineral oils and synthetic colours” he says.
  
  
• Target Audience and Selling Point - Fuschia’s target audience is people who believe in and understand the concept of natural skincare. Their target audience are the aware consumers who will read the list of ingredients and not just see the tag of “herbal/natural/ayurvedic” before picking up a product. 
  Since their products are handmade, production batches are small – this ensures that the products reach customers in their freshest form. Mohit explains, “We keep minimum things in ready stock. It’s the demand that regulates batch sizes. This ensures the freshness of the product.” Fuschia endeavours to provide customers the best for their skin and at the same time contribute towards saving the ecosystem from harsh chemicals.
  Apart from being available at Nykaa.com, Fuschia works with more than 100 e-commerce portals, including Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, and Smytten. Their own e-commerce store myfuschia.com has pan-India coverage. They also collaborate with subscription boxes and a few modern retail stores. Mohit adds, “In case of direct online sales, the timeline between production to delivery may vary between a week to months; our delivery timeline from warehouse to customer varies between 2-7 days.”
  
  
• Growth Trajectory - A self-funded company, it started with 10 varieties of natural, handmade soaps and now have expanded to more than 15 Categories today, and have a range of skincare that includes day cream, anti-ageing night cream and Bath & Body products. According to Mohit, Fuschia, a team of eight (including the founders), has grown more than 100 per cent YoY since launch. “Our current GMV is Rs 50 lakh and we are eyeing more than Rs 1 crore for 2018. We are profitable. Our unit economics have been positive from Day 1,” he says. Monthly, Fuschia sells more than 1,500 units, with an average basket size of Rs.400. Mohit further reiterates,“As the ingredients we use are high priced for the quality we strive for, our products are a little pricier than most commercial brands. We believe in making products for people who swear by our quality and go on to become a loyal clientele. Our products cost from Rs 250 to Rs 1,250,"