In an interview Aditi Vyas and Mansi Vyas, directors, Azafran Innovacion with Chemical Today magazine talk about how the cosmetics industry is undergoing a drastic change with the rise of customer consciousness for organic and natural products over chemical alternatives and how we are going back to Mother Nature to find the answers to unleash beauty.
What inspired both of you to enter the organic cosmetics domain in India?
Our aspiration for natural beauty took an innovative form as a range of organic personal care products. Azafran Organics was created out of the passion for natural beauty along with a comprehensive knowledge of what goes on the skin. It is the first ever product line in India created with the concept of ‘Farm to Face’, where the entire range of personal care products are made only by using natural methods, and organic farm grown ingredients. Azafran Organics is our effort to take you back to where you belong, ‘the nature’.
The organic cosmetics industry is a rapidly growing market both globally and in India. Can you tell us about the industry dynamics?
Organic personal care products are picking up momentum in the Indian markets and many brands are waiting on their wings seeking access into the segment. Upsurge in young urban elite population, and increase in disposable income of working women who seek for classic life-style products have caused a significant increase in the market for organic products.
With an increasing number of people who want to shun chemical products in favor of organic ones, market opportunities are lucrative. Market Analysis report predicts overall Indian personal care market to grow at a CAGR of 8 percent year-on-year. Considering the fact that there are very limited organic personal care brands in India currently, the segment offers lucrative market potential.
Tell us more about your ‘Farm to Face’ model?
Azafran set up its completely integrated ‘Farm to Face’ model. Purity being our fore-most goal, we grow numerous varieties of plants, flowers and herbs specifically for our organic skin care range on our 40 hectare farmland in Sanand, Ahmedabad. Plants are harvested during its particular season and are sent through the extraction process. Following the extraction, botanical ingredients are sent to our manufacturing unit where they are further processed to final packed formulations. Farm-toface is a completely integrated, perhaps the one of its kind in the Indian organic skin care market ie. R&D, raw material cultivation, extraction, processing, formulation, packaging, sales & marketing.
The Indian market specifically, is torn between foreign brands and Indian herbal brands. Give us a sense of the acceptance of organic products among Indian consumers?
People in India are slowly and gradually shifting to organic personal care products to protect their body and skin from harmful ingredients. Increasing awareness about the environmental damage and growing ‘go green’ consciousness has fueled the demand for organic personal care products in India. At Azafran we always keep an eye on the prices, while compiling our product range. We offer our range in affordable prices; carrying only the best products.
The Indian market is getting crowded with new organic cosmetics brands entering the terrain. How are your cosmetics different and what are your ‘go to market’ strategies?
We believe transparency is the key to trust. Nobody trusts anything that is anonymous. Following principles of transparency and best practices, we always mention the proportion of organic ingredients in our products. You can see our product labels mentioning that the product is made with 80 percent or 88 percent certified organic ingredients, and the rest being earth derived. We also mention the ingredients that are used in the product. Our farming is approved for organic certification of NOP and NPOP standards through ECOCERT France, and you can see these certifications on our website.
You have several varieties of plants, herbs and flowers. Can you tell us more about the uniqueness of your greenhouse?
Azafran has its own organic farms with large greenhouses where numerous varieties of plants, flowers and herbs are grown. We create the right kind of climate and environment in our greenhouses, and plants are grown in an environment; free of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We use organic manures from our own dairy farm and de oil cakes from our cold press for enriching soil and plants. Being a botanical beauty brand, we aspire to protect our environment in whatever we do. Our greenhouses are designed with environmentally friendly innovations and are managed as a natural habitat.
We create the right kind of climate and environment in our greenhouses for growing exotic plant varieties. Chamomile, Geranium, Alfa alfa, Lemon balm, Rosemary, Passiflora incarnate and Calendula are a few to name. Herbs are handpicked and essence is extracted. Then we check the concentration of the desired constituents and use it in creating our formulations. We work closely with our ingredient growers, adopt sustainability and organic practices, so as to ensure that our range of personal care products are made with natures best botanical ingredients. We use steam distillation process to extract essential oils at our own facility so as to ensure 100 percent purity.
Azafran has its own organic farm, greenhouses, research and development center for your skincare range. Can you tell us more about your R&D activities for skin care products?
Our company’s robust pipeline of innovation resulted in new launches in the form of Nutri active advanced skin firming cream and a range of botanical hair oils. Backed up by leading edge marketing approaches, the products are expected to tap profitable revenue while also strengthening brand reputation. Our Nutri Active Advanced Skin Firming Cream was voted as the ‘Best New Organic Product’ competing with other international brands in the Pure Beauty Awards, 2015 ceremony in London. The cream is created with the rare Swiss apple stem cell technology and we are the first Indian brand to launch a cream in India using this technology.
How do you plan to expand your product range?
With the addition of new organic cosmetic ingredients of organic fruits, flowers, waxes & butters, we are into rigorous R&D for new launches. Baby care range is in pipe-line which will include body wash, shampoo, cream/lotion, bubble bath, massage oil & diaper rash cream.
Following the successful market response to our Aqua Halo range, we will extend the product line into moisturizer, toner, cleanser, body lotion and anti-cellulite body cream. Our existing range encompasses shampoo, conditioner & body cleansers. Currently we have body butters based on soya milk as thebase ingredient. We will be extending the Soya Milk range into shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, body wash and face scrub. We are also considering options to launch our organic range of essential oils including jasmine, lavender etc.
The global industry is taking its lessons from Eastern ancient traditions and culture. Right from Japanese green tea extracts to marine collagens, to Indian herbal science; a lot of these Eastern ingredients are entering foreign brands.
Can you tell us about the acceptance of organic, herbal, natural ingredients by global customers?
Standard cosmetic products are made with synthetic, and petrochemical ingredients. Even animal fats are used in some products. Ingredients like ‘oxybenzone,’ which are used in synthetic sunscreens can be absorbed through the skin, and cause hormone disruption, and cell damage. Synthetic preservatives and fragrances like parabens may cause allergic reactions. In contrast, plant-based natural surfactants extracted from natural fruit sugars and oils such as coconut, sunflower etc moisturizes the skin and help to maintain the pH balance of the skin.
Milk proteins from soya milk, aqua milk etc soothe the skin making it velvety soft. People are gradually shifting to organic personal care products to protect their body and skin from harmful ingredients.
Has Indian industry been late in exploring its own traditional science or has it been difficult to convince the new generation Indian consumers to break away from global brands’ to embrace Indian traditional beauty regime?
Campaigning and building awareness is one of the major thrust areas of Azafran. Our goal is to create awareness about ‘organic way of living’. Our product packaging speaks about the quality of our products inside.
Our packaging is not just for product protection, but also has an interesting combination of colors, textures, instructions, which informs about the organic and authentic nature of our products. Our brochures, product guides, newsletters, and other versatile pieces of printed information play a vital role. Apart from this, we also use social media engagement to create a strong social awareness.
What are your expansion plans in India?
We have a strong and well-established market in the South and West. Following our success in these territories, we have recently launched our products in the North and are currently foraying into Eastern markets. Presently, the brand has presence in 101 modern retail stores located in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Gurgaon. We are planning expansion into II tier and III tier cities as well.
Do you have plans to take Azafran global?
We have an established global - online presence. Our website is aesthetically designed with refined product category and menu structure. We have a growing customer base in countries like Australia and US.
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