Latest news with #Fixderma
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Meet The 30 Under 30 Asia Retail & Ecommerce Entrepreneurs Growing Local Brands
Forbes Asia Looking for an India-made product to pamper her curly hair led Anshita Mehrotra to create Fix My Curls, a niche haircare brand that she says pulled in an estimated $2.8 million revenue for the fiscal year ended March. Melhotra is one of the entrepreneurs on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Retail & Ecommerce list who are drawing inspiration from first-hand experiences to create a business. The roots of the Gurgaon-based brand, which sells a range of shampoos, conditioners and gels, go back to early 2019, when Mehrotra took a semester off from media studies in Canada and returned home. When she ran out of her favorite frizz-control cream that wasn't available locally, her mother, founder of Indian skincare firm Fixderma, suggested she should concoct her own. Mehrotra spent the next few months working with Fixderma's team to create five products for the curly-haired. A year later, the business was hived off into a separate company, in which she owns a 68% stake. Her mother, who invested $200,000 in the venture, is the second-biggest shareholder. Forbes Asia Today Fix My Curls says it's delivered over 500,000 orders so far across ten countries, sold directly from its website as well as through Amazon, beauty retailer Nykaa and others. 'There's crazy potential in this business,' says Mehrotra. Investors have caught on. In April 2024, she secured a $100,000 grant for female founders from VC firm Peak XV and a month later raised $910,000 in a seed round led by Amazon Sambhav Venture Fund (ASVF) at a $6.8 million valuation, per data platform Traxcn. 'She had great customer insights in the space and was focused on building a large brand,' says Mayank Nandwani, a principal at ASVF. 'There is a long way to go, but I believe she's executing well and in the right direction.' 'There's crazy potential in this business' In Australia, Annabel Hay turned a wardrobe malfunction at a Sydney nightclub in 2016 into a multimillion-dollar business. Launched in 2022, Clutch Glue is a liquid alternative to fashion tape that Hay spent four years developing. The bootstrapped company uses a patented adhesive that is sweat-resistant but water soluble and does not seep into fabrics. In November 2024, the company received A$1.4 million ($900,000) in pre-seed funding led by Blackbird. In December, Hay quit her job at real estate firm JLL to run her company full time. Going Local Entrepreneurs on the list are also building niche brands and focusing on capturing their local markets. Sisters Raena and Rahee Ambani launched Mumbai-based activewear company Terractive in 2023, offering innovative sportswear that is both cooling and anti-odor. Last December, Terractive raised 80 million rupees (about $950,000) in a pre-series A funding round led by Fireside Ventures and DeVC. The funds will be used develop new products and fabrics, according to the startup. Jaivardhan Agarwal, cofounder of Gardens of India. Jaivardhan Agarwal' s Gardens of India, a premium brand of teas and spices was founded in 2019. The company supplies to hotels including the Mayfair Hotels & Resorts chain and the Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri. Through its web portal, Gardens of India also sells a variety of teas, spices, tableware and gift sets direct to customers both in India and overseas. Ecommerce is getting a revamp with this year's entrepreneurs, who aim to improve the experience and efficiency of online shopping. Sydney-based childhood friends Alexis Aaron and Jodine Wolman cofounded Sortd in 2020 to make online shopping more efficient. The shopping assistant app allows users to track items from any online store, compare options, be notified when the items are on sale and see what others are buying . Sortd went through Antler Australia's accelerator program and raised A$1.26 million ($800,000) in pre-seed funding backed by Antler and private investors including ELMO Software's former chief commercial officer Darryl Garber. lexis Aaron and Jodine Wolman, cofounders or Sortd. In Japan, Hikaru Ito founded Stract in 2017. The company is the developer and operator of the Plug shopping assistant app. An extension for Apple's Safari browser, Plug scans the internet for cashback offers, coupons and the cheapest pricing point for products users want to buy. Tokyo-based Stract says Plug had been downloaded over 1.5 million times as of January 2024. The company has thus far raised 1.4 billion yen ($9.7 million) in funding from investors including Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, New Commerce Ventures and SMBC Venture Capital. –Additional reporting by Anuradha Raghunathan Read our complete Retail & Ecommerce list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
MarTech Day: Integrating AI in the MarTech Stack
HighlightsShawn Chandy, Chief Marketing Officer of Paragon Footwear, emphasized the use of Artificial Intelligence in creating diverse content for social media, significantly reducing the time and costs associated with traditional photoshoots. Preetam Jena, Chief Marketing Officer of Fixderma, explained how Artificial Intelligence is enabling personalized engagement with customers by building cohorts based on unique skin characteristics. Fixderma utilizes machine learning to adapt marketing campaigns in real-time, allowing for the swift launch and adjustment of campaigns without needing external agencies. Jena highlighted the importance of creating specific customer cohorts for targeted marketing, which leads to more personalized skincare solutions and cost-effective customer retention strategies. AI is transforming every facet of marketing today, from personalisation and customer cohorting to content creation. On MarTech Day , an esteemed panel of speakers, including Preetam Jena, CMO, Fixderma, and Shawn Chandy, CMO, Paragon Footwear, shared their thoughts on how marketers are leveraging AI in their operations. Chandy opened the session by discussing how Paragon Footwear is using AI for content creation. He said, 'We use AI to produce diverse content for social media and other digital platforms. Each month, we launch 20 to 30 new footwear designs. Previously, physical photoshoots for these designs were both time-consuming and costly. Now, AI enables us to create compelling content, showcasing our products in imaginative settings with creativity, in a cost-effective and efficient manner.' While Paragon Footwear is harnessing AI for content generation, Fixderma is using it to build meaningful cohorts based on different skin types, allowing marketers to target these more effectively. Elaborating on this approach, Jena said, 'AI is crucial for us, as it enables personalised, one-on-one engagement with customers. While everyone's skin is unique, shared characteristics allow us to create cohorts using AI. Our facial analysis software, for instance, uses a camera to capture detailed facial structures, identifying current skin concerns and predicting future needs. This allows us to build cohorts for different skin types and target them effectively in campaigns.' Another use case for AI at Fixderma lies in campaign management. It enables the brand to launch and adapt campaigns swiftly without relying on agencies for real-time adjustments. By leveraging machine learning, Fixderma can refine existing campaigns on the fly. Over time, AI has also become an integral part of the MarTech stacks of brands. Consider the case of Fixderma, which aimed to promote its Nigrifix cream, a product that already had a vocal user base and turn it into a revenue generator. Expanding on this example, Jena said, 'With our database of customer purchases over the past two to four years, we successfully mined data on customers who were using our products. This enabled us to create distinct cohorts based on user behaviour, such as Nigrifix consumers with acne-prone skin or male Nigrifix users. These cohorts were then integrated into automated campaigns on Facebook and Google, with bid management also automated for efficiency. This streamlined customer journeys and significantly reduced costs at every stage. Retaining existing customers — who are acquired at a fraction of the cost of new users — proved highly cost-effective, approaching near-zero additional expense.' Jena concluded the session with his thoughts on the future of MarTech and the growing role of AI within the skincare category. 'Every individual's skin is unique, yet shared traits create identifiable cohorts. Larger cohorts yield more generalised data, reducing precision. To counter this, we need to use AI to build numerous, highly specific cohorts. This enables deeper, intent-driven conversations and more personalised skincare solutions,' Jena concluded. Watch the video here:
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Body brushing worth the hype? Dermat shares the truth and what is the correct method
Skin and body care trends on social media are continuously evolving, with new practices popping up online along with a string of expectations that fuel the buzz. Identifying whether it's just another fleeting wellness trend or something that may actually offer long-term benefits is where the real challenge lies. Body brushing is one such trend that has captured the attention of netizens. Let's decode it and see if it's truly worth a spot in your body care routine. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Anuradha Sharma, Medical Advisor and Skin Expert at Fixderma, shared the basics of body brushing and whether it's more than the social media buzz it garnered. She explained, 'Promoted by celebrities, influencers, and holistic health practitioners alike, the body brushing practice involves using a firm-bristled brush to sweep across dry skin in upward strokes, typically before showering. A major question that arises is why this is gaining popularity, claiming it boosts circulation, exfoliates the skin, stimulates the lymphatic system, and even reduces the appearance of cellulite.' Moreover, it may appear as if it's a new trend with influencers trying it out, but body brushing can actually be traced back centuries in ancient cultures. Dr Anuradha Sharma explained, "While it might seem like the latest trend, body brushing is far from new and has deep roots in ancient cultures, from Ayurvedic 'Garshana' practices to Greek and Japanese rituals. In these traditions, dry brushing was used not just for hygiene or for skin care, but as a spiritual or energising routine. Fans of body brushing report smoother skin, fewer ingrown hairs, reduced appearance of cellulite, improved circulation and lymphatic drainage." There are claims that body brushing can detoxify the body, but how true is it? Dr Sharma debunked it and revealed, 'We urge a cautious approach to these broader health claims. As there is no clinical evidence that dry brushing detoxifies the body or meaningfully improves lymphatic flow. But as it is a mechanical exfoliator, it can absolutely help remove dead skin cells and improve the skin's texture if done correctly and safely.' As Dr Sharma clarified, body brushing may not help with lymphatic flow, but instead it helps in mechanical exfoliation, getting rid of dead cells. She shared a guide on how to do it correctly: ALSO READ: Say goodbye to dull, tanned summer skin: Expert shares 7 skincare hacks for good hydration Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
