0
0
PARENTING
By Debolina Coomar
3 May, 2018
So TRUE...
BananiVista: Tell us something about Ghazal who is not a mom- maybe how was Ghazal as a teenager or as a daughter.
Ghazal Alagh: First and foremost, I am an honest woman, an obedient daughter, a beloved wife, and an accomplished artist. As a daughter, I was always an obedient child who loved to spend time with her family. My mother was my best friend (and she still is) with whom I can share all my secrets. I perceived myself to be an introvert. I loved painting and aspired to be a software engineer. At the tender age of 15, I wanted to be independent and wanted to earn my own bread. I was proud to be the youngest person taking corporate training at the age of 19 in collaboration with Infosys, where I taught people who were thrice her age. After working for almost 3 years, I realized that my passion lied in art. I went to New York for my art education and currently, I am an established artist as well who exhibits her work both nationally and Internationally. BananiVista: How and When did you conceptualize Mamaearth? What is the USP of Mamaearth or what makes your products different from other products in the similar category? Ghazal Alagh: It all started 3 years back, with the birth of our son, Agastya. We realized the need for safe products & their unavailability in the Indian market. We were seeking the help of our friends and family traveling abroad to bring natural products for us. And we were not alone, we came across a lot of people who were doing the same. That is when we thought of researching the Indian market for the best ingredients and Safety standards that we want for our babies. We decided to take matters into our hands & do this not just for our baby but for all the babies out there. That is how Mamaearth came into being. Mamaearth is Asia’s first MadeSafe certified brand. MadeSafe is a US based not for profit organization, who checks each and every ingredient that goes into the product and after a thorough check, certifies a product to be safe. It ensures the product is free from the 8000 known toxins in the world. Our products are all-natural, hypoallergenic, clinically tested and pH balanced. We at Mamaearth test our products with nearly 100 moms before launching it in the market. We thoroughly believe that a mom is the best judge for herself and her baby. I personally always try out the product on myself before it even touches the skin of any baby or mama. More than just providing products, we believe in providing solutions to everyday problems that new parents face, and thus reducing their stress.
Ghazal's 2 families :)
BananiVista: What were the biggest challenges you had faced when you started and how did you overcome them?
Ghazal Alagh: There are 8000 known toxins in the market which are widely being used by leading brands without any hesitation. Our biggest challenge was to find the best and natural ingredients that were equally effective so that we could offer non-toxic and 100% safe products to our consumers at affordable and best prices.
We spent significant time in researching and better understanding toxins first so that we are very clear about what we did not want in our products. We worked with MadeSafe to get our list of ingredients and the sources for the same approved which was an extensive 12-week process where they went into the depth of each and every ingredient to make sure it was not harmful from dermatology, endocrines, behavioral and even environmental perspective. We also worked with aromatherapists and Ayurveda experts to understand the natural ingredients that will be best for each of our product keeping Indian weather & babies in mind. After all of this, we conducted tests to ensure our products were safe for sensitive skin, had no toxicology issues and were compliant with Bureau of International Standards.
BananiVista: How has Mamaearth impacted your personally and professionally?
Ghazal Alagh: I have become a more confident and satisfied mom post-Mamaearth. Now I know what are the ingredients of any product that touches the skin of my child. This has made me more conscious about all the other things as well, I ensure that I research enough and check the safety of everything that I chose for my son, from food to education and even sports.
Professionally, starting up changes you for the better big time. You get the know-how of so many roles that you play that otherwise, you wouldn’t have even thought of. Suddenly you are doing almost everything that needs to be done for your business. When we started, we were just a team of 3 people including me and Varun. That was the toughest, yet the most exciting time. From formulating products to testing them to getting certifications, handling finances in a bootstrapped situation, packaging and even the dispatching, we did it all.
Ghazal with her son, Agastya
BananiVista: How do you market Mamaearth- both nationally and Internationally?
Ghazal Alagh: Mamaearth is Asia’s First MadeSafe Certified Brand. We are all about the safest products for mamas and babies. We intend to solve everyday problems of new parents through best natural products and thus, reducing stress in them.
BananiVista: How do you ensure quality and safety of Mamaearth products?
Ghazal Alagh: When it comes to safety everyone in our organization is a champion. We live, breath & infuse the same spirit into our product development and production process.
We have a simple principle Strict No to Toxins and hell yeah to awesome effective yet safe ingredients. We work with expert formulators to develop the best formulations for the defined problems using best of earth ingredients. These formulations are then submitted for approval to Madesafe.Org where using their expert panels of MD Doctors & scientists they check the formulations for any of the 8000 known toxins. Post passing through these checks & hurdles a formulation gets to be a part of Mamaearth’s Baby Safe Army.
We are dermatologically tested from Europe QACs Labs known as “The Challenge Testing Laboratory”. It’s a team of experienced scientists who undertake physical, chemical and microbiological testing of raw materials, intermediates, and finished products. They also check for Traces and impurities, Allergens, Preservatives, UV filters and other harmful elements in products. This entire process ensures that the products are safe, legit and of the high-quality standard. MamaEarth is also FDA approved. So basically, we are 100% safe and the best to be used for babies as well as mamas.
An Artist as well
BananiVista: Where do you see Mamaearth in the next couple of years?
Ghazal Alagh: We want Mamaearth to be a fast-growing, highly profitable Organization in the next 10 years with a very sharp focus on reducing stress amongst parents with products across various categories.
1) Describe your family with a phrase.
Never thought of a phrase that could describe us as a family, but I think “Family is our favorite place to be” would be it.
"Family is our favourite place to be"
2) Your best success story/compliment on Mamaearth
Messages like these are a constant source of motivation and our biggest success measure.
Client Testimonial
3) If not Mamaearth, what would you have been doing?
I am an artist, so apart from painting and exhibiting, I would probably have an art studio for kids.
4) One thing that you want to incorporate in Mamaearth.
Simply, it can't be one thing. I would love to introduce whatever moms need for a healthy baby.
5 ) A piece of advice for budding Mompreneurs.
Ask for help when you need it (we all need it). Find something you are really passionate about and make it your calling, you will suddenly find a new energy which you never had.
A successful entrepreneur and a loving mom
BananiVista wishes her all the best in her future endeavors and eager to see MAMAEARTH achieve many more milestones.
For more interesting content follow our digital magazine BananiVista. Do "Like" and "Follow" us on Facebook.
