DOLLY KUMAR, Founder and Director, Cosmic Nutracos, the parent company of FMCG brands Gaia and Skinella, talks about providing innovative solutions in skin care, health food and nutritional supplements categories through their products
How did the idea of Cosmic Nutracos take shape in 2007? What are the highlights of the brand’s journey so far, as also the challenges you faced along the way?
Cosmic Nutracos Solutions started as an entrepreneurial venture in the wellness and beauty space, aiming to provide innovative solutions in research and development, innovative technology, formulation development, packaging solutions and global sourcing. In a span of 14 years, Cosmic Nutracos has established itself as one of the most prominent third-party private label manufacturers catering to many of India’s leading brands such as Lakme, Ponds, Studio West, Faces, Believe, Sugar, Purplle, etc. What started with humble beginnings is today a company with a 40,000 square feet full-service GMP-certified custom manufacturing facility at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, India, where we offer short lead-time, comprehensive turnkey manufacturing solutions, using state-of-the-art equipment and streamlined processes to deliver exacting standards. Our facilities and processes have received the 'Halal' certification, among other accreditations. Also, the company is at zero debt without outside/private funding. Our brands Gaia and Skinella were launched in 2009 and 2017 respectively. One of the biggest challenges the company faced was restriction on movement thanks to lockdown during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic. From production and supply chain to warehouse and stock management, several issues were erupting at many levels. Even work from home had many limitations. But we acted immediately to turn such challenges into opportunities. We enforced new SOPs as we started re-opening our factories and offices. We also worked on strengthening our logistics and supply chain.
What is the USP of Brand Gaia and what are your investments in R&D for it?
One of the first health and wellness brands in India, Gaia’s USP is having a complete range of health food products and nutritional supplements. It has 80+ products in its portfolio, besides four specialised lines under Gaia Plus, Gaia Lite, Gaia Sport and Gaia Organic, and is present across 25,000+ retail outlets, 600+ modern trade outlets, canteen stores department (CSD) and Central Police Canteen (CPC) outlets, as well as online marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart. This year, Gaia launched its own e-commerce website, which offers all products, including the latest millet muesli - diet, millet muesli - cranberry & chocolate, quinoa, sugar free ragi cookies, protein cookies, etc. Gaia is backed by strong in-house R&D and the products are manufactured at the in-house health food and nutritional supplements manufacturing wing, Aar Gee Formulations.
How does Skinella differentiate itself in the huge universe of skincare products? Please tell us about your joint venture with Ancorotti Cosmetics, Italy.
As a cosmetic engineer, it was always my dream to contribute something for the industry. I wanted to launch a brand that would not only be different, but also hold strong values and ethos. Through research, we realized that very few skin care brands in the market were meant for teenagers, or making products especially for their needs. Moreover, there was no complete range of skin care products for the target group of 15 to 25-year-old girls. So, we launched Skinella in 2017, to cater to this TG. Skinella products are made with the power of superfoods and contain no harsh chemicals. They are certified by PETA as cruelty-free and are vegan. Cosmic Nutracos has a joint venture with Ancorotti Cosmetics, Italy - a leading manufacturer of colour cosmetics in the world. It provides access to many local and regional brands in the Indian subcontinent to international beauty innovations.
What next at Cosmic Nutracos? What are your short-term and long-term goals?
There are many upcoming product launches for both Gaia and Skinella this year. The immediate launches for Gaia are Coconut Cold Pressed Oil, Mustard Cold Pressed Oil, Kahwa, etc., and for Skinella, it is Gold & Saffron Glow Facial Kit. Our short-term goal is to increase awareness for both the brands by increasing advertising spends, especially for Gaia. Long-term goal is to increase market-share for both the brands.
Tell us about Dolly Kumar beyond the realm of work – what are you passionate about, or spend a lot of time on?
I am a big advocate of 'balance' in everything – be it work-life balance, or balance in our lifestyles and eating habits. I like to spend time with my family and friends. I love my personal space too, and am passionate about meditation and yoga.
