This 13-year-old has launched a personal care product line for teens, earns Rs 1.2 lakh in a month

Anoushka Poddar, a 13-year-old student in Mumbai, has launched a personal care line for teenagers, starting with shampoos and conditioners.

As a teenager in India, Anoushka Poddar realised the problem of the lack of skin care products for teenagers in India. “I knew teens and young adults face issues like acne, eczema, and breakouts, and needed the right nourishment for different hair and skin types. Last year, during summer, I started facing skin allergy problems while using my mum’s ‘really famous’ brands. Upon research, I realised that while there are many brands for adults and children, there are very few mainstream personal care products in India for teens,” Anoushka says.

Anoushka is a student of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai, and always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. She talked to her friends about the problem of the lack of skincare products for teenagers and she realised that she was not the only one with the problem. Thus came the idea of starting Snazz, a teenager-focused personal care product line.

Anoushka explains, “Snazz is customised to skin and hair requirements of teens and tweens, and addresses common problems, including acne and hair breakouts. With the right level of nourishment, unique fragrances, environmentally sustainable packaging, and bold themes, we aim to help perplexed teens finally find their personal care solution. Snazz’s tagline “Be What You Want” suitably captures this brand proposition.“

She became part of the Thapar Entrepreneurs Academy (formerly YEA!), which enabled her to understand the basics of business like sales and marketing, financial management, supply chain considerations, etc. It also helped her develop her business concept and bring it to reality through continuous discussions and inputs from her tutors, peers, and industry experts.

The initial investor for Snazz was Anoushka’s father Abhishek Poddar. “After multiple tests and prototypes, the final formulation for Snazz was made. These formulations have been designed by lab scientists in laboratories after weeks of research and trials so that we have the perfect formula for Snazz’s shampoos and conditioners.

“They were initially tested in the labs themselves and the first set of prototypes were rolled out to potential customers and enhanced based on their feedback. These labs are part of a new startup located in Thane, which helps specialise in new formulations and test the same. Currently, we are working on third-party qualifications,” she says.

Priced at Rs 600 per bottle (250ml), Snazz targets urban premium customers looking for suitable personal care products. The entrepreneur claims that Snazz clocked Rs 1.2 lakh in sales within a month of its launch. Currently available for delivery within Mumbai via its website and Instagram handle, the brand intends to use e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Nykaa to make products available at a pan-India level.

Anoushka’s three-year vision is to make Snazz a recognised teen brand “with happy customers and new product lines available all over India”.

Credits: HerStory

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-Staff Reporter