Beauty is not defined by complexion, class, or gender. Raw and natural beauty is inclusive of all. With this idea of ‘inclusivity,’ Ms. Jain launched The Skin Story in 2019, Mumbai. The brand comes with products that people can resonate with and get more confident and comfortable with their skin. The skin story began with the release of face wash, body lotions, sanitizers, and hand wash on Amazon, which became instant hits. Soon after, the company launched a full line of skin and hair care products and began selling to retailers such as Nykaa, Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm, among others, who then sold directly to customers.
The Skin Story is vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, safe, scientific & a soothing brand. Apart from that, their belief in the products lies in their exceptional formulations that helps in solving the concerns of the customers with extensive research and development. They are made with the purest of ingredients which are dermatologically tested, both in-house and at NABL accredited labs. The skincare range is carefully crafted from a spread of natural active ingredients like Witch Hazel, Moringa, French Red Clay Blueberry, Keratin, Charcoal, Match Green Tea.
Ravina Jain is one pioneering business professional who has created a unique business organization that has been able to carve out a niche for themselves in the crowded Indian skincare industry. Leveraging her industry expertise and business acumen, she has been able to break new business frontiers with The Skin Story.
In order to know more about the brand, we sat down with Ravina Jain, Founder & CEO, The Skin Story & The Beard Story, in order to know more about the brand.
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background
I was born and raised in Kolkata. My father is an entrepreneur and growing up watching him work so hard, I knew that someday, I too wanted to build a brand. I got my B.Com honors from Jadavpur University and went on to get my MBA in the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). This opened me up to a unique experience, market, and international market. Coming back to India after my post-graduation, I knew that it was time to allow my zest for entrepreneurship to take roots and I co-founded Streethopper in 2015. This was the start of a very hard-working and innovative career for me.
2) How did you find your way into the skincare space?
I loved building Streethopper and learned tremendously about eCommerce and the
market needs. In 2018, I co-founded BodyFirst and it now is one of the leading brands in the nutrition and fitness market. But I wanted my passion to create result-orientated skincare products to bear fruit. My expertise in the market and learning of building and growing a brand along with my passion for effective skincare led me to establish. The Skin Story and The Beard Story. I noticed that the market was filled with products for women and generic products for men but had very little research base to provide an effective result. I saw an opportunity to introduce good, clinically tested products for both men and women. Both my brands are now one of the most acclaimed scientifically proven brands in the Indian market.
3) What was the process of starting your own brand like?
Starting The Skin Story and The Beard Story was not an easy task. Observing the market for skincare products, I saw daily use products had little to no clinical backing. Skincare product lines were filled with commodities that didn’t have the necessary research to provide satisfactory results. This along with my passion for skincare paired with my acute business sense gave rise to the idea of The Skin Story. The Beard Story was my attempt to normalize skincare for men and provide them with a brand that is curated to their skin type and would work for them. I received the backing of a pharmaceutical company that could give me the opportunity to use their years of experience and research on selected ingredients so I could start creating the best skincare commodities.
Next was selecting the ingredients that I wanted to use. I chose naturally active
ingredients as the base foundation for almost all my products. NABL accredited labs, dermatologically tested ingredients, result orientated products that were carefully curated became the backbone of my company. From there on, I launched the two brands and we haven’t looked back since.
4) What is your best-selling product?
Our best-selling products are the Hair Serum from The Skin Story and the Beard Oil from The Beard Story.
5) How do you define the skincare market in India, especially men’s skincare as well as grooming?
The Indian skincare market has grown exponentially in the past few years owing to
health awareness and young demography. The skincare products market was valued at Rs. 129.76 billion in 2020 and was expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 8.22% between 2021 and 2025. The Indian men grooming market was evaluated at $643 million in 2018 and with a projected CAGR growth rate of over 11% to cross $1.2 billion by 2024. The skincare market in India has been especially booming since the pandemic. During the pandemic, people became more conscious about their health and a need for effective products rose in the market. Online shopping became the new norm and pharmacies received a huge boost in demand and sales. All of this has led to a growing market for skincare products.
6) What was the motivation for you to cultivate a brand that reflected the values of “clean, ethical, and inclusive beauty”?
I have watched the grooming industry for 8-9years now. The market is filled with
products that claim promises without the actual research for that promise. I wanted to build an authentic brand. My motto was to deliver results. I wanted my customers to be happy with their purchases because the product delivered its promises. The men’s skincare market was filled with generic products with very little choice. I was adamant about providing the customer base with quality products that were clinically tested and researched before they made their way on the shelf or online tabs. I wanted people to be able to truly care about their skins and health. The pandemic created a sort of awareness about skincare and people realized how certain products could not deliver their promises. With that, rose a demand for effective skincare products, and The Skin Story and The Beard Story came into the bigger limelight.
7) What are the areas of concern most prominent in the men’s skincare industry?
There is a taboo in the world regarding men’s grooming products. In the past years, we have come a long way in addressing this taboo and cognizing that men too need a skincare routine. Their grooming is just as important as women’s grooming. Because of the lack of knowledge and the taboo, the market demands were low and that initially gave rise to a low-research supply. Men’s skincare products continue to be generic with very little choice. The discrimination between men’s and women’s skincare and grooming products is very prevalent. The market today fails to recognize that men’s and women’s skin is very different and requires different products. The same ingredient is used for men’s skincare in the same quantity as that of a women’s product but in reality, this may not always work for the best for men. There needs to be better research-backed products for specifically men in today’s market.
8) What sets “The skin story” apart from the other skincare brands?
One of the biggest things that set us apart from other skincare brands is our R&D. We have a parent company with experience of 30+ years. We are a vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free brand. I have worked assiduously to create a brand that is research-oriented, clean, proven to work, backed by science, and recommended by experts. With our research backing, we are able to provide a unique combination of quality and science to our customers.
