Cleanliness is much above godliness, Mothers say personal hygiene is the most vital thing during a child's upbringing. Cleanliness topped the poll for both genders, with 69 percent of fathers saying hygiene was the foremost crucial aspect of parenting. Born out of a mom's got to give only the best to her babies, The Moms Co. are on a mission to extend a hand for moms to make safe, natural, effective choices for themselves and their families.
Launched in March 2017, the Start-Up aims to address an enormous gap of toxin-free products within the Indian marketplace for pre-natal and post-natal consumption and baby care segment.
Evolution of the Idea
The idea for The Moms Co. took birth when husband-wife duo Malika and Mohit Sadani moved to Gurgaon back from London. “Finding safe, toxin-free, natural product options for my daughter was so impossible that I started relying on friends' travel plans to fulfil my stock. However, while talking to other moms, I soon realised there were others also who faced similar challenges. It just seemed that there was nobody hearing us moms and trying to unravel our needs,” explains Malika.
They got provoked when a friend travelling back from the US couldn’t get the products they had asked for. “It was snowing and he was stuck cross-country, so we were finally out of luck,” says Malika.
That’s when the duo pronounced to set up "The Moms Co." The couple started investigating into the supply chain to know whether such superlative products could be made in India.
Prior to The Moms Co., Malika, a graduate from Welingkar Institute of Management, worked with ICICI bank. Mohit, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus was working with e-commerce unicorn Snapdeal and had stints at Mckinsey.
Rigorous quality checks
The company’s products are developed by experts across India, Australia, and Switzerland. All its ingredients are checked for toxicity against databases available around the globe. Once the products are formulated they undergo rigorous quality checks :
● Stability Tests - To ensure stability across varied humidity and temperature conditions.
● Microbial Tests - To ensure they are free from heavy metals, mineral oil, microbial growth, etc.
● Dermatological Evaluation - To ensure that there are no irritants in them.
● Certification from Safe Cosmetics Australia – to make sure that products are toxin free and made safe for usage.
The founders even work closely with the manufacturers to source ingredients from only leading qualified suppliers and test every ingredient before using them for creating the ultimate product. To ensure the manufacturing process, the founders believe contract manufacturers who have over 30 years of experience in building products across organic, ayurvedic, and natural product ranges.
Opportunities and size of market :
At present, mom-to-be and baby care collectively have a market size of about ₹ 10,000 crore and further growing at 20 % annually. It’s also a category that's gradually shifting online, with moms spending tons of their time on research online and using marketplaces for her daily shopping needs.
The mom-to-be market is in premature stages in India. Within the baby space market, Johnson & Johnson is the market leader, but companies like Himalaya and Baby Dove are expanding their ranges in this space too.
Compared to those vertical brands, The Moms Co. features a horizontal approach. The company aims to become a one-stop destination for pre-natal, post-natal and baby care spaces. It has plans to foray into clothing and foods soon.
Funding acquired :
Initially, the Start-Up was financed from the savings of the co-founder of ₹ 25 lakhs. As of now, it has raised fund more than $ 6 Million in funding over 3 rounds. The latest being Series-B funding round of $ 5 Million in December 2019 led by the same investors Saama Capital and DSG Consumer Partners that also participated in its Series-A funding round of $ 1 Million in September 2017. The Start-Up has also been trusted by the former head of marketing at Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola and co-founder of Fingerlix, PaperBoat, Shripad Nadkarni, who is also its brand mentor, Nestle executive Nandu Nandkishore, and senior partners from McKinsey.
Conclusion :
In a matter of only three in years, this mompreneur led Start-Up for toxin-free and natural products for pre, postnatal care, and babies has diversified its offerings across categories of face care, hair care, and yet others, with over 25 Stock Keeping Units (SKU). The brand features a physical presence in five cities across India, including retail presence inside 15 of the top maternity hospitals in the country. The company said it counts over half a million customers across all channels, with most of its products being very highly rated by consumers across platforms.