How Kimirica Took Over the Global Hospitality Market, Now Aims to Disrupt the Indian Skincare Industry

Kimirica, a brand that started in 2012 supplying bath and body products to select hotels, today is making ripples in the personal care industry with its product portfolio. Having a successful brand journey positioning itself as a trailblazer in the luxury space with a focus on natural, sustainable, and conscious experiences, Kimirica has established a global footprint, with a product being used every two seconds worldwide. Moreover, the brand enjoys nearly 70 percent of the market share in the hotel amenities market today. It is India’s largest manufacturer of hotel amenities and supplies to over 1500 hotels like Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, Hilton, and Novotel in 22+ countries and records a turnover of around Rs 200 crore every year.

“The introduction of Kimirica Lifestyle as a direct-to-consumer venture in 2019 was a strategic move to respond to increasing customer demand for safe and effective ingredients that are sustainably and ethically sourced,” stated Mohit Jain, Co-founder and CEO, Kimirica Hunter International and Kimirica Lifestyle. 

Thus Kimirica has been paying close attention to customer preferences and adapting its offerings accordingly. The brand primarily focuses on providing a self-care experience that is both soothing and rejuvenating and resonates with customers who prioritize their well-being. Kimirica's strategic focus on sustainability, natural ingredients, and luxury self-care experiences has helped the brand in building a strong and dedicated following.

The Growing Skin-Care Market

The sustainable self-care market in India is experiencing significant growth and has great potential. According to a report by Research and Markets, the Indian organic personal care market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 18 percent during the forecast period of 2021-2026. 

Factors contributing to this growth include increasing awareness among consumers about the benefits of using organic and sustainable skin care products, rising concerns over the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients on the environment and personal health, and an increase in disposable income and willingness to pay a premium for high-quality products. 

The sustainable self-care market in India is expected to continue to grow and evolve, presenting significant opportunities for both domestic and international brands that prioritize sustainability and use natural ingredients.

Ideation

Back in 2012, the founders noticed that people used to shop for luxury self-care products when they were traveling overseas as there weren’t enough options available in India. It is then that the four core founders- Kimi Jain, Rica Jain, Mohit Jain, and Rajat Jain came up with the idea for an Indian brand that offers the ultimate luxurious experience by using safe, effective ingredients that are ethically and sustainably sourced. 

This idea became the brand’s vision, discovering the existing gap in the market and becoming the first to fill it. Kimirica used premium resources and innovative technology to build a scientific ecosystem to create skin-loving formulations that are just the right mix of exquisite fragrances and plant-based actives. 

Options Galore

Starting as a brand majorly focussed on the bath and body category, today the brand offers a varied range of plant-based skincare products. Apart from its already existing product categories, the brand has also entered the home and wellness category with the addition of 100 percent vegan-soy candles that have exquisite fragrances and plans to expand its offerings with the addition of a men’s care range soon.

“Be it our fragrances, our formulations, or the packaging of our products, we are proud to say that we build everything from scratch. We use our scientific ecosystem to innovate and create new formulations that help us in staying relatable with changing trends. Our vision is to keep our brand future-proof. We pay close attention to market trends and consumer demands and use these learnings to devise our marketing strategies accordingly,” added Jain.

With growing awareness, consumer trends are also changing, with more people tilting towards choices that are not just good for them, but also for the planet. The brand aims to spread its vegan, eco-friendly, and ethical approach to luxury self-care worldwide.

Technology and Kimirica

A decade of research excellence and the adoption of state-of-the-art technology has helped Kimirica in creating a scientific ecosystem to create skin-loving formulations that are just the right mix of exquisite fragrances and plant-based actives.

Kimirica has undertaken significant technological innovation for its products. The brand blends natural plant-based ingredients with modern science to achieve optimal healing and performance. This process involves overcoming unique challenges as the brand combines Ayurveda with modern science. Each formulation requires thousands of hours of research, sourcing, and hundreds of trials. Over the last decade, Kimirica has delved deep into both modern science and Ayurveda to harness the potent power of plants. 

“Our commitment to utilizing the latest technological advancements in its formulations, combined with our dedication to using natural plant-based ingredients, has helped us create innovative skincare formulations,” asserted the Co-Founder.

Growth and Marketing

The Indore-based start-up Kimirica Hunter is a global brand today, being India’s largest manufacturer of hotel amenities and supplies 1500+ hotels including Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, Hilton, and Novotel in more than 22 countries recording a turnover of around Rs 200 crore every year.

Kimirica is rapidly scaling its online and offline presence, having received positive responses on major online marketplaces like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, Myntra, and many more. The brand’s tie-up with Shopper’s Stop and Nykaa has helped cement its offline presence in all the major states. 

With D2C the brand’s journey has been a learning curve having received a higher response on its website more than on any other platform owing to it being seamless and interactive. The same has helped the brand understand consumer needs further aiding the doubling up of the loyal consumer base in the past financial year.

“We have already made our brand omnichannel and currently, we have 50+ retail outlets and kiosks and 15+ stockists in the country. There is still a large portion of consumers that feel uncomfortable buying self-care products online without trying them first. With the launch of our stores, we aim to simplify the shopping experience and make it more interactive for a larger set of consumers,” added Jain.

Future Plans

With the brand constantly inventing and re-inventing its product portfolio to cater to the needs of its customers, the brand is aiming to expand its product offerings and plans to enter into the men’s care range soon.

“We have big plans to make ourselves more accessible to our customers and we are looking forward to expanding to over 100 stores in the future. Using our omnichannel strategy, we are all set to spread our vegan, eco-friendly and ethical approach to luxury self-care worldwide in the next 5 years,” concluded Mohit Jain.