Plum ? Sustainable beauty for the era

There is no doubt that Plum has made its mark as a much-loved beauty brand. With its paraben-free products, there has been a revolution in the market with people inclining towards safe and sustainable products. Being an Indian brand, one surely wonders how Plum was able to hold its ground and amass such popularity in the market with its local roots.

Mr. Shankar Prasad, Founder of Pum & Phy, has been candid with us about his approach towards manufacturing beauty products that resonate with the masses.  

What it takes for a brand to connect?

Mr. Prasad believes that there are several aspects that connect with the consumers that are paramount for a successful enterprise. Plum being India’s first 100% vegan beauty and PETA cruelty-free brand is headed towards an expansion and their approach is simple. With straightforward marketing of “Clean Beauty” in India, he has also been a part of campaigns like “Empties 4 Good” which is a recycling initiative.

With a tagline of “what’s in what’s out”, Plum is transparent with the consumers. They have also treaded the unconventional men’s grooming market.

“We are observing the interest of men in the grooming space has been growing up. That's why Phy is being focused a lot on body, skin, and hair, which is challenging and vital for maintaining in grooming point of view. We also focused a lot on beard products,” he elaborated when asked about the significance of men’s grooming.

An enlightened customer base

It is only recently that consumers have become aware of the use of harmful products and their side effects. Checking the chemicals on the ingredient list hasn’t been an age-old practice, after all!

Mr. Prasad recognized the potential for science to be able to create safe products easily along with the need for a sustainable approach.

“We started seven years back, and there was a genuine need for the market to know what ingredients the brand is using and the elements we shouldn't use. People with the progressive mindset had 100% clarity on what they were buying into, which has always been important to us. That's when "what's in. what's out" started”, he said.

Clean. Real. Good.

When asked why he stood for the tagline – “Clean. Real. Good.” to describe his products instead of going for something fancy or sophisticated, he emphasized the relevance of this motto -

“Firstly, clean, which is easy to understand in terms of the ingredient we use; that is safe and known to be non-harmful to the people. At the same time, we like to keep our beauty standard real. We are about care & not necessarily correcting or being something else other than what the person is. Good actually synthesizes what we always have through for and what we want to be in our world,” is his idea for a clean, real, and good brand for beauty.

He further added that sustainability was an important aspect of his vision and giving back to the ecosystem was always important.

Expanding Indian Market – Vocal for local

Having dived into the challenging Indian market, he has targeted his products to cater to the awareness and desire for clean beauty products. With challenges of product distribution, desirability, and avid competition, Mr. Prasad has banked on the strategy of making quality products available at a reasonable price.

“People's awareness, as well as the consumption of beauty products are increasing day by day. People have started to prefer local brands like us. Overall, this is a great place to be.

People expect foreign brands to bring in technology, specific ingredients, and specialization. There is no shortage of brands in India; if you are comings from a foreign land, you have to show how you are different. So, I would say it's exciting, exciting & challenging. There are scopes in the Indian market & a long way to go.”

Mr. Parsad concluded on this optimistic note for the growing beauty market in India. His vision for local brands to yield quality and popularity at the same time is the stepping stone for an entrepreneurial revolution. He says that it is the beginning of his brand, he would like to penetrate internationally and continue his sustainable initiatives in the days to come.

This article is edited by Puneet Kapani, Features Editor.