Organic cosmetics: a fresh beauty mantra

The history of Fresh Line began a century ago on the Greek island of Zakynthos. Under the able guidance of Mary Vagioni since 1992, Fresh Line has gained a strong international presence with its distinctive range of organic cosmetic products. Smita Aggarwal, Director of Fresh Line India shares the Indian perspective and future plans of the brand.  

Shubhra Saini (SS): What was the vision behind Fresh line?
Smita Aggarwal (SA): The vision behind it was to use ancient Greek recipes to make fresh homemade cosmetics. In Fresh Line we use fresh ingredients and that is the reason for naming it Fresh Line.

SS: What are organic cosmetics? How are they different from other cosmetics?

SA: The term organic refers to items that are not modified genetically. Organic cosmetics contain no harmful elements like pesticides, insecticides, etc. The production, manufacturing and packaging facilities used have to meet the highest possible standards. An item cannot be labeled as organic unless 95 per cent of the ingredients in the product are organically grown. When the product states that it includes organic ingredients, it means that 70 per cent of the ingredients contained are organic which are less harmful for skin. Lesser the chemicals and artificial products your skin care products contain, lesser are the chances of having an allergic reaction. 

SS: How open is the Indian retail market for such initiatives?
SA: People in India are slowly becoming aware of organic cosmetics. They are able to differentiate between the real organic cosmetics and the clones. The market in India is set to grow in the coming years and we wish to position ourselves firmly as an honest company and take advantage of the growth.

SS: Do you think Indian consumers are ready to spend on organic cosmetics? What kind of response have you got so far? 
SA: The Indian consumer is very aware of what they want and only those who are aware spend on organic cosmetics. In our range of products we do not use any harmful ingredients like sodium lauryl sulphate, silicon, and propylene glycol; we are against animal testing. The response that we have got is very overwhelming so far.

SS: What is your strategy to compete with other known cosmetic brands in the market?
SA: We have a very simple strategy; we give our customers excellent quality products which mean value for money. We are very honest in our approach.

SS: What all sales channel do you have for retailing?
SA: We have our own branded Fresh Line stores and we also retail through shop-in-shop in department stores.

SS: Are you planning to increase your product portfolio in India? 
SA: We already have the full range of Fresh Line products in India. Whenever a new product is launched in Europe we introduce it in India too.

SS: What are your expansion plans? Are you into any kind of franchising or licensing deal?
SA: We believe in sustainable growth as we plan to expand slowly and steadily. But we do not have any such deals as of now.