This dentist turned entrepreneur launched a clean beauty brand safe for all life forms and the planet

As a young mother, when Dr Merin Liza Jacob found that her toddler had extremely dry skin, she tried several bottled remedies, and even asked relatives and friends abroad to buy recommended skincare brands, but to no avail.

The Bengaluru-based dentist then combined her knowledge of science and chemistry and different home remedies to explore and develop special products for her son, which worked better and had a long-lasting effect. His skin issues subsided, and that’s when Merin realised that she had carved the path to entrepreneurship – and Green And Beige came into being.

Explaining the pain point, she says, “I wanted skincare products that were true to the labelling and did what they were supposed to do, especially since I always had the habit of reading labels before picking up any product. Being a planet lover, I didn’t like some of the ingredients used in most products. I was also miffed that some of the brands I loved for the sensorial didn’t share the complete list of ingredients.”

She also realised that most products didn’t work, while some worked temporarily. She started formulating products and tested them in her home kitchen.

“We also developed handmade soaps that cleansed skin without stripping it of the natural skin moisture. Once we were satisfied with the formulations and the results, we began taking our products to flea markets in the city, where they met with a good response. Our customers appreciated the quality, and our pricing wasn’t a barrier for them given the effect our products had,” she says.

A conversation with other family members led her to understand that there were others with similar skincare issues, but without a solution. This led to the launch of Green and Beige last year, when the initial impact of the pandemic had passed, and it became evident that the new normal was likely to last for a while.

Towards sustainable living

At any point in the business, Merin and her family members were sure not to trade their philosophy of transparency and efficacy of the products for quick success. So, they decided to set up Green and Beige’s own R&D unit in Bengaluru to ensure they were in complete control of each formulation and each ingredient.

Merin highlights that Bengaluru has a sizeable population that has embraced sustainable living, and many small enterprises in the city focus on offering a variety of products for the same.

“South India traditionally has always been more partial to natural and clean products that are safe for us as well as the environment. Today, while we do retail nationally, Bengaluru and the rest of Southern India contribute more to our sales. However, we are also seeing piquing interest from customers across the country – from the North East to Uttarakhand and Rajasthan,” she says.

Green and Beige offers a bouquet of products in body care, hair care, and face care. Its focus to be a clean beauty brand; with clean beauty a philosophy to be implemented in skincare, not just in India but globally too.

Merin elaborates, “The clean beauty philosophy allows people to live a sustainable life through the product and brand choices they make. It’s about using fewer resources - resources that are replenished and do not harm the human skin but also our planet. It’s a way of life that respects all creatures on the planet and, more importantly, care for the earth holistically.”

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Safe for the planet

Green and Beige beauty products are made with ingredients that are safe for humans, all life forms and the planet, void of any toxic ingredients. Each ingredient is sustainably sourced, meaning the supply chain is scrutinised to ensure it complies with the brand philosophy. Every ingredient used is biodegradable and is not known to pollute the environment during manufacturing or our formulation.

In its body care range, Green and Beige offers an armpit mask, a rich body butter, a soothing body lotion and an exfoliating coffee scrub. Its face care range is one of the first to offer Blue Light protection, which Merin says, is a must-have as we spend long hours in front of digital screens. The haircare range is developed on the philosophy that a healthy scalp is essential to have healthy hair.

Green and Beige comprises of Merin’s family members and includes Jacob, Merin’s husband, who comes with extensive experience in sales and marketing with brands like Bausch and Lomb, Reliance, and others. Her brother Abraham has an advertising and creative background and oversees package and creative nuances. Merin is involved in product formulations.

According to her, the brand’s target audience is “the conscious consumer who wants to make a difference to the environment while taking care of themselves - someone who believes that healthy skin comes from holistic care, and most importantly, people who believe that we have loaned this planet from our children and it’s our duty to take care of it.”

Green and Beige is an online brand available on its D2C website www.greenandbeige.com and also on marketplaces like Amazon, Nykaa, Myntra, Vanity Wagon, Sublime Life, Clean beauty, Zoobop, and You care.

While Merin believes clean beauty is still a nascent concept in India, the natural, organic, and ayurvedic beauty segments are well understood and significantly larger.

“However, the clean beauty philosophy is quickly catching on, and newer D2C brands are entering the market. Globally too, it’s a new concept that is only just beginning to gain traction. Brands like Tata Harper and Paula’s Choice are leading the philosophy, and their products are quite good,” she points out.

A bootstrapped startup, the brand is looking at raising a seed round to help in rapid growth.

Mein’s future plans include launching many new variants in Green and Beige’s current product range and also launching new categories like baby care, sun protection range, foot care and hand care.