This 13-year-old has launched a personal care product line for teens, earns Rs 1.2 lakh in a month

As a teenager, Anoushka Poddar understood the problems faced by tweens and teens when it came to personal care. 

“I knew teens and young adults face issues like acne, eczema, and breakouts, and needed the right nourishment for different hair and skin types. Last year, during summer, I started facing skin allergy problems while using my mum’s ‘really famous’ brands. Upon research, I realised that while there are many brands for adults and children, there are very few mainstream personal care products in India for teens,” she says.

A student of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai, Anoushka says she always aspired to make it big in the world of business and was inspired by the likes of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates – who have created large business conglomerates while making a real impact on the lives of people.

Researching and speaking with her friends made Anoushka realise that she wasn’t the only one going through this “phase”.

Thus came the idea of creating Snazz, a teenager-focused personal care product line. 

Anoushka explains, “Snazz is customised to skin and hair requirements of teens and tweens, and addresses common problems, including acne and hair breakouts. With the right level of nourishment, unique fragrances, environmentally sustainable packaging, and bold themes, we aim to help perplexed teens finally find their personal care solution. Snazz’s tagline “Be What You Want” suitably captures this brand proposition.” 

She became part of the Thapar Entrepreneurs Academy (formerly YEA!), which enabled her to understand the basics of business like sales and marketing, financial management, supply chain considerations, etc. It also helped her develop her business concept and bring it to reality through continuous discussions and inputs from her tutors, peers, and industry experts. 

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After conceptualising the idea, and coming up with a business plan, Anoushka’s initial investment came from her father Abhishek Poddar. 

“After multiple tests and prototypes, the final formulation for Snazz was made. These formulations have been designed by lab scientists in laboratories after weeks of research and trials so that we have the perfect formula for Snazz's shampoos and conditioners.

"They were initially tested in the labs itself and the first set of prototypes were rolled out to potential customers and enhanced based on their feedback. These labs are part of a new startup located in Thane, which helps specialise in new formulations and test the same. Currently, we are working on third-party qualifications,” she says.

Anoushka developed Snazz in partnership with a Mumbai-based manufacturer who advised her on the right formulations for the product. The manufacturing facility is located in Dhule, Maharashtra.

The brand’s first products include “Apple Addiction” shampoos and “Argon Amber” conditioners. They are customised for the skin types of the target segment and use natural ingredients and nourishments. The brand is aligned with PETA guidelines and Sustainable Development Goals, and has no harmful chemicals like sulphates, phthalates, parabens, or phosphates. 

Priced at Rs 600 per bottle (250ml), Snazz targets urban premium customers looking for suitable personal care products. The entrepreneur claims that Snazz clocked Rs 1.2 lakh in sales within a month of its launch. 

Currently available for delivery within Mumbai via its website and Instagram handle, the brand intends to use ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Nykaa to make products available at a pan-India level. 

Admitting that being a young entrepreneur isn’t easy, Anoushka says gaining people’s trust and time was the hardest challenge of all.

She elaborates, “While coming up with the formulation of Snazz, multiple manufacturers and packagers were uncertain about the strength of a small-scale brand, especially one being ‘conceptualised’ by a teen, and kept refusing to help or connect themselves with Snazz. After hours of persuasion and support from my parents, I was finally able to get a team on board with the idea and launch the product. All of this was done while managing school routines and associated extracurricular activities.”

Going forward, she wants to scale up production, professionalise sales and marketing, and hire up to two full-time employees.

Anoushka’s three-year vision is to make Snazz a recognised teen brand "with happy customers and new product lines available all over India".