[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Anita Golani is on a mission to infuse wellness with aromatherapy-inspired skincare line

“Getting into cosmetics was not even a far-fetched thought,” says Anita. Initially set on founding a travel agency, she changed course when she got pregnant. 

During a particularly tough phase in her pregnancy, Anita found solace in aromatherapy. After reading more literature on the practice, the idea of the healing capacity of aromas intrigued her. 

Soon enough, Anita was juggling a course on aromatherapy while looking after her five-month-old daughter. She launched Anita’s Aromatics in 1999. 

She began treating people with aromatherapy along the lines of homoeopathy, however, the reach was too limited and niche, and she wished to expand further.  

“I wanted everyone to experience aromatherapy and see how beneficial it is. So, I thought of getting into product development and made a couple of samples. I gave them to a reputed salon — an international chain that was supposed to be launched in India,” she recalls. 

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Anita faced her first hurdle when the owner of the company was leaning towards proceeding with an international brand as opposed to Indian products. Nonetheless, Anita urged him to try her products and provide honest feedback. “For two months, there was no communication from him, so I thought that was done and dusted,” she adds. 

The turning point came when Anita received a call from the company’s secretary; the team had liked her products after all! 

But the breakthrough came with a challenge. With the owner’s stock stuck in customs and the requirement being urgent, Anita was asked to deliver the products in just two days. It was her first order, and she was right up to the task. She successfully fulfilled the order, making everything from scratch in her kitchen. 

From there on, there was no looking back. Starting with one salon, Anita’s Aromatics grew to supply multiple salons, and the business boomed exponentially. 

At present, Anita has successfully achieved another milestone by entering the B2C market space.  

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She sums up, “I always wanted to venture into the B2C (business-to-consumer) segment, but somehow the B2B (business-to-business) segment kept me busy.” 

Today, Anita’s Aromatics encompasses a product range with over 150 SKUs across health, healing, beauty, and holistic wellness categories. Some of its popular products include cocktail kits, aromatherapy candle kits, dead sea salt scrubs, charcoal and bamboo kits, rice and oatmeal scrubs, and much more. 

Anita’s story is emblematic of how an idea can take different routes to flourish, only if it’s accompanied by grit and determination.