[100 Emerging Women Leaders] This young entrepreneur is building a sustainable beauty brand with simplicity at its core

From being a young girl interested in economics to leading a natural beauty and skincare brand just after college, Seethala Karipineni’s journey is a fascinating one. 

Her desire to nurture a beauty brand stemmed from her deep-seated belief in the power of nature and the need for sustainability in the beauty and skincare sector.

Having studied in Rishi Valley–an alternative school in Andhra Pradesh that uses natural history, music and art, among other things to impart education–Karipineni realised that while the world was advancing technologically and economically, it was also straying further from the principles of sustainable living. 

In school, as part of an internal assessment, Karipineni led a project that trained the school helpers or ‘akkas’ to make natural soaps and sell them to teachers and parents. 

“Having learnt how to create daily use products from nature in the school curriculum, this project became easy. After associating with the project, the akkas, who were earning Rs 4,000 as their monthly salary, started earning Rs 20,000-25,000. One of them has a son who now works at Walt Disney,” says Karipineni, who comes from a family that manufactures auto ancillary units. 

The success of her school project provided the spark to her entrepreneurial journey, leading to the birth of Saka Organics—a brand offering 100% organic, eco-friendly, and ethically produced products. After working on the initial formulation and manufacturing basics in 2020, Karipineni launched Saka Organics in 2023. 

“Sustainability isn’t just a trend; it’s a necessity for our future,” she says. “At Saka Organics, we’re not just selling products; we’re cultivating a lifestyle that honours the earth.”

Building a brand with purpose

Karipineni’s vision for Saka Organics was clear from the outset: to create a brand that not only offers high-quality, organic products but also educates and empowers consumers to make more sustainable choices. She initially started by making soap bars at her father’s lab. Slowly, her team grew to 16 women, who are trained in the process of making soap. 

The women are currently employed in a manufacturing unit in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

“Creating simple products with minimal, locally available ingredients and making them available in different forms has been at the heart of our brand. For example, if you’re looking for a bathing solution, we have a soap bar, liquid soap, and soap powder. We are solving the same issue for you in three different ways that you can choose from, based on what works for you,” says Karipineni. 

“Also, unlike many personal care organisations, we maintain complete control over our entire supply chain, ensuring the highest quality from start to finish,” she adds. 

The brand sources the ingredients directly from local farmers and people from tribal communities, with whom it has established strong partnerships. Having a direct relationship with the community enables Saka to ensure the purity and authenticity of the ingredients that go into its products. 

The raw materials come from natural sources. For example, Saka’s anti-hairfall oil is made with neem, basil, fenugreek seeds, and coconut oil, while its conditioner powder is made of sunflower oil, coconut oil, and natural butters. The products are packaged using glass, paper and cardboard.

The ingredients are then processed at Saka’s manufacturing unit, where every aspect of production, packaging, and distribution is overseen.

Overcoming challenges

The market for organic products is competitive, and consumer awareness about the importance of sustainability is still evolving. 

In the beginning, convincing consumers to make the switch to sustainable products was a battle, says Karipineni. 

“Starting a business is never easy, especially when you’re trying to change mindsets,” she says. “But the support and feedback from our customers have been incredible. It’s what drives me to keep pushing boundaries.”

Karipineni leveraged her earlier experiences with natural beauty products and her understanding of their demand to navigate the complexities of the market. Her passion for sustainability also fuelled her entrepreneurial journey forward. 

Commenting on Saka’s pricing, the entrepreneur says, “We’ve priced our products in a way that they fill the gap between ultra luxury and the more widely available natural and cruelty-free beauty products in the supermarket. We are catering to those looking for the quality and purity of a premium brand but with higher affordability.”

In addition to selling on various online marketplaces, Saka Organics also has its own direct-to-consumer (D2C) website. The brand is also present in around 60 offline retail stores across India.

Besides individual customers, the company also supplies its products to eco resorts and hotels. It is also engaged in white labeling and corporate gifting. 

Saka Organics’ revenue increased by 150% from 2021 to 2022 and by 300% from 2022 to 2023, says Karipineni. “We have sold over 31,000 products since we started our journey,” she adds.

A message to women entrepreneurs

As a young woman entrepreneur building a business with purpose, Karipineni is passionate about inspiring other women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. 

“As someone who recently graduated and is relatively new to the industry, I often struggle to bring on board individuals with significantly more experience. Despite this challenge, I am fortunate to have built a dedicated team at Saka Organics that shares my vision and drives the brand forward,” she says.

Looking ahead, Karipineni envisions expanding Saka’s product range to include more innovative and sustainable solutions for everyday living. Karipineni also sees Saka Organics as a platform for education and advocacy. 

“If you want to be in this beauty space, your product and your brand need to have differentiating factors, be it quality, branding, price. You need to be solving a particular problem in the market,” says Karipineni. 

“You need to be an outlier, a brand that's catering to specific needs in a way no one else is doing already.”