How Tuba Siddiqui turned a home garden into a personal care brand

After completing her engineering degree in biotechnology from Integral University in Lucknow, Tuba Siddiqui started a small medicinal garden at home and named it ‘Garden of Health’.

She grew aloe vera, several varieties of basil, multi-vitamin and insulin plants, and tended to them not to make money, but out of a genuine, almost stubborn curiosity about what the natural world could offer the body.

While nurturing her Garden of Health, Tuba travelled to Raipur for programmes and engagements around natural plants and was also associated with the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Lucknow.

“I attended several training programmes on product development. Slowly, things aligned, and I thought, why not start making products from these plants? A lot of care goes into growing them, and I wanted to put them to good use,” she tells HerStory.

Her husband, Faiz, who was also her collegemate, had studied chemical technology with a specialisation in oils and chemicals. He later worked as a scientist and quality manager. He shared Tuba’s vision. “We thought of focusing on day-to-day products, shampoo, soaps, lotions—things people use every single day. The idea was to replace each product with a natural alternative." They got married, and the company followed.

In 2014, they launched Mitti Se, a private limited company with a rented manufacturing setup in Lucknow. There were four co-founders at the beginning. They obtained certification from the Ministry of Ayush, along with FSSAI and ZED certifications. And slowly, carefully, they began to build the brand.

Though bootstrapped, Mitte Se achieved several important milestones and became a sustainable company. One of its products won the Harper’s Bazaar Conscious Beauty Award. Actor Juhi Chawla was one of its early customers through Amazon.

“She later connected with us and tweeted about the brand. We were also selected among the top 75 companies across India for the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. We also partnered with Uniqlo when they opened their Lucknow store,” Tuba says.

Mitti Se is now rebranded as Soil Concept. The Lucknow-based personal care brand has over 25 SKUs sold across 60 to 70 premium organic stores in India and on major online platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra.

Learnings and approach

An appearance on Shark Tank India Season 2 also became a journey of learning.

“We received good advice from mentors, including the Sharks, that we were too diversified across product ranges like skincare and cleaners. They suggested we become more focused,” says Tuba.

In January 2023, Tuba and Faiz launched two companies, Soil Concept and Ahinsa Care, each with a different brand identity, after the other two founders had dropped off over time, and there were complications with the trademark.

Soil Concept covers hair care, skin care, essential oils, and wellness products, while Ahinsa Care focuses on cleaning products.

In a market crowded with natural personal care products, Tuba speaks of differentiation with care.

“Our core differentiation is honesty and transparency. We list every ingredient we use openly and clearly. We don’t run aggressive ads. We have a direct customer base of over 15,000 people with whom we work closely. We also have private-label manufacturing for our brands. Our approach has been to grow slowly, but sustainably,” Tuba explains.

Soil Concept’s products are available in 60–70 stores across India, mainly in Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune, and Goa.

The stores include Organic Fresco in Chandigarh; The Farmer’s Store in Mumbai; Back to Roots, Bean Me Up, and Green Goa Works in Goa; and Prakrithivanam in Hyderabad.

The products are also available on online marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Jiomart, and the company’s own website. They are priced between Rs 400 and Rs 1,200.

Haircare is Soil Concept’s strongest segment; shampoo and hair oil are the top sellers, driving repeat purchases and positive reviews. “We recently launched a Blue Pea Flower Tea, which is beneficial for mental health, skin and hair health,” says Tuba.

Three key channels

The brand operates through three key channels. First, its B2B arm includes offline retail and distribution networks in Hyderabad and Mumbai that serve premium outlets. Second, its D2C channel enables direct customer engagement through social media and its own platforms. Third, it has corporate gifting partnerships with Tanishq Jewellers and Kalyan Jewellers for customer gifting programmes, which are an important revenue stream.

Of the 10 people currently in the Soil Concept team, seven are women. Tuba says this was not a deliberate founding decision. It evolved over time.

“As a woman, I know how much we are expected to manage, home and work both. I wanted to create an environment where other women could earn and grow without having to give one up for the other.”

Production, raw material sourcing, packaging, accounts, and customer-facing sales do not require high levels of formal education.

“A woman who has completed class 12 or a basic degree can come in and build a livelihood. Several of the women on the team have been with the company for eight years. They are running their families, and they are happy,” says Tuba.

The biggest challenge, she shares, has been brand positioning. “Because we don't have large funds, it is hard to stand out loudly enough. Everyone is talking about being natural and organic. Creating a distinct identity without a large marketing budget is genuinely hard. Until people know us, growth is slower. Once they do, they tend to stay.”

The brand is currently raising funds.

“We are positioning Soil Concept as an affordable luxury brand in the premium personal care segment. We are looking at experience stores, spaces where customers can learn about the herbs used in the formulations, understand their efficacy, and even customise and create their own products,” she says.

Tuba is also in conversations with salon chains, as she sees an opportunity in a segment where chemical-based products dominate, even when claims of using products with natural ingredients are made.