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The former Shark of Shark Tank India Season 1 and Mamaearth owner, Ghazal Alagh, is a corporate trainer turned artist-cum-mompreneur. She turned her passion and vision to making early motherhood easier for new moms a reality through Mamaearth. This mompreneur stepped into business with an initial investment of 90 lakh rupees for Mamaearth, transitioning from earning Rs 1200 per day to building Mamaearth worth Rs 9800 crore. Ghazal Alagh’s net worth and business empire have grown beyond imagination ever since.
The constant search for safe and naturally made baby products for her firstborn, Agasthya, had caught her in severe distress and tension. This gave the 28-year-old new mom Ghazal Alagh a reality check about the availability of cruelty-free, chemical-free, and toxic-free baby products in the Indian market.
This thought gave birth to the revolutionary brand Mamaearth. The brand has products ranging from cosmetics and skincare to baby products. Mamaearth is the first Asian brand to have Made-Safe certification.
Early Life of Ghazal Alagh
Mamaearth owner Ghazal Alagh was born on 2nd September 1988 in Gurugram, Haryana. Her parents are Kailash Sahni, a businessman, and Sunita Sahni, a homemaker. She has two siblings, Chirag Sahni and Sahiba Chauhan. Ghazal was brought up in a joint family and her education includes her primary education and schooling in Chandigarh, where her family was settled.
Ghazal Alagh’s qualification includes her Bachelor’s in Computer Application from Panjab University, which she obtained in 2010. She always had a great passion for painting and art. In 2013 Ghazal Alagh attended the School of Visual Arts in New York and completed a one-year summer intensive course in Modern Art, Design, and Applied Arts.
On 28th January 2011, she married Varun Alagh, the co-founder of Mamaearth. Varun Alagh is an engineer with an MBA in finance and marketing. Ghazal and Varun met through a traditional set-up and later decided to tie the knot. Ghazal Alagh’s family comprises four members: her husband and two children. In October 2014, they welcomed their first child Agasthya. In March 2022, Ghazal gave birth to their second child, Ayaan.
Ghazal Alagh: Career and Professional Life
Ghazal Alagh began working in 2008 while simultaneously pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications. That year, she joined NIIT Limited as a corporate trainer and worked there for two and a half years. She took a small career gap after her marriage.
In 2012, Ghazal founded her online venture, “dietexpert.in”. This website was a health startup aimed at providing diet solutions to its customers. The website did not charge its customers for the service but charged the brands recommended to the platform users. However, such a digital venture was too advanced for the Indian audience back then, and the business did not scale up as expected.
Post-training from the School of Visual Arts, Ghazal made a significant breakthrough in her career and began to turn her passion for painting into a profession. She started selling her artwork, paintings, and related masterpieces nationally and internationally. In 2014, Ghazal took another step forward by founding “Being Artsy,” a small art school that aimed to train kids to use various art and painting techniques through workshops meantime, she continued to work on her artistic career.
In 2016, Ghazal and Varun Alagh co-founded Honasa Consumer Private Limited, creating a line of baby care products under Mamaearth. The brand was a huge success. They had slowly introduced additional cosmetics, skincare, and wellness products, resulting in a large consumer base. Ghazal founded another skincare specialty brand named “The Derma & Co” in 2020. This brand quickly became popular among millennials and skincare fanatics.
Ghazal Alagh’s company had a very well-planned market and advertising strategy. Their products are carefully curated to avoid any sensitivity to the consumer. The successful execution of their strategies helped Honasa Company Limited acquire partnerships with several other skincare brands like Dr. Seth’s, BBLUNT, Ayuga, and more. The company is also a parent to the famous skincare brand Aqualogica.
Ghazal Alagh’s net worth has grown exponentially as she has been recognized as one of India’s Top 10 women artists nationally and internationally. She received the prestigious Best Brand of the Year 2018 award for Mamaearth. In 2019 she was listed as among India’s 40 under 40 Achievers. She received the Super Startups Asia Awards for her company in 2021.
She has been featured by publications like Entrepreneur and Forbes under categories such as Top 20 Asia Power Businesswomen (2022). Most recently, in April 2023, she was honored with the Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women (MPW) in Business Awards. She was also featured in Business Today’s list of Most Powerful Women in Business in 2022.
The Story Behind Mamaearth
Ghazal and Varun welcomed their first child in 2014. However, despite the constant search, they faced significant challenges when they couldn’t find suitable baby products for their son. This realization highlighted the lack of availability of toxin-free baby products made from natural ingredients in India, even though many brands claimed to use naturally sourced ingredients. The absence of proper manufacturing guidelines for baby products was also apparent.
During an interview, Ghazal shared that she experienced strong mom guilt when something went wrong or took an unexpected turn as a first-time mother. Her son Agasthya had developed multiple rashes and faced itching as a baby. Ghazal had a very hard time comforting her son. No matter what they tried, the rashes and itching continued.
With the help of several doctors, the couple discovered that their son was reacting to the products they were being used on his body. Once they stopped using it, the rashes went away, which was a great relief for them.
This incident made Ghazal desperate to help new moms with what to use on their baby’s skin, aiming to make early motherhood a bit easier than before. Initially, the couple contemplated importing reliable products manufactured elsewhere to make them available in the Indian market. Later they sourced products from the US, but this halted as it was proven expensive and inconvenient.
The Alagh couple introduced their initial range of six baby care products in December 2016. Their vision was to produce baby care products that mothers could use daily for their babies. Ghazal once mentioned in an interview that their goal was to reach out and help at least 10,000 parents across India. The brand and its products were welcomed beyond their expectation. Eventually, they began to add up more products in line, and the brand continued to grow further.
With well-planned and executed marketing and advertising and uncompromised quality of products, Mamaearth gained dynamic popularity among the audience and grew Mamaearth’s net worth. In 2020, Mamaearth added a new tagline, “Goodness Inside”, reassuring its customer base about its natural and effective products. Ghazal Alagh’s company saw a dynamic demand increase for its products. The products of Mamaearth are FDA-approved and are dermatologically tested from Europe QACs labs for product safety.
As of today, Mamaearth retails more than 300+ products in the market. Their product range involves cosmetics, skincare, hair care, fragrances, bath and body, and baby care products. The brand served more than 5 million customers with this extensive product range.
Mamaearth’s global headquarters is currently situated in Gurgaon, Haryana. The brand has 35 exclusive brand outlets across 15 cities in India, allowing customers to have direct access to their products. In addition, its products are available for purchase on major online shopping platforms like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, Myntra, Purplle, Smytten, Foxy, etc. Apart from this, they also sell their products via their website. Being a digital-first company, Mamaearth serves customers directly through their websites in over 1000 cities and 10,000 pin codes. Mamaearth also retails via several kiosks across the country.
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Ghazal Alagh Net Worth
Ghazal Alagh and her husband initially invested a total of ₹ 90 lakhs when starting Mamaearth. As of 2023, Mamaearth’s net worth is approximately ₹250 crores. The company has a valuation of approximately ₹6000 crore as of May 2023, positioning it as a unicorn company. Ghazal Alagh’s net worth has spiked alongside the growth of the company.
In 2018, Ghazal Alagh had a net worth of ₹74 crores, which rose to ₹107 crores in 2019. Ghazal Alagh’s net worth is approximately ₹150 crores. Her net worth has increased from 8.4% to 17.9%. The Mamaearth CEO’s salary is approximately ₹1.6 crores. She also receives profits from other skincare brands with which she is partnering. In media interviews, Ghazal shared her keen interest in angel investing. While being a judge on Shark Tank, Ghazal has funded several startups, including:
- The Sass Bar
- Uvi Health
- Sunfox Technologies
- Watt Technologies
- Humpy A2
- Gold Safe Solution Industries
- Wakao Foods
- Nomad Food Project
In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Ghazal Alagh also owns a car collection, including the Audi A8, Audi e-tron, and Toyota Fortuner.
The Chief Mama in Action
Mamaearth owner Ghazal Alagh, the beauty with brains, inspires every woman that motherhood is never a barrier to personal and professional growth. Having started her career as a corporate trainer, Ghazal Alagh is now one of the youngest mompreneurs to have built a unicorn venture. Her company Mamaearth which once started as a baby care product brand is now a leading brand in India’s health, wellness, and personal care brand. Over the six years following the launch of Mamaearth, Ghazal was able to leverage the brand as the fastest-growing Beauty and Personal care brand (BPC) to reach an annual revenue of ₹1000 crore.
Ghazal Alagh began her journey to success not as an entrepreneur but as a mom who intended to help babies and their parents have affordable and safe-made natural products. With perseverance and hard work, Ghazal Alagh and her marriage partner took the roles of business partners and created a business empire. Today Ghazal Alagh’s net worth is ₹150 crores, Ghazal Alagh is recognized as one of India’s Most Powerful Women in Business and across other Asian countries. As the co-founder and owner of Mamaearth, Ghazal Alagh’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to quality have propelled her to remarkable heights in the business world.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Ghazal Alagh is a smart businesswoman who knows how to invest her money wisely. The Mamaearth CEO, Ghazal Alagh, earns a yearly salary of about ₹19 crores from Mamaearth alone. By investing in different businesses, she creates multiple income sources, which helps her grow her wealth even more. Her entrepreneurial skills and ability to make good decisions have been key to her financial success.
As of May 2023, Mamaearth’s net worth is about ₹250 crores. The company’s value is around ₹6000 crores. Mamaearth’s impressive net worth proves its financial strength and success in the industry. The brand is well-known for its natural and safe personal care products. Its customer trust has positioned the company as a key player in the industry.
Ghazal Alagh is the CEO of Mamaearth, a start-up company focused on natural and toxin-free personal care products. Her husband, Varun Alagh, is the co-founder of the company. She is also called the Chief Mama of Mamaearth. With Ghazal Alagh leading the way, Mamaearth has grown and achieved great success. It is now well-known and trusted for offering safe and eco-friendly products.
Ghazal Alagh is making a big impact in the business world with her wealth and entrepreneurial mindset. Ghazal Alagh’s net worth is approximately ₹150 crores as of 2023. Her hard work and business ventures have led to remarkable financial success. Her successful journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.
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