Woman Turns Hair Fall Struggle into ₹17 Cr Revenue Personal Care Brand

When Rupali Sharma's Mom, living in an orthodox family, would nudge her to learn household chores, she would blurt out, 'I will have servants'. Later in life, she made sure that she worked hard to achieve her dreams. She launched a nature-based personal care brand, Aegte (pronounced Egg-te), in 2017 with just Rs 5 lakhs and clocked Rs 17 crores in turnover in 2023-24. 

The humble beginning of Aegte

Rupali (41-year-old) was born into an orthodox family where her businessman father travelled a lot and worked hard for his business while the women of the house handled the home chores. As she went on to pursue Eng Honours (2003) from Delhi University and later MBA in HR (2005), she broke many rules set by her family. She worked at a call centre where she met her husband, Dhiren Sharma, and eventually got married to him in 2008. 

"In 2009, my first daughter was born, and in 2011, I started working from home. Everybody would give their advice to me to be a hands-on mom, and I was. Then, I had my son with a 7-year gap in 2016. When he was one and a half years old, I thought of starting something of my own", She told the journalist from Startup Pedia. 

Every problem has a solution

Just like all new mothers, Rupali faced extensive hair fall after the birth of her child. She turned to her grandmother who suggested her to use onion oil. This idea clicked, and she thought that there was a market for this because she could not get it readily available when she searched online. That is when she started looking for manufacturers.

Rupali spoke about her initial struggles to the journalist from Startup Pedia, "Since my son was young, I would take him and his nanny and sometimes a family member also for meetings. Nobody would take me seriously, but I continued looking for the right partner."

"I finally launched the onion oil in 2018 under Aegte, and it went viral within no time. Of the Rs 5 lakhs that I invested, I used half for production and half for marketing. We started with 1000 products and soon went out of stock. By the time we were able to restock, there were hundreds of brands selling onion oil," she added.

The word Aegte has Danish origin, and it means authentic. In tune with being authentic and unique, Rupali then moved forward to launch a makeup and personal care brand, which was her eventual wish.  

Research is the backbone

In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, she shares how she thinks of the next product to be launched: "My gut instinct is very strong. I see the problem and then search whether a similar product exists on Google. And, of course, we take constant feedback from our consumers, too. That is how we launched conditioners and shampoos after onion oil." 

"Aegte beetroot lip and cheek tint was our next product to be loved by the customers. It is completely safe to use and can also be used by children as it has natural ingredients in its formulations. Nobody wants dark lips, added balms, waxes, rose petals to create it. And with it, our makeup range also took off", Rupali added.

Aegte products

Aegte products are available on their website between Rs 499- 1099. With consumers more aware now, their products are being loved in metros as well as tier 2 and tier 3 cities. These premium products come with a promise of quality. Apart from their tinted balms, Aegte 3 in 1 Strobe Glow Spray and Aegte Pore Blur Beauty Filters are currently selling like hot cakes.

The finances and future plan 

The company just celebrated its 6th anniversary and gave out discounts, which again boosted its sales.

Typically, such sales drive a 20X surge in purchases. With these strategies, Aegte is targeting a turnover of ₹24 crore in FY25, following a revenue of ₹17 crore in FY24.

"We've been profitable from the first year of operation by maintaining a lean team and outsourcing or using freelancers for most tasks," explained the founder during the interview with Startup Pedia.

"In the last six years, we have learnt many things. We have a third-party manufacturer that produces 50% of Aegte products. Thus, with over 40 SKUs, our manufacturing is well taken care of", Rupali told Startup Pedia.

"We have premium and expensive products and don't compromise on quality. And most importantly, we are still bootstrapped", the woman entrepreneur added. 

With its head office in Gurugram, the company has 3 warehouses in India and is targeting the Middle East and expanding in India.

Dream come true

She further added about how entrepreneurship changed her life, "I always wanted to do something of my own at my own convenience. Business has changed my whole life, and I am living the life of my dreams; I can work from home or the office. 

"Time is a luxury, and I have earned it. Most importantly, I have multiple servants today. Like I told my Mom, I have worked hard for it and manifested it. All I can say is, think right, dream big and create it," Rupali signs off.