What do you call an MBA graduate who initially started a career as a commercial finance manager but later, after experiencing a health issue, decided to venture into the beauty and personal care market with Ayurveda-inspired sustainable products? An inspirational beautypreneur. This is Amritha Gaddam’s, Founder & CEO, The Tribe Concepts, journey depicting her passion, devotion, and a deep-rooted desire to bring ancient wisdom to the modern world.
This is How it all Began
After getting diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), Amritha started facing extensive hair fall and peeling skin issues. To cure them, she used several chemical-based products from international brands and synthesised quick-fix solutions. None of them, however, did any good.
“Later, figuring I had nothing to lose—I decided to take a step in another direction and gave Ayurveda-inspired solutions a chance that other women around me were resorting to on a daily basis to aid my damaged hair and skin,” shares Amritha. The results of using these products were a revelation to Amritha. It further promoted her to educate her near and dear ones about the benefits of using extremely basic yet effective Ayurvedic, non-fancy, non-fragrant solutions. They, too, were spellbound by its positive effects. “That is when I decided that I have to take this wealth of knowledge out there, research more, and share it with the world,” continues Amritha.
An All-Natural, Ayurveda-Inspired Brand
The Tribe Concepts is a leading beauty brand which offers natural alternatives and high-performing products through the foundation pillars of potent Indian ingredients, sustainability, and timeless traditions. The company’s core ethos lies in ensuring that everything—from sourcing to formulating to packaging is done in a manner that contributes to minimal waste and provides maximum benefits to customers.
The Tribe Concepts started its journey with its flagship product—a 90-day miracle hair oil. Amritha, the Founder & CEO of the company, had invested more than a year in this product’s research, literature review, and testing process. Soon after its launch, the product received a stupendous response from the consumers since it was able to arrest hair fall issues in just a couple of regular applications. From then, there was no turning back for Amritha and The Tribe Concepts.
Today, The Tribe Concepts provides a range of products that can be incorporated into an everyday skincare routine, including daily face brightening cleansers, exotic glow masks, acne spot correctors, extra virgin coconut oil, ubtan body cleansers, and collagen-boosting kits. For hair specifically, the beauty brand offers daily hair cleansers, 90-day miracle oil, anti-dandruff hair masks, hair grow kits, and root strengthening conditioner and mask.
What gives The Tribe Concepts an Edge Over Competitors?
One of The Tribe Concepts’ key USPs lies in its 100% natural & organic product range. The brand does not tamper with its natural powders or cold-pressed oils with preservatives to give them a more pleasing fragrance or a texture like other products available in the market. Instead, primary emphasis is given to maintaining the potency of ingredients that ultimately drive results.
Furthermore, Amritha and her team ensure that the products fulfil the ever-changing & growing demands of their customers. Citing an instance, Kumkumadi Thailam, originally made up of ghee or cow’s milk, was converted into a dairy-free version by The Tribe Concepts to appease the consumers who are turning toward vegan skincare. Likewise, the entire range of products of The Tribe Concepts has been ideated, curated, designed and packaged, keeping in mind today’s consumers and their preferences.
“We are in the heartland of Ayurveda and Indian ingredients, and I take immense pride in our idea as a brand to aggressively work towards pushing not so famous but high-performing Indian ingredients to the world,” shares Amritha.
Advocating the ‘Women in Business’ Notion
In 2019, when Amritha embarked on the journey of establishing her venture, ‘The Tribe Concepts’, she wanted to provide meaningful opportunities to women to become financially independent and confident and join the decision-making process in the boardroom. And so, it turned out the first team ever at The Tribe Concepts comprised 5 employees, of whom 4 were women. This is how a women empowerment drive began where it counts the most: at work! It takes a strong and courageous woman like Amritha to create a path for other women folks.
“I am proud to share that women have been a quintessential part of the journey, where 94% of The Tribe Concepts’ team & board today are women,” states Amritha.
A Sky-High Growth from the Start
The Tribe Concepts witnessed aggressive growth from the beginning, thanks to its Ayurveda-backed and zero chemical product range. “In our first year of operations, we clocked in a revenue stream of around Rs. 2.25 crores, and now in our third year running, we are looking at closing a turnover of Rs. 50 crores—reaching almost five lakh customers globally,” reveals Amritha.
As per the latest reports, the Indian skin care market is valued at USD 129 and is expected to rise to USD 190. Amritha shares that these figures are very encouraging for her venture and feel that The Tribe Concepts has entered a high-pressure zone. To maintain its high momentum, The Tribe Concepts will soon launch 10 new products and exciting new tools for skincare.
Influence of Tech-innovations on the Future
Going ahead, the skincare category will also see a rise in the use of tech innovations that will connect multiple metrics, products, and ingredients to support both product lines and the customer’s skin care needs. As a result, there will be many innovations in product launches, tools, and trends.
As for The Tribe Concepts, the idea to go for plastic-free packaging is in line with the brand’s promise of sustainability inside and outside the box. “We wish to continually seek out new natural ingredients and utilise technology in such a way that our products can be the best version of themselves. We are so happy to be on this journey with our customers towards a more sustainable future,” asserts Amritha.
A Day in the Life of a Beautypreneur
Amritha’s typical day consists of meetings with her team, vendors, collaborators, and clients. She is focused, driven, and ready to take on challenges. What makes Amritha’s day stress-free and calm is working with her family members. She also ensures to stay updated with the latest trends in the beauty industry and connects with her mentors and peers.
While navigating through her hectic schedule and routine tasks, Amritha keeps on solo brainstorming over new ideas, new markets, new challenges, and what’s next for her and The Tribe Concepts. “After work, I unwind by spending time with my family, watching Netflix, reading a book or best—planning my next travel,” shares Amritha with glee.
The Pandemic was like a Roller-Coaster Ride
Amritha calls the COVID-19 pandemic a mixed bag of experiences. One of the challenges that The Tribe Concepts team faced was a delay in receiving authentic raw materials from the vendors due to strict nationwide lockdowns. Other than that, the entire team stood by each other and supported a fellow employee facing personal turmoil. An experience such as this connected them together on a significantly deeper level.
“But the one incredible thing that really happened was that people started giving Indian skincare products such as ours a fair chance. Instead of looking down on Ayurveda as a thing of the past – with regular usage – people actually started seeing the benefits of something 100% natural that is tailor-made to the Indian hair and skin type,” mentions Amritha.
Planning to Establish a New Narrative in the Offline & Online Market
This year, Amritha, the CEO & Founder of The Tribe Concepts, has created a roadmap to some inspiring goals; one of them is establishing an offline presence in the market. “Our vision is to launch our Tribe experience stores wherein our customers can sample the products while learning about the thought behind making each of our products,” reveals Amritha. Along with her team, she is also planning to create a strong brand presence on online aggregators like Nykaa, Amazon, and Flipkart and partner with offline spaces that are custodians of sustainability. In the coming days, The Tribe Concepts will also cater to the eco-conscious and Ayurveda-influenced consumers in the international markets.
Besides these, The Tribe Concept is set to launch its sister brand, ‘The Tribe Veda,’ which will focus on providing natural alternatives for health. To begin with, The Tribe Veda will launch a range of health mixes and herbal teas for the customers.
For More Info: https://thetribeconcepts.com/