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7. Aromatherapy At Its Finest with Karina Kapoor, Puressentiel

One of the world’s very few aroma-therapeutic brands, meet Puressentiel – a one of its kind and 100% family-run laboratory producing ready-to-use aromatherapy formulas based on a simple principle: Pure Effectiveness. Available in a wide range of 280 Products in 90 Countries, this made in France brand is a vegan, synthetic fragrance-free, and paraben-free brand for all that can’t be missed.

GlobalSpa gets in conversation with Karina Kapoor, Brand Head, Puressentiel India, as she takes us through Puressentiels’ inception, brand vision, and sustaining through the pandemic.

You've been associated with many domains across 10 years of your experience. How did Puressentiel come into the grand picture?

My experience has mainly been in the Fragrance and Beauty field. Prior to the Pandemic there was already an organic shift towards skincare and natural beauty. Keeping this in mind along with the current environment, Puressentiel - an Aromatherapy brand uses natural, plant based essential oils to provide preventive and precautionary health and beauty remedies. It seemed like an ideal fit and a perfect time to introduce the brand in the Indian market. Puressentiel itself has been around since 2005 and extremely popular amongst the French Pharmacy chains.

What would you say is the USP of the brand?

Aromatherapy is an alternate form of healing, been around for generations, and is only now being accepted as part of medicine. Essential oils found naturally around us have strong powers and this natural, non-medicinal solution with no side effects solution is the USP of the brand. The clinically tested products have high efficacy and the formulas truly provide instant benefits.

What are some challenges you've had to face throughout your journey?

The Beauty Industry in India has only now become organised and extremely successful. We still have very limited formal outlets and chains similar to how department stores merchandise brands for a wholesome retail experience. The market has been resilient to formalising the industry for many years as there were no strong retailers/distributors. With the sheer number of brands and opportunities internationally another limitation has been the regulatory process in India. It can still take upto 6 months to get all the customs and registrations completed.

As Brand Head, what is the thought process that goes behind leading the brand in terms of strategies and operations?

Puressentiel has been a fun and challenging introduction due to its type of category. The brand is a wellness and lifestyle brand with a product range that varies from personal care to home and beauty. Being ahead of the curve comes with its own hindrances. Convincing the retailers no matter online or offline, along with ensuring the product is accessible to the correct target audience is the main priority which all strategies are based upon.

How essential has social media grown to be part of your process?

All brands need to provide an Omnichannel retail experience today. With e-commerce being the strongest and fastest growing, all marketing strategies have now narrowed down to social media. ROI on marketing has become more tangible and can be tracked. With the help of platforms like Instagram and Facebook and Google, Puressentiel has captured millions of eyeballs in microseconds. Social media is a simpler and faster way of reaching your targeted customer no matter where. Especially with a new brand introduction the strategy has been to use social media to spread awareness and for informative content creation.

How have you been sustaining through the pandemic?

As mentioned, the pandemic has truly helped the brand as the customer is open to trying more natural and sustainable options. Homecare and personal care are now an integral part of every family’s monthly amenities budget. E-comm has been crucial during this process along with social media to build the brand.

Any success mantra or motto you live by?

Enjoy what you do and be accountable for one’s decisions and actions only then one can learn and continue to be a successful entrepreneur.

Lastly, what's your advice for budding aspirants?

Don’t be scared to take risks. The pandemic era has taught us that nothing is permanent and constant. Five year plans can be destroyed, so live in the moment and love what you do.