Launched in February 2018, personal care brand Arata is the first Indian brand to be EWG-certified. Arata is a community-led lifestyle brand with an entire ecosystem built around the core philosophy of clean formulations, responsible practices, and sustainability. The company was founded by Dhruv Madhok, a former strategy consultant in the US and UAE, and Dhruv Bhasin, a former finance executive in the UK and India.
The digitally native brand has received this certification recently, for its Refreshing Face Wash. The brand’s entire product range has been developed using plant-powered, clean, safe and effective natural ingredients; sourced sustainably, produced ethically, and packaged in upto 100% recycled packaging from ocean and land waste.
All Arata products are completely free from parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, and harmful synthetic preservatives which may pose potential risks to the human neurological, hormonal & reproductive system. Arata is also a Cruelty-Free & Vegan Brand.
Key recognitions that makes the brand stand out in the Indian market
- First brand to have an EWG-verified product.
- Australia Certified Made Safe and Toxic-Free
- PETA-Certified Vegan and Cruelty Free
On receiving the certification, Bhasin and Madhok said “We wanted to be in tune with the needs of our consumers i.e the “gen-clean”. We wanted to empower our consumers and help them make informed decisions about their health, the environment, and the products they buy. We are happy that we have built an all-natural, vegan, 100% plant-based brand that understands the changing needs of consumers and is leading the way in bringing clean and transparent beauty to consumers at an accessible price point”.
Arata is the first personal care company in India to use up to 100% recycled and recyclable plastic packaging across its entire product range. They use waste plastic from oceans and landfills across the globe and sanitize, pelletize, melt, and remould the plastic into Arata packaging. They don’t use any single-use plastic in their secondary packaging, such as plastic bags, shrink wrap, or excessive tape. The labels, too, are printed using food grade, biodegradable ink.
The brand believes in 100% transparency with its consumers, testament to which is the disclosed ingredient lists of product labels on their website, explaining where they come from, what they do, and how each formula is made, so that consumers can make the informed and right choice.
In January 2019, Arata raised INR 3.5 crore in a seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners. Utsav Somani of AngelList India and Dr. Rajan Raghavachari, Head – R&D (GAUM) at Godrej Consumer Products Limited also participated in the round. The brand recently raised $ 1 million in Pre-Series A from Nikhil Vora (Founder and CEO of Sixth Sense Ventures) and Rohan Vaziralli.
