After the privatisation of the Indian economy, Indian markets were inundated with products from international brands. And an Indian audience, starved of good quality products, lapped them up happily. However, with increasing global exposure, a rising spirit of entrepreneurship among Indians, and the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, the market scenario changed again. Now, homegrown brands are revolutionising all market sectors.
Even just a few years ago, could you have imagined replacing your trusty international brand of laundry products with an Indian one made of natural ingredients? Perhaps not, but now you can. KIKGERM, a brand founded by Delhi-based Divya Arora, is doing exactly that.
“While studying in London, I started doing my own laundry and experimenting with various options available in the market. Some made my clothes softer than the others, some were better smelling than the others, and some took the stains out well but were full of harsh chemicals. There was never a product that gave me everything I needed. When I moved back to India, I struggled even more. My high-street clothes from Zara, H&M, etc. wouldn’t even last five to seven washes and would lose colour, fit, etc. During my international travels, I used to bring backpacks of laundry detergents to India. Since I wasn’t happy with the quality of laundry products available in India, I decided to make my own. I wanted to make a product that gave me soft and long-lasting clothes, protection from harmful germs, tough stain removal, colour protection, and the benefits of natural essential oils with a fabulous fragrance that leaves my clothes smelling fresh all day long, in turn, ensuring my mood stays happy,” shares Arora.
She asserts that their brand stands for clean living and clean laundry. It promises to provide fresh, clean, and hygienic at-home laundry that keeps kids, family members, and the environment safe. By combining nature with science, the team is constantly working to improve their product line-up.
Currently, one can buy the following products under the KIKGERM line—Top Load Detergent Powder, which is available in 6 kg, 4 kg, 2 kg boxes, 1 kg packs, and 100 gm sachet packing; Front Load Detergent Powder, which is available in 6 kg, 4 kg, 2 kg boxes, 1 kg packs and 100gm sachet packing; and the Advance Care Detergent Powder suitable for Top and Front load, which is available in 6 kg, 4 kg, 2 kg boxes, 1 kg packs and 100gm sachet packing. All their products provide 99.99 per cent germ protection, are made with natural essential oils, and are SLS, SLES, and Paraben-free.
True to its ideal of being a homegrown brand that must be taken seriously, their products are available at all leading retailers across Delhi-NCR such as Krishna 37 Super Marche, Le Marche, Needs, Modern Bazaar, MORE Retail, etc. Pan-India too they are available at Reliance Fresh Signature stores, Spencer’s Retail, and MORE Retail in Kolkata, Lucknow, Haridwar, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Punjab, and Jamshedpur. Further, through their website and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, they cater to clients across the country.
“We will soon be launching our range of Liquid Detergents, including baby-specific laundry products. Since our inception, all the products have been designed with kids in mind. We also wanted to provide a safe cleaning solution for babies, for which the formulation is carefully designed using plant-based ingredients and safe anti-bacterial ingredients to remove harmful germs,” shares Arora.
Interestingly, what sets KIKGERM apart from cookie-cutter international brands, is their focus on sustainability. From its inception, they have worked to ensure that the ingredients used in its products are not harmful to users or the environment. Though Arora candidly shares that it was challenging to create a safe and effective formulation that was also affordable, through months of hard work and dedicated collaboration between their scientists and ingredient sourcing teams, they were able to overcome this challenge. They did this to break the notion that sustainable products must come at a high cost.
The proof of this homegrown brand’s success is in its widespread acceptance with customers repeatedly choosing their products over those of international brands. It seems, therefore, that innovation in all sectors of the Indian market is on the right track.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.