September 19: Foxtale, One of India’s leading community-first skincare brands, was established in 2020 by Romita Mazumdar. The women-centric D2C brand was gearing up for launch in December 2021. Foxtale aims to demystify and democratize the beauty industry by making exceptionally efficacious skincare accessible to everyone. Foxtale’s products are science-first and result-oriented. Foxtale believes in three things: Understanding the consumers, making inferences from them to build a foundation for their product research and experiments. Innovation-led formulations of products using the most efficacious ingredients. All the products are clinically proven that involve dermatology tests and also extensive 3-month clinical trials.
The name of the brand is the most significant step in any start-up, as its tells the face of the organization and here, the name of the venture is something that makes us curious. So, let’s know the story behind the same. “On a tour in Serai, there were coconut-like trees everywhere on a coffee plantation. The guide responded, This is the most worthless plant called foxtail,” when I inquired about it and did a bit of research, I got to found that the seeds of the plant cannot be eaten, it is regarded as being relatively useless. However, due to its strong roots, which keep the soil in place so that the coffee plantation can flourish, it is planted in enormous amounts. This made me think about all the mothers who have been the true support system of their families despite never being fully appreciated for the years of selfless dedication that they put in. Also, when we think of foxes, they are perceived as crafty and aggressive creatures, and they are among the most devoted mothers in the animal world. I was reminded of women like me and the ones I know or have heard of. If you’re ambitious, you won’t make a good mother, if you’re pretty, you won’t be smart and the list goes on. ‘The fox’ perfectly captured the different guises that women can wear with pride! And the story of this journey made up the latter part of the brand name – tale. This is how the name came to life – Foxtale!”.
According to Ms Mazumdar, the word ‘self-care’ in India is associated with luxury, with the market being defined by the high prices. Since childhood, she always wanted her mother to have some free time where she could relax with her me-time away from any household chores and obligations. And this thought inspired her to start his venture for her mother, for every woman out there who unconditionally gives all the love and care to their family. “I have always considered my skincare regimen to be crucial, and I am aware that millions of other people feel the same way. Foxtale is merely attempting to make that process joyful, approachable, and enjoyable. It sees self-care as a right, not as a privilege or as a business”, She added.
Foxtale built a community of over 17000 women and aspiring beauty entrepreneurs
Sharing the idea and objective of Foxtale Ms Romita said, “I had to build a brand that recognized the modern Indian woman, not just their skin types but also their lifestyles and relationships with skincare products and the problems they were trying to solve with skincare regimens. That pretty much sums up my objective with Foxtale. As a venture capitalist, I assessed more than 150 skincare and beauty products and saw a gap between consumer requirements and the steps brands took to address them. Foxtale wanted to make it safe for women to talk about their goals, aspirations and the little things that motivate them in addition to skincare and with many of our consumer conversations and feedback activities like the Lab Sample Trials and the unique Beauty Entrepreneurship initiative Foxtribe successfully doing so”.
Ms Majumdar shared how foxtale differs from other skincare brands, “Foxtribe fundamental approach is their audience. We learn a lot about our products from our audiences’ feedback. And we keep on evolving with our products according to our customers need. Our approach and vision is to create a strong community of entrepreneurs & beauty influencers. Hence before our products are formally launched, they undergo intensive testing and research both in the lab and in our community. We conducted a Pan India Consumer Trial before the launch of our first range and will continue to do so for all of our launches. We are also the foremost Indian Skincare brand to do so.
Further, she added, “Each of our products is conceptualized by interviewing more than 500 women, in order to learn about their skin types, daily routines, desired solutions for skincare problems, available resources for time, money and effort, as well as the desired results or effects from each skincare product. Our formulation team then uses the results of this consumer study to develop products that address all of the issues highlighted in the most effective and cost-effective way possible. Our criteria for the concerned product are only met when 95% of the focus group has provided feedback, at which point it moves on to the next stage of the launch”.
