The Oceglow Success Story: A Startup from Scratch to Crore.

Sometimes risk exposing your skin to extreme chemicals from products like exfoliants and Botox abuse or layer piled up foundations and powders leading eventually to an awful texture on the skin. On rare occasions, it could be fine to splurge on beauty products here and there if it works for one, but it is one nasty cycle that has to be stopped. Therefore, Oceglow is here to save the day. 

The Oswal family has a legacy embedded in the heart of Ludhiana, synonymous with the legacy of inheritance in the world of artisans in textiles; but Akshay Oswal always walks a quite different path outside the route of the family business. He moved into skincare and created something out of the intersection of his passions for science, innovation, and his love for travel, 

Having said that, we’ve brought this guide to discuss relevant details about this skincare brand and how it evolved from Rs 18 lakhs to 8 crore revenue annually. Therefore, come with us and delve deep into the brand. 

The Birth of Oceglow

Oceglow’s journey truly started when Akshay Oswal and his wife, Aarushi, a renowned makeup artist having 15 years of experience, began researching the Indian skincare market. Having encountered clients seeking long-term skincare solutions that would address issues like dehydration, dullness, and early signs of aging, the duo realized a gap in the market for marine-based ingredients, staples in Korean culture. 

They were immersed in the marine-based skincare world in South Korea and learned about the extraordinary anti-aging and hydrating properties of ingredients such as algae extracts and marine collagen. With this, Oceglow was born – a luxury skincare brand with a mission to bring the science of Korean skincare to India, while tailoring it for Indian skin. The goal behind the launch was clear – to create products that hydrate, rejuvenate, and address long-term skincare needs using high-quality, marine-based ingredients. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the duo to rethink their approach and helped them redefine formulations and strategies. Thereafter, officially launched in February 2020, the brand quickly gained popularity, thanks to the online presence of Aarushi and her reputation as a makeup artist. The label’s commitment to quality and authenticity, mixed with the duo’s dedication and commitment, resonated with most of the audience. 

Oceglow Products

The Road to Initial Success

The beauty industry is very competitive, with several established names having a strong presence. Therefore, great products were required to break this space. Alongside, understanding consumer behavior, effective marketing, and building trust, was also essential in the early stage. Below are mentioned the challenges faced by the organization.

• Product Development – The development of beauty products is not just efficient but also safe and needs a lot of research, testing, and development. Their earliest batch emerged from several months of trial, pioneering, and fine-tuning.

• Brand Recognition – It could be really difficult to start a brand from zero with few resources at your disposal. As a result, there lies a lot of dependency for this brand on marketing in social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to reach customers.

• Customer Feedback – As a new startup, it is open to feedback from customers to alter its offerings accordingly. The other way in which the brand modified its offerings was through the introduction of a feedback system for the continuous enhancement of products.

Despite these hurdles, the company managed to carve a niche for itself by recognizing natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging – the factors that resonated with the customers. 

Scaling Up: The Turning Point

The breakthrough for the company came when it secured a loyal customer. After redefining its products, the label decided to focus on scaling operations. Therefore, the founders realized to achieve the same, they needed to:

• Leverage E-Commerce Platform – Seeing the growing trend of online shopping, especially after the pandemic, the brand put high efforts into strengthening its online presence. It partnered with some of the leading E commerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon, Nykaa , Kiko and so on which could help it reach more customers.

• Strategic Marketing Campaigns – The brand also started to carry out targeted marketing efforts using micro-influencers with great bonding with their followers. Further that helped them in terms of complete trust and reputation, which plays a key role in this industry.

• Expansion of the product range – Oceglow started with a few products for skin, but demand started growing pretty quickly so the company expanded its range of products, which immediately gained popularity owing to its efficacy and ingredients.

• Customer experience The company takes its customer experience seriously in terms of prompt deliveries and resolving queries. The label has a strong feedback system making life easy to fine-tune offerings.

With this, the company has successfully scaled its operations and with a constant flow of orders from across the country. This increased the brand’s reputation & products earned great reviews.

The Meteoric Rise: Revenue Growth from 18 Lakh to 8 Crore Annually

After carefully monitoring customers’ needs and market trends, the company made a strategic approach and decisions leading to a massive revenue boost. The transition of Rs 18 lakhs to Rs 8 crores was fueled by several factors, mentioned below. 

• Diversifying Sales Channel – Initially, the company was using a direct-to-customer sales channel. With changing trends, it started venturing into other sales channels. Collaboration with major retail chains, online and offline, helped drive sales. Further adding sugar to get more customers is taking the sales to non-metro markets. 

• Data-Driven Decision-Making- The company has adopted an analytics tool to monitor the patterns and behavior of buying by consumers to develop precise product offerings for them. The overall outcome was to increase in sales and a reduction in surplus stock. 

• Brand Collaborations & Celebrity Endorsements- The company also collaborated with known influencers, which brought the brand into the limelight. Moreover, this gave the company the credibility needed to attract a large pool of audience. 

• Going Abroad- The sales kept growing in the domestic market, and the company spread its wings in international markets that include countries like the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and even Europe. The demand of global consumers for organic skincare products matched the clean and natural ingredients of the products as well. 

• Sustainability and Transparent  Efficient brand’s above-the-board entry into their sourcing, production, and packaging processes had consumers. This echoed well across different eco-conscious consumers. In further growth of Oceglow, there were manifold reasons to go for eco-packing, cruelty-free, and natural ingredients.

The USP of Oceglow

The uniqueness of the brand as a rival brand to Laneige, D’you, and COSRX is that the products cater exclusively to Indian skin types. Skincare brands are flooded by different consumers in the market today, and this brand holds the unique position to assimilate Korean skincare with the customers for a skincare solution. Their products are between ₹1,000 and ₹3,000 and hence will be accessible to selective mid-to-high-end clients looking for premium skincare solutions.

As the company looks into the future, Akshay and Aarushi have ambitious plans. They want to take their product line from skincare to makeup products made with the same passion for quality. Moreover, they are scouting for partnerships with offline retail channels, combining their online and offline strategies to provide a seamless shopping experience for the customers. In the long term, the couple also has plans to expand the company’s reach to global markets.

Final Thoughts

With a shared vision, Akshay and Aarushi Oswal came up with Oceglow not only about beauty but empowerment in confidence towards one’s skin, the products are luxurious and, at the same time, effective. With this, we end our guide here, hoping readers shall get relevant information about the brand. 

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