Brand Case Study: Forest Essentials 

ABOUT THE BRAND 

Luxury of Purity

Pure. Fresh. Seasonal. Natural

Forest essentials is an authentic, traditional skincare brand with its foundation in the ancient science of Ayurveda. A pioneer of luxurious ayurveda, today it has become the quintessential Indian beauty brand that combines the ancient beauty rituals of ayurveda with a stylish, modern aesthetic for a more relevant emphasis on efficacy, sensorial experience and pleasure of usage.

HISTORY 

Mira Kulkarni started the business in 2000 with an investment of Rs.2 lakhs, then only selling handmade soaps and candles. The business expanded after the Delhi hotel Hyatt Regency ordered the soaps for their rooms. In 2005–2006, the company posted sales of Rs.6 crore. In 2008, the New York-based Estée Lauder Companies acquired a 20% stake in the company, and in October 2021, the brand announced entering the United Kingdom by opening 12 retail stores. Kulkarni's son Samrath Bedi currently serves as the managing director of the company. The company has 80 stores in India, supplies to 190 hotels and export to 120 countries. The factories are in Haridwar and Lodsi in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand. Forest Essentials sells natural, organic and Ayurvedic cosmetics and has a policy of not testing their products on animals.

Vision and Mission of the brand

‘Welcome to a world where ancient wisdom is infused with modern aesthetics’

‘If you cannot eat it, do not put it on your skin’

That is the Ayurvedic & Forest Essentials standard for pure, fresh and natural. The brand believe that beauty products made of living substances such as plants or their extracts, are balanced by nature and contain the vibratory energy that constitutes life. These contain all the purifying, nutritive and balancing properties necessary to nurture the skin and for eternal beauty. They are the perfect foods for the skin.

‘Clean, cruelty free beauty’

 Across all the products, they control the conception, formulation, manufacturing and sale of their Ayurvedic products, thereby ensuring quality & purity across all pillars.

BRAND PHILOSOPHY 

In India, rituals for beauty were always freshly made and time consuming, as the Ayurvedic standard was always pure, fresh and natural. The brand use this “Slow” philosophy to produce our line of treatments made following the fundamental principle of pure, fresh, natural, and seasonal.

Forest Essentials products are inspired by ancient Ayurveda recipes and traditions but are modernized to feel luxurious and exquisite. While the packaging and bottling processes are modern, the preparation of the product still follows age-old, labour intensive techniques. Everything is made in the traditionally old fashioned way, according to Ayurvedic tenets, and wherever possible, by hand.

Latest Advertisements by the Brand 

(Digital Platforms) 

• Facebook: The advertisement was about their Anti-Pollution mist that people must use after their post Diwali smog. 

• Instagram: The commercial announced the brand's debut into London, UK, which would be celebrated with a gala attended by some of the most prominent figures in global indie film and business.

Social Media Analysis 

Being an ayurvedic beauty company that uses only natural herbs and ingredients, Forest Essentials is quite adept at engaging its audience, especially through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, influencers, and magazine shoots.

The brand recently posted videos launching their gift sets on the platforms which was well viewed and appreciated by the audience. 

Target Audience

The brands target audience is at least 18 or above because at that age you know what kind of creams you use, what kind of creams you don’t use, what suits your skin or what causes certain issues on your skin. Thus forest essentials mainly target consumers who care about the quality of life.

Socially Responsible steps taken by the brand

Ethical Sourcing & Farming

The ingredients are sourced from local, small-scale farmers, traditional artisans and rural co-operatives that are experts in their fields who use environmentally sound farming practices and have organic farms at the Lodsi workshop. This has been enabling the brand to reduce transport costs, generate less waste, and increase efficiency. In exchange, they offer good trading practices and independence-building prices.

Eco Packaging

Forest Essentials has reduced the use of plastic with a significant percentage. The brand use recyclable PET and Glass in their new packaging. The outer packaging has always been in biodegradable cartons made of FSC certified paper. They  are using recyclable air-filled paper pouches or paper cushions for the products inside the cartons, for orders placed online via our website, instead of plastic bubble wrap.

#GoGreenWithFE and get Rewarded

The brand have set up a collection facility in each of their stores across the country, where you can drop off your Forest Essentials empties (jars and bottles of both their earlier and new packaging). The recyclable PET will then be effectively re-purposed and processed into many secondary applications such as new fibers, bottles and containers, carpet and clothing, industrial strapping, rope, upholstery fabrics, boat sails, automotive parts, fiberfill for winter jackets and sleeping bags, construction materials, and many other items. 

Conclusion

The metaphysical location of Forest Essentials lies somewhere between legend and modernity, between the Himalayas and Manhattan. Experience the profound beauty and regenerating power of the ages-old Ayurvedic medicine within the lovely bottles and boxes. The brand seek to resurrect the original era of Ayurvedic skin care by drawing inspiration from timeless beauty secrets and the ancient wisdom of healing, prevention, and longevity known to Indian physicians for over six thousand years.