Skincare brand from Kerala reaches final round of Beauty&You Awards
Kochi: Elizabeth Isaac, a young entrepreneur from Kadayirippu, Kolenchery in Ernakulam, is making waves in the global beauty industry with her sustainable skincare brand ‘Gunam Beauty’, which she launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, her brand’s skincare products are available across India through various online stores.
This emerging beauty brand has now reached the final round of the ‘Beauty&You Awards’, organised by New Incubation Ventures (N I V), an initiative to support budding entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. N I V is backed by the Estée Lauder Companies, one of the world’s largest cosmetic industry groups. The award is presented in collaboration with Nykaa, a popular e-commerce platform for beauty products. The winner in the Growth category will receive a cash prize of Rs 1.25 crore.
Kerala ingredients, French formulations
Elizabeth, who graduated in design from the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York, had always aspired to work in the beauty industry. This dream took her to Paris, where she joined Givaudan, a Swiss company that is one of the largest producers of raw materials for beauty products. Just a day before France announced its lockdown in March 2020, Elizabeth returned to India, where she continued her job working from home.
During the lockdown, Elizabeth, who had struggled with skin issues since childhood, decided to take the leap and start her own business to develop skincare solutions. She eventually quit her job and founded ‘Gunam Beauty’. The products combine natural ingredients sourced from India with French formulation expertise. Currently, most of the products in the Gunam Beauty range are manufactured in France, while newly introduced health supplements are produced in India.
Gunam Beauty's products are available not only on its own website (gunambeauty.com) but also on popular online platforms like Nykaa, Amazon and Ajio Luxe. According to Elizabeth, the brand is receiving most of its orders from metro cities. Gunam Beauty is also preparing to expand its presence in international markets soon.