One in a Billion | Ep 11 | Why “Herbal” Brands Aren’t Truly Ayurvedic | Kapil Thirani x Aaryanveda

From kitchen-made products to building one of India’s most research-driven Ayurvedic skincare brands, this episode unpacks the real journey behind Aaryanveda.

In this episode of One in a Billion, Kapil Thirani sits down with Himanshu Chadha (MD, Aaryanveda Cosmeceuticals) to talk about what it actually takes to survive and scale in the cosmetics business. From chasing a simple goal of earning ₹1,000 a day to navigating betrayal, cash losses, and six months of unnoticed leakages, Himanshu shares the unfiltered side of entrepreneurship before it became aspirational. The conversation explores why Aaryanveda was launched in 2005, when Ayurveda wasn’t fashionable.

He breaks down the thinking behind affordable pricing, direct sourcing from farmers, in-house packaging, and walking away from superficial “herbal” branding. Premium pricing, big investments, and the wrong market timing turned it into a costly failure, but one that reshaped how he thinks about focus, distribution, and consumer readiness.

Listen for a raw, honest conversation about trust, mistakes, science, and building a brand the hard way.

Chapters

00:00 Coming Up

01:27 Introduction

02:05 The Founder’s Early Story

04:55 Product Vision & Planning

07:35 Kitchen to Factory Journey

10:50 Business Pivot & Course Correction

17:05 Aaryanveda’s Birth & Entry into Ayurveda

21:17 The Truth About the Herbal Industry

25:30 Kshir Pak Vidhi: Ayurvedic Oil Making

27:29 Controlling Costs in Business

33:02 Entering E-commerce: Lessons & Challenges

36:43 Edible Cosmetics: Launch & Struggles

42:00 Business Model Canvas Explained

43:32 The Future of Quick Commerce

45:25 Building Consumer Trust Online

47:40 Closing Thoughts

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