Six 'mompreneurs' who chose sustainability

Raising children and being a successful businesswoman need not be mutually exclusive. On Mother's Day, we bring you six young 'mompreneurs' running homegrown, sustainable brands while managing their families with panache. Superb multitaskers all, many of them found the germ of their business idea right at home. Here are their inspiring stories.(The writer, Nivi Shrivastava, is an independent journalist, free-thinker, and an avid traveller)

Non-toxic skincare | For Harini Sivakumar, a mother, cosmetic chemist, and founder of skincare brand Earth Rhythm, going plastic neutral with sustainability is the core ethos of her brand. An erstwhile banker, Harini turned to entrepreneurship to find the safest skincare products for her son, born with a special skin condition. Formerly known as Soapworks India, she launched her skincare company in 2015 as a home-based set-up. It invests in independent clinical trials and research and has been certified Non-Toxic by ECOCERT (the world's largest certifying body) and cruelty-free by PETA.

Inclusive fashion for all | A perfect

Eco-conscious kids wear | When a former banker Barkha Bhatnagar Das joined hands with business expert Meghna Kishore, the two mothers decided to start an eco-friendly clothing brand Greendigo with a dream to make sustainable clothing the new normal for little kids. The brand creates quality children's clothing and is a homegrown GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton brand that complies with the social and environmental requirements throughout manufacturing.

Crowning glory | In an attempt to build a community for wavy and curly hair, enterprising hairstylist Yuba Aga and her business partner Hinshara Habeeb started the brand Manetain which caters to the need of men and women with textured hair. The two mothers shared a common objective to celebrate curly hair, and their friendship was cemented by creating a clean solution for curls. Manetain has formulated two paraben-free products—co-wash and conditioner—using natural ingredients like neem, peppermint, aloe vera, argan oil, lavender, and plant-based keratin.

Sustainable invitations | A brainchild of two creative designers who run a luxury design studio in Hyderabad, sustainable invite and greeting card company Paper Date Co. offers a curated space for independent artists and designers. Shruti Katragadda, a mother and co-founder of the brand, and Meenakshi Katragadda started this homegrown brand in 2021 to fill the gap in the custom e-invite and greeting card market in India.

Skincare simplified | For Megha Asher, Co-founder of skincare brand Juicy Chemistry, the idea of starting a vegan brand materialized in 2014 when she launched a specialized range for hyper-sensitive and acne-prone skin. A mother and successful entrepreneur, she started the brand with her husband Pritesh to provide a formulation with absolutely no chemicals and preservatives; this was partly because she, too, faced skin issues due to the unavailability of chemical-free products. Along with her role as a mother, Megha also manages day-to-day operations of the company, HR, order fulfilment and handles social media and customer support.