Established in 2014 by sisters Myra Qureshi and Rema Taseer, through various outlets, including its own website and offline shops, Conatural creates, manufactures and sells natural and organic skin and hair care items.
In a pre-Series A round, Conatural, a natural beauty brand based in Lahore, raised$825,000, MENAbytes said earlier this week. Pakistan-focused VC Karavan and various angel investors, including Weihan Liew, Adeel Ahmad, Fahad Qureshi, Mikaeel Habib, and Zaki Sumar, received the investment.
However, most of its revenues come from its retail partners, Myra Queshi, the co-founder and CEO of Conatural, told MENAbytes. Conatural currently has over 50 SKUs, ranging from face washes and anti-aging creams to hair oils and shampoos, with its products being sold at some of the nation’s largest hypermarkets and pharmacy chains, which is a significant feat given that it was a homegrown business and brand that began just six years ago. The goods have also gained endorsements from many of the country’s leading TV personalities and social media influencers, who obviously use them daily.
Myra described how her intention before starting Conatural was to create safe and toxic-free beauty products that were equally beneficial for the users. Speaking to Menabytes, she said, “Having a mix of online and offline presence especially through our retail partners has helped us create the leading natural beauty brand of the country. We’re the pioneers of this category in Pakistan and are proud of what we’ve achieved so far. We will be doubling down on online direct-to-consumer sales with the help of this investment now,” said Myra, who had started Conatural with the aim of creating safe (free of toxic chemicals) and effective beauty products.
Conatural’s second-biggest distribution channel has been its website, which the start-up said has seen decent growth since the beginning of the pandemic.
The CEO further added that Conatural was a profitable company and the only reason they raised capital was to be able to boost their growth with the help of investors.
She also revealed during a statement that the enterprise has now developed a turgid brand foundation and that it is now all set to implement expansion plans, both national and international. She commented, “We’re really excited about the journey ahead. We are positioning ourselves as a key player in the market of natural and organic products, fostering product innovation. The $8 billion beauty industry [in Pakistan] continues to grow, and we look forward to building a great company in an exciting category.”
Amad Saeed, a collaborator at Karavan shared, “Conatural is innovating the way forward for the natural and organic beauty industry in Pakistan, being cognizant to the changing needs of the young population. They are building a brand in Pakistan that fundamentally redefines what beauty in Pakistan looks like.” He further elaborated on Conatural stating that considering a world-wide consumer base, it can compete with brands such as Lush, Kylie Cosmetics (Kylie Skin), Huda Beauty (Wishful) and Glossier. Saeed also expressed his positive feelings regarding working with CEO Myra over the last 10 months and stated that he is “extremely excited to be joining her on this journey.”
As reported by Menabytes, Rema Taseer, the co-founder of Conatural also stated “We will continue to make Conatural the best product experience in the field of natural and organic and emerging as the pioneer and market leader. We are proud to partner with strategic investors who share our vision and look forward to building a clear brand based on the company’s ethos.”
As well as producing and selling its own products, the Pakistani start-up has also partnered with various companies and brands to provide them with private label services and co-branded products.To date, it has produced more than 120 SKUs for its own brand and other brands, all of which it said use natural and organic formulations, and were intended to concentrate on dermatological results and credentials.
Reference links: www.menabytes.com
