Secret Alchemist, the fragrance and aromatherapy brand backed by a celebrity, just got $3 million in funding led by Unilever Ventures, with DSG Consumer Partners also chipping in.
This funding, which includes both new and existing money, is a big deal for the Mumbai-based startup. They’re planning to use it to build their brand, add more products, and grow their team as they try to find their foot in India’s quickly changing direct-to-consumer market.
Around \$2.5 million of the total was new funding, with the rest giving some early investors a chance to cash out a bit. This comes after their \$898,000 seed funding, which shows investors are liking what they see in India’s clean beauty and wellness D2C brands.
Founded in 2022 by Ankita Thadani, Akash Valia, and actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Secret Alchemist had a simple idea: make a fragrance and aromatherapy brand that’s clean, open, and free of gross stuff. They planned to use natural ingredients mixed with scientific formulas. They’re working in the D2C beauty and wellness space, as well as premium personal care – areas where people are buying because they care more about what’s in products and how they affect the earth and their health.
Secret Alchemist wants to fix skin, hair, and sensory issues at the source, using pure crucial oils, aromatherapy, and ingredients that are easy to find. They sell perfumes, skincare, haircare, and aromatherapy things, hoping to stand out from other new personal care D2C brands in India. By focusing on being pure, sustainable, and a little fancy, they’ve been building a name for themselves
They’ll use the money for branding and marketing, new products, and making their company better.
You can find their stuff on their website, Amazon, and quick commerce channels like Blinkit. They want to get on more platforms to reach more people while getting customers in cities.
For Unilever Ventures, this shows they’re still into D2C brands with strong founders, celebrity involvement, and transparent ingredients.
As India’s D2C market grows, Secret Alchemist’s funding shows that brands that are clean, high-end, and have founders who know their stuff can still get money. With this funding, Secret Alchemist should be able to grow, add new products, and become a bigger name in India’s fast-growing D2C beauty and wellness world.
