Caffeine is not normally associated with beauty products, especially in India where ayurveda is the go-to choice for personal care. But start-up MCaffeine is convinced that its range of caffeine-based non-ayurvedic products will establish a parallel trend.

MCaffeine is intent on creating a caffeine-based personal-care segment in FMCG to address the “energetic millennials” who are part of a coffee-drinking generation and are willing to try out caffeine in their shampoos, shower gels and face creams, as well.

“It is the hyperactive, younger generation, who is already visiting Starbucks and CCD, we want to address with our brand. Global research has shown that caffeine has benefits if used in the right amount and despite being a chemical compound, we believe in being the first caffeine-focussed brand in India,” says Vikas Lachhwani, founder and President, MCaffeine.

After having sold its products online for the past few months, MCaffeine is now going offline and targeting a turnover of ₹14 crore in its first year.

While it already reaches out to 14,000 pin codes online, building distribution through modern trade may take a while.

Against the tide

Going against the ayurveda trend is not something the young start-up is perturbed about. “My mother warned me about going against Baba Ramdev’s brand; but my grandmother used tea, since it had caffeine, to reduce puffy eyes. Caffeine is a new-age ingredient much like charcoal and ginseng, and helps in strengthening hair root and reducing cellulite. We expect the digital, hyperactive generation to see the benefits of using caffeine over tulsi or neem,” says Tarun Sharma, founder and CEO, MCaffeine.

Meanwhile, MNC brands such as Garnier also use caffeine along with charcoal in their face wash, and MCaffeine would not mind if it can get a leg up in the segment.

“Garnier is already positioning its face wash as a face charger since it has caffeine, and if an MNC like them gives us the know-how and funding, we can accelerate and execute the category even faster. We aspire to be a make-in India-brand that can be made global with the help of an MNC,” added Sharma.

In fact, MCaffeine is also tapping into a global trend where there are popular caffeine based-brands like Alpecin and ManCave.

Having raised an angel round from the likes of Pranay Jivrajka, COO, Ola, and Kaushal Agarwal, MD, Avendus Capital, the start-up plans to raise about ₹20 crore in Series A in the next six months for making investments in R&D and supply chain.

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