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CEO & Co-Founder
Amit Patil
Amit Patil is the backbone of the business, heading Business Development and Operations. He forefronts with a strong belief and commitment and brings his expertise and management skills to the growing business. Having started his journey with the brand as a 20-year-old still in college, Amit has helped develop ilana in its journey to being recognised as one of the best homegrown skincare brands in the country.
“We at ilana believe strongly in customer experience and we are always willing to go the extra mile to provide the best possible service”, says Amit. He feels that ilana is not just a consumer brand, instead it is a much-needed change in the skincare market, providing high-quality and performance products with a sustainable impact on the environment. Amit is a part of an all-women’s team at ilana and is proud to be a part of this empowered organisation.
My journey started with ilana at the age of 20. Over the years I’ve looked after ilana’s operations, logistics, finance, manufacturing, supply chain, business development and to build a team gradually as the business grew. Since day 1 there have been challenges in the business and I have begun to actually like them as it always helps us in making the right decisions. These past 3 years have been life changing for me personally and indeed the best time of my life. It's amazing to look back and see what we’ve built and indeed very excited for the future.
My vision for the brand includes:
For Ilana to be one of the best skincare and beauty brands in India, heading the skincare revolution. With the growing awareness, consumers are looking for products that deliver on their claims. We wish to bring them result-oriented products for the same. Our brand look and feel is comparable internationally, which makes us ready to dive into the international market as well when the time is right. We aim to be a global standard for innovation and transparency.
Creative Director & Co-Founder
Nikita Deshpande
Right from her formative years, Nikita Deshpande has been intrigued by the organic space, experimenting with and developing small batches of skincare from the confines of her kitchen. Ilana was born from this desire to create effective skincare that’s ethically innovative, accessible and affordable. Started in 2018, this millennial concoction operates out of offices in Pune and delivers countrywide.
A design graduate, Nikita learned to structure varying roles, dabble across various disciples and believes in the power of systems design. “I think studying design ultimately ends up allowing your brain to bend its perspective in ways you never thought it could,” she says. From the brand story, to the strategy, and the design to the formulation of the products themselves, this feisty entrepreneur has spearheaded the entire process from scratch.
Nikita believes that Ilana is all about making a shift in lifestyle, by being ethically innovative, absolutely transparent and practicing sustainability at every step. “We strongly feel that consumers aren't statistics to be exploited for profit, but equal stakeholders in the production process, and this is what makes us ethical.”
Today the customers want a coexisting and trustworthy space where they feel heard and can interact. A more personal and human touch makes the brand seem more genuine and relatable to them. For this, we believe in using our social media to create wholesome content about lifestyle, wellness, and self-care that makes people come back to us for more than just our products.
Being a founder-centric brand our social media platform enables the customers to have a human connection with the brand. Customers have a persona they can relate to, which makes them feel like they are in safe hands." Being an entrepreneur and a skincare enthusiast, it has always been important for me to see what works for the Indian skin since climatic and socio-economic conditions play a huge role in it. Instead of merely copying the trends of the west we believe in solving the problems that are close to home, and being a homegrown, local brand helps us to do so.
The last 2 years have been full of learning opportunities. The increasing consumer awareness and confidence in organic, vegan, and sustainable skincare brands has led to a rise in demand for such products which has definitely worked in our favour. We understand the concerns Millennials and Gen Z women face and what they want out of their personal care and we are here to bridge that gap.