Brands
Dabur India extends Honitus brand with ‘Hot Sip’
MUMBAI: Moving forward on its mission to present the benefits of Ayurveda in modern-day formats, Dabur India has extended its Honitus brand with the launch of Dabur Honitus Hot Sip, a powder to make Ayurvedic ‘Kadha’ especially designed to help fight cough & cold. Enriched with the goodness of 15 powerful unique Ayurvedic herbs such as Shunthi, Kantakari, Kulanjana & Tulsi, combined with honey to provide effective natural formulation for effective relief from cough, cold and sore throat, Honitus Hot Sip comes in two ready-to-use formats – a tea-stick and a sachet.
Backed with the traditional Ayurvedic knowledge of medicinal Kadha preparation, Dabur Honitus Hot Sip is easy to use – Just stir the tea stick or the contents of the sachet in either warm water, tea or milk, and experience the goodness of Ayurveda Kadha. Dabur Honitus Hot Sip sachet is priced at Rs. 10, while the stick format is priced at Rs. 95 for a box of five sticks.
Dabur India Marketing Head-OTC Ganapathy Subramaniam said: “This marks a first for Dabur and for the Ayurvedic and healthcare industry in India. Indian consumers have always sworn by the health benefits of Ayurvedic Kadha, and with Dabur Honitus Hot Sip we are now offering a effective alternative to fight cough and cold, that is convenient, time saving and packed with the goodness of Ayurvedic herbs.”
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
