TRENDSETTING INNOVATIONS
Founded by Hemant Raulo, UrbanGabru and Urban Yog are two sister brands catering to the grooming and personal care needs of men and women pan-India.
UrbanGabru is a leading men’s grooming brand that comes up with upgraded solutions that not only ease men’s lives but also stand out in comparison to endless replica products in the market. While Urban Yog is a beauty and personal care brand that innovates solutions for bold women who wish to bring change in themselves and in society.
Both brands are standing the test of time due to their trendsetting innovations that have the potential to disrupt the status-quo of the market. Having a cut above the rest makes their products the best-sellers in the grooming and personal care industry.
Earlier, they were bootstrapped until recently when they became a part of the GlobalBees Family who supported the innovative brand with their funds and infrastructure making it a win-win for both.
Since then, keeping fingers crossed, the growth has been exponential with a 25-30% increase in revenue month-on-month.
The brand has successfully touched the lives of lakhs of customers by recognizing the market fit online, however, they aim to spike it up to crores. Dominating the offline market, they are determined to do that as well.
Gearing up on the journey, UrbanGabru launched Hair Removal Cream Spray which is the first-ever spray that removes body hair in a painless way and that too in minutes. Then comes their Hair Volumizing Powder that instantly adds volume to hair and keeps the hairstyle intact for the day.
On the other hand, Urban Yog launched bold solutions such as Hair Removal Spray for painless hair removal, a Period Pain Relief Heat Patch for menstruating women to stick it on their skin or cloth to calm their uterine muscles unlike hot water bags which are bulky and impractical for today’s busy women.
Further, UrbanGabru is thrilled to collaborate with Surya Kumar Yadav, India’s No.1 T20I player, as their brand ambassador.
Recently, they have entered into the ‘Personal Care Appliances’ category which is again gaining popularity. Urban Yog has developed 3 different products including a 3 Barrel Hair Curler, Hair Straightener Brush, and Hot Air Brush. In addition to that, UrbanGabru has launched a body trimmer in the same category.
BREAKING STEREOTYPES
Where the brand is today has a lot to do with where it came from. It all started with a single man’s dream to do something of his own.
Mr. Hemant Raulo, after completing his B.E. in Computer Science from AIT, Pune, in 2013 worked as a SAP Administrator in Accenture Pvt. Ltd. for 3.5 years. However, he always wanted to pursue something of his own. In 2016, he left the corporate job and started on his journey of being a self-taught digital marketer.
On researching, he understood that there were enough grooming products for women but there was a void when it came to men. There was a need and demand but an improper supply. Realizing the potential, he decided to fill the gap. Under the name of UrbanGabru, he set up his own sole proprietorship firm.
Beginning the journey in 2017, with a single room and a handful of people they first started a YouTube Channel under the name of UrbanGabru Men’s Lifestyle. The channel focused on educating men and solving their everyday problems. It gained momentum and helped them gather customers’ queries and what they were looking for. After gaining 30K subscribers, the brand launched their first-ever product UrbanGabru Beard Oil.
On receiving continuous love from the audience, they started diversifying their product range to solve customers’ problems innovatively and marketing them across different platforms.
On the side, they also started with their sister brand Urban Yog, to cater to women’s needs. The brand launched a product—an Acne/Pimple Patch—to help teenage girls overcome their self-esteem issues by diminishing their pimples overnight.
The USP of both brands was always to bring innovative products such that they themselves became their brand ambassadors.
In 2019, the brand registered as a private limited company and gradually became a 25 crore company.
TAKING THE BIG LEAP
Mr. Hemant says, “The dream is to be a 400 crore revenue company by the end of this fiscal year and that dream doesn’t seem far-fetched with my crew of 120+ Gabrus.”
Listing the products across different e-commerce platforms and also going ahead with the offline expansion to reach tier-2 and tier-3 cities, they are keen to achieve this.
Diversifying the product range, the brand has entered the Personal Care Appliances category which will accelerate them to reach their goal faster.
In addition to that, they plan to create a mark in the Hair Removal and Hair Styling category making their brand a household name.
“More than a brand, we want to be a lifestyle,” expresses Mr. Hemant.
