Episode #20
How Dermaceuticals Created a New Category | Kapil Thirani x Fixderma | One in a Billion | Ep 20
The Indian Skincare Brand Sitting Beside Bioderma, How did a dermatologist-first business grow 35–40% of its revenue online? In this episode of One in a Billion, Kapil Thirani sits down with Shaily Mehrotra (CEO & Founder, Fixderma & FCL) to break down how an Indian dermaceutical company grew from just 8 products into a portfolio of nearly 150 skincare solutions. The journey began with a clear market gap: pharmaceutical skincare looked medicinal, while cosmetic brands focused largely on beauty and trends. Fixderma chose a different path, building problem-solving dermaceuticals backed by scientific formulations, dermatologist trust, and long-term product efficacy. What followed was years of patient category-building: - Growing from 8 products to nearly 150 skincare solutions - Using in-vivo and in-vitro sunscreen testing before these concepts were widely understood in India - Building trust through a network of around 15,000 dermatologists - Moving towards in-house manufacturing after one failed batch exposed quality-control risks - Growing online sales from almost zero to 35–40% of the business - Facing dermatologist backlash after entering Blinkit and e-commerce - Taking an Indian skincare brand to global shelves beside Bioderma and Eucerin Shaily unpacks the real challenges behind building a skincare business: creating a new dermaceutical category, finding product-market fit, maintaining formulation quality, managing online and offline channel conflict, expanding through marketplaces, and building an export-ready Indian brand. It all builds toward one larger idea: Indian skincare brands can compete globally when product science, manufacturing, distribution, and consumer trust work together. A must-watch for D2C founders, e-commerce sellers, marketplace operators, skincare entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and anyone building a consumer brand from India. CHAPTERS 00:00 Coming up 01:20 Introduction 02:15 The Failed Business That Changed Her Approach 06:33 The Market Gap Behind Fixderma 12:04 How Fixderma Won Dermatologists’ Trust 19:49 How Fixderma Expanded Into Global Markets 26:10 Why Sunscreen Became Fixderma’s Hero Product 31:29 Why Fixderma Is Successful in Vietnam 32:59 Shaily Mehrotra’s Shark Tank Journey 34:56 How COVID Forced Fixderma Online 42:10 The Future of India’s Skincare Industry 47:01 The Story Behind Nigrifix 49:44 Flipkart and the Growth of Online Beauty 55:06 Closing Thoughts #Fixderma #SkincareBusiness #Dermaceuticals #Dermatologist #EcommerceSeller #D2CBrand #MarketplaceSeller #IndianStartups #SkincareBrand #entrepreneurship
