Vera:

[0:01] Suddenly my skin started to break out. I totally lost my glow and I started to lose hair. Like it was insane. 

Shivi: 

[0:09] Stress is not just mental, it's physical. So that's where we want to focus on because it is a growing issue. And Ayurveda has been there for 5000 years dealing with things like these. A lot of Ayurvedic brands are very cultural, like My Mother's Recipe or very heritage based, but not focus completely on unlocking the clinical science of Ayurveda. That's what we do. 

Debbie:

[0:31] Welcome to Skin in the Game. I'm your host, Debbie Go. Today, we bring you a story that's deeply personal, incredibly inspiring, and born from a moment of crisis. I'm excited to welcome the couple behind the revolutionary wellness brand, Vedic Lab, Shivi and Vera Gupta. Today, they've created VEDIC LAB, a brand that is unique in its mission to deliver 5,000 years of Ayurvedic wisdom and clinically proven products that show results in just one month by fusing Ayurvedic traditions with cutting-edge Swiss clinical science, addressing the impact of modern-day stress in a whole new way. So if you're ready to hear a personal struggle sparked a [1:18] business and how ancient wisdom is being powered by modern science? Stay with us. Shivi and Vera, welcome to the show. 

Shivi:

Thank you.

Vera:

Thank you so much, Debbie. We're so excited to be here.

Debbie:

[1:31] Vera, I'd love to start at the very beginning. VEDIC LAB was born from a deeply personal experience you had with stress right before your wedding. Could you take us back to the moment? What was happening in your life and how did that stress physically manifest?

Vera:

[1:49] It was an extremely stressful period in my life, as you said, right? I was planning the wedding, which to be my husband, an intercultural wedding combining Swiss culture and Indian culture, which was not easy because those cultures are like totally opposites. At the same time, we were shifting houses from one village to another city. And I also lost my job. It was actually right at the end of COVID and the company I was working for. They had to take measurements during COVID. And it was an extremely stressful situation for me. And it really showed up. It didn't just show up only on my energy and on my well-being, but also on my skin. Suddenly, my skin started to break out. I totally lost my glow and I started to lose hair. Like it was insane. And so I didn't really know what to do. I went to the pharmacy. I went to see a doctor. I tried various of the same things, but nothing helped during that time. And one evening I was sitting at the dinner table with Shivi and he was just casually saying, hey, why don't you try Ayurveda? My family has been using Ayurveda for a very long time because it's a traditional natural Indian healing system. So he recommended me to speak to his family's Ayurveda doctor.

Vera:

And I've heard about Ayurveda before, but I was very skeptical because mostly what you read is very complex. A lot of people don't understand it, especially here, including me. I didn't really know what it is, so I didn't really believe in it. But at some point, [3:16] I was just like, you know what? I don't have any other option at the moment. So let's just go for it. Let's just try. And I did that. And I met this doctor, and it was extremely inspiring because he knew so much about the human body and how everything is interconnected. And he gave me amazing tips, nice type tips, but he also gave me a couple of herbal recommendations that I can use, that I can eat, but also that I can use topical for my hair loss and for my skin. And to my surprise, it really worked, but it did take some time. And it took almost six months to really show results.

 Vera:

[3:54] And my friends kept asking me like, hey, Vera, what are you doing about it? Suddenly your hair looks so much better than before. Your skin looks so much better than before. So I was telling them about this experience. And I realized that a lot of people are looking for these natural solutions. But mostly when I told them what I actually have to go through to do this, standing in the kitchen every single day, mixing the things together, they're like, oh my God, no, thank you. I don't have time for these things. And yeah, this is basically how it all started because I realized a lot of people are looking for the solutions. But people don't have the time to mix it together by themselves. And they want solutions fast. I mean, including me, right? I was also just a consumer. I wanted to see something that works very fast. And this is when we decided to create it ourselves.

 Debbie:

[4:43] Shivi, when you saw Vera's transformation using Ayurveda firsthand, when did you both realize that this solution wasn't just personal between the two of you, but had the potential to become VEDIC LAB?

 Shivi: 

You know, everything starts personal. and we take things for granted. I grew up in an environment where Ayurveda was just part of culture, part of everyday things. But living in Switzerland, it wasn't top of mind for me. In fact, I had forgotten all the wisdom that lay with my mother's wisdom and everything else in Ayurveda. But then having my fiancé and wife really go through that experience was interesting for me because there were a few facts that were coming together. One is, the world is getting more stressed. There's no doubt about it. So what we're now going through is happening to a lot more people. 

[5:24] Research shows that actually women have 50% more stress than men. It's a compelling data point. It was something that was much more mission-oriented for us. Being in the category before I worked in the beauty and wellness space for quite a few years, I knew that people are looking for naturals but the pure naturals wave is over. People are looking for efficacy and results from naturals. They want clinically proven results. They want the evidence of naturals. 

[5:51] So for me it was an exciting opportunity because it was a challenge that we could actually tap into the ancient wisdom and the plant science of Ayurveda, but that itself was not enough. We needed to show clinical proof, evidence, and results to people.  

[6:05] And it felt that it is something that we could bring to a lot more people to benefit a lot more people. And there's a space for innovation for us. And these two things were exciting. There's a huge market. There's a space for innovation that we could do. And we felt excited by that mission.

 Debbie:

[6:19] Your mission is very bold, delivering 5,000 years of Ayurvedic wisdom and clinically proven products with visible results in just one month. How did you land on this specific promise? What market gap were you aiming to fill?

 Shivi:

[6:32] You know, if you look at the category overall, right, there are a lot of brands. I mean, the world doesn't need more beauty brands. I agree, even though we've launched our own beauty brand. But what I find in the entire category and market is there's a lot of hype-driven brands, a lot of sensorial-driven brands.

 Shivi:

[6:48] There's still not a single brand that combines real ancient wisdom that's been running for thousands of years. It'll never die with advanced sciences. The integration is something that is still a gap in the market. If you look at dermal cosmetics, it's a very singular approach to the category, which is a Western molecular science approach to it. It's a very focused approach to it. Whereas ancient wisdom, be it Indian wisdom or Chinese wisdom, any wisdom or even Swiss wisdom, All ancient wisdoms believe in a holistic approach to your problem And they believe in natural sciences to your problem Now, both these schools of thoughts can be very polarizing and very separate But we strongly believe as an intercultural Swiss-Indian couple That there's beauty when you mix things together So that was the opportunity for us to actually integrate these 5000 years of holistic natural sciences with modern Swiss biotechnology to give results. And as Vera mentioned, people want both. People don't want to compromise. People do want the natural and holistic approach that goes to the root cause. Yet they want something that is efficacy-driven, clinically proven results that they can bank on. And if you look at the category, there's not too many brands that sort of do that and do justice to that.  

[8:04] A lot of Ayurvedic brands are very cultural, like my mother's recipe or very heritage-based. But not focused completely on unlocking the clinical science of Ayurveda. That's what we do.

 Debbie:

[8:16] How do you maintain that authenticity while balancing tradition with innovations at VEDIC LAB?

 Shivi:

[8:23] Yeah, it's a great question. You know, it's a bit of a tightrope walk because oftentimes they can pull separately. Now, for example, in traditional Ayurveda, you have to use the whole plant to get the benefit of it. But as Vera mentioned, it's a very complex procedure and so on. Now, Western medical science has figured out which part or which extract of that plant has the most impact on our properties for skin or for hair and so on. So therefore, what we look for is which Ayurvedic plant has those properties that is known in Ayurveda for certain benefits, be it skin, be it hair, be it sleep, be it energy, which plant has or which plants have those properties. But then we rely on the biotechnology aspect of it to extract that part of the plant and make it easier and therefore make it more supercharged so that people can get the best results in the shortest time. So that's one aspect of it. But ultimately, Ayurveda is not about herbs and plants. Ayurveda is a much more holistic medical system. So the way we do it is while we solve for your problem through our products that extracts the biotechnology of Ayurvedic herbs, with every product, if you open up our product, you have a unique code. Every product has a unique code where every consumer gets our app.

 Shivi:

[9:37] And the app is the digital Ayurveda in your pocket at your fingertips that actually gives you the holistic routine and recipes and care personalized to your body type, which is more closer to the real essence of Ayurveda. So Ayurveda is not just about, yes, Ashwagandha, Turmeric, Tulsi, Amla, they all belong to that school. But Ayurveda is not just that. It has a lot more to it. So thereby, in our innovation, and we are proud of it, a lot of people ask us, why you want to make an app? I mean, it's dead. It's just not going to work for you. is on a business and so on. Yes, from a business point of view, we have our products that solve the problem, but we want to be more authentic, more holistic, and more true to Ayurvedic principles, which is why we developed that app. It's an award-winning app, by the way, and it's free for everybody who buys our products. And that's why we believe that we are much closer to the more authentic Ayurvedic 

[10:26] principles, yet it's biotech, digital, you know, the modern aspects of it.

 Debbie:

[10:30] Every great brand has a secret sauce, so to speak. And for your face care line, I noticed that you have this Activedic ® technology. Could you unpack what's inside this proprietary blend of Ayurvedic botanicals and Swiss biotech? And what's the key problem? Does it solve?

 Shivi:

[10:46] One thing we're very proud of is in deep R&D to create proprietary technologies and formulations. If you look at our entire topical lines, which is our skincare and scalp care, we have a proprietary technology called Activedic ®technology. 

[11:02] What it does is it's a patent filed formula. So, firstly, it's a unique formulation. It combines multiple actives of Ayurvedic herbal extracts immersed in vitamin-rich almond milk. It's a lot to unpack, but there are two aspects of it. One is taking actives. So, instead of retinol, which is a molecular active in the typical Western sciences, we take the actives of 99% pure bakuchiol. We also take actives of Brahmi, which is cica. We combine those two in our ratios, and then we mix it with vitamin-rich almond milk. So that is our proprietary combination. We have done in vitro tests to prove the innovation and efficacy of our proprietary molecule.

 Shivi:

[11:43] It is proven to deliver 40 times more antioxidant power than vitamin C on skin cells. 40 times more antioxidant power yet extremely gentle to your skin. So that is the benefit and the magic when you really look at creating unique formulations using, you know, the herbal sciences in a biotech way, you can create spectacular results. If you look at the INCI list of most products in the market, the first ingredient will invariably be water or aqua. Basically, it's water. You can call it fancy way, aqua or alpine water, whatever, it's water. Okay, as we know, the first 10 ingredients are in the decreasing order of their concentration. Whenever aqua or aqua is the first ingredient, it's the largest ingredient in the bottle is water.

 Shivi:

[12:30] And this is industrial water. So it is a deionized, you know, stripped out water as a base. It doesn't do anything for your skin. So we challenged that. And like when I was growing up, my mom always soaked almond milk overnight, crushed it and fed me. For the simple reason that almond milk has so much vitamins and minerals in it, that's good for your body. So we had a question. Now, when we make our proprietary activity formula, why don't we take the entire base, which is just industrialized water in the category, but use vitamin-rich almond milk instead. And that's what we did. This was a big innovation for us. So our ingredient, the first INCI list, the first ingredient is almond milk and not water. So these are a couple of the uniqueness that makes our formulations quite superior.

 Debbie:

[13:13] Actually using vitamin-rich almond milk as a base instead of water, I find that a standout feature in a beauty category. It's unheard of, to be honest. And the fact that you used a bakuchiol, which is a plant-based alternative to retinol, there's also something unique to your formulations. It speaks volumes to the quality that you represent. Ayurveda is highly personalized. How do you translate such a complex, individualized system into products that work consistently worldwide?

 Vera:

[13:45] Yeah, indeed. When you visit an Ayurvedic doctor, everything is personalized to your unique Ayurvedic constitution. So what we have also realized, Ayurveda is widely known here, especially in Switzerland and in Germany, people have heard about it, but they can't really explain it because it is so complex. There are so many different layers you need to consider. And mostly it's also explained to people in a Sanskrit way, in a traditional way. So they have a very hard time understanding it. And what we realized is just we have to explain Ayurveda to people in simple terms, in their own language. For example, on our app, you don't find any Sanskrit terms. We don't speak about Vata, Pitta, Kapha. We really try to translate everything into the language of the user, like system of movement, system of metabolism, and so forth, so they can really understand that. And when it comes to the product itself, we cannot personalize every single product, but they have created products that work for different people, right? They work for a large group of consumers.

 Shivi:

[14:48] Like, you know, in the Ayurvedic principles, there are three dominant body constitution types. And by understanding which is your dominant body constitution type, you can personalize your care. A lot of that in reality for Ayurveda is a lot about your routine and your diet. Okay, that is where the real impact comes in. That's why we give the app for free, which therefore gives you that personalized systems, but in a language that you understand. So you really can create memory structures and you can really understand the logic behind it so you can follow it. Now, I think like probably we're the only brand in the world who is decoding Sanskrit terms which are very complex to understand right into your language and therefore encouraging you to live that personally.

 Shivi:

[15:30] On the product side, Ayurveda has a concept of Tri-Dosha or multi-system approaches, which means that a solution that is applicable irrespective of what your body constitution is. So that is a concept in Ayurveda. What's particularly important also in Ayurveda, your skin or your hair, systems like those are not necessarily too much deviating between the body constitution types. What's more important, undoubtedly, is your routine and your intake. So when we focus on our formulations, we focus on the tri-dosha or a single solution for multiple constitution people in that approach. So we are selective on the kind of ingredients we use within that spectrum. And secondly, we focus on getting you the best efficacy of that solution, but augmenting the personalization where it really matters, which is really your personal routine and your diet. That's where it really matters.

 Debbie:

[16:25] Now I want to zoom in on your core promise, which is to reverse the impact of stress. That's a very powerful claim that will resonate with so many of our listeners. So let's break that down first. Can you unpack for us what stress is actually doing to our bodies on a physical level, to our skin, hair? And then how do your products work to break that damaging cycle?

 Shivi:

[16:50] Yeah, sure. You know, it's like growing up for me, stress was never really a topic, personally, in my culture and my environment. I think COVID really made it a real topic. It's the right thing to do, because if you look at the sheer volume, 75% of human beings across the world are under excess stress. Okay, now that's a problem and we don't talk about it.

 Shivi:

[17:13] Stress is a body mechanism to cope, right? So it releases cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone and it can trigger the body to prevail and have various other benefits in the right quantity. But like I said, three-fourths of people are living under excess stress, which means there's too much cortisol. And this too much cortisol then starts attacking your healthier cells in your body and starts damaging them. Now, that damage is not just mental. It's not your mind that is stressed. Your entire body has that same effect. And therefore, when cortisol starts attacking your healthier cells, then you have an impact in your sleep quality because it has an impact directly on that look after sleep. It has an effect in your energy levels. It has a direct effect on your hair follicles, which damage the roots and the hair follicles, and therefore they disrupt the hair cycle, making hair loss go up. It has an effect on your healthier cells breaking down collagen, and elastin. So you see more wrinkles. So I think like a typical observation that we have on stress and its damage physically is actually an old photo that we had seen on Obama before his office and after his office. Okay, that's probably the most stressful job in the world. And there's this young dynamic guy, you know, who's ready to take on the world, who goes into the office. He's got glowing skin, he's got hair, he looks great.

 Shivi:

[18:34] Eight years later, yes, there is a normal aging that happens, but a stressful aging, you know, shows up. And that's true for so many of us. I mean, we can relate it to probably our own lives and moments in our lives. We can relate it to people who we know are eminent personalities. Stress is not just mental, it's physical. So that's where like we want to focus on because it is a growing issue. And Ayurveda has been there for 5,000 years dealing with things like these. We have the wisdom, but we want to bring it to more people.

 Debbie:

[19:02] Stress nowadays accelerates aging for all of us. And you can see that as you very well pointed out in the presidency. Vedic Lab offers a holistic solution with skin care, hair care, supplements, and a wellness app. Why was building this integrated wellness ecosystem so important to your vision?

 Vera:

[19:22] Our mission is to reverse the damage of stress. And as Shivi rightly explained, stress doesn't just impact one part of your body. For example, if you're stressed, it impacts your gut health, it impacts your sleep, it impacts your hair. Everything is interconnected in the body. And I think also people understand that more and more, and they're also willing to take action more holistically. So we really wanted to give them all the tools that they need to take action against that stress damage. It’s from inside out and from the outside in.

 Debbie:

[19:54] The wellness space has become more crowded than ever. You know, everywhere you look, a brand is claiming to be natural or science-backed. So in a sea of options, how does VEDIC LAB cut through? And what makes a consumer reach for your product instead of all the others?

 Shivi:

[20:10] It’s a fiercely competitive category. More brands pop up every day. It was very clear to us that there's a gap in the market because we others couldn't find something and a lot of our friends couldn't find the right thing. The gap that we see, and we are focused on this one area and this one gap, the gap that we see is a brand that's truly dedicated to stress and its damage. As a brand, not just as a product line or something like that, we exist to reverse this damage. And the second part of it is, it is truly coming from a real deep-rooted philosophy and science like Ayurveda.

 Shivi:

[20:46] Yet in a much more premium, modern, clinical, simplistic way that consumers can understand and benefit from straight away. So these are the two areas that we want to champion on and we stand for and we want to be known in the world. Now, it's been about a year plus since we've launched and we are fortunate to have seen a strong momentum. We've already done about a million dollars in sales. We're growing. And the reason why consumers are therefore looking for us is, you know, very simply put, first and foremost, we are here to solve your problem.

 Shivi:

[21:13 Okay, there's a problem and the consumer realizes that she has a problem, she's probably like been there, done that and tried these different kind of brands in the market. And now she's really looking for something that really comes with a deeper set of values and principles. Yet it is very beautiful to look at we invested a fair bit in our design and packaging and the complete experience of it in a very integrated manner, including the app, and yet has the science that independently people can vouch for and stand behind. Now that combination means we have to work much harder and much better than all others but for us it's very easy because we are focused on our mission and we're focused on really making that integrated holistic experience work for you so i think consumers we are fortunate so far that they have been seeing that they appreciate it. 

[21:57] People reach out to us and are very excited that we have solved their problem and their problems so some people who have hair loss understand sleep is also a factor so then they try sleep supplements and they love those So we get excited when they play that back. They also like the experience. And the best part is when consumers come back and tell us they use the app every day and they're seeing a huge difference overall in their lives, not just their hair. You know, that for us is very fulfilling.

 Debbie:

[22:23] Now, let's go to the logistical side of the business. Sourcing authentic Ayurvedic ingredients globally must present like a logistical challenge for you guys. How do you ensure their purity and potency while meeting rigorous Swiss clinical testing standards?

 Shivi:

[22:39] It's a great question. It's a very important question. And I hope everybody in the industry sort of understands a couple of points here. So the way we approach it, for our skincare and skincare, for all the topicals, it's completely developed, manufactured, sourced, everything end-to-end is done within Europe. And the reason for that is the level of quality, the level of extract purity, the level of clinical backing, everything that exists is much stronger, much more robust here in Europe. And the kind of regulatory compliances that we must adhere to are much stricter here. So what we've done is that, but the good part is that there is enough of sourcing of clinical extracts and other ingredients, even including Ayurvedic herbal actives within Europe, but then they already come qualified from the right suppliers. So we work with the best suppliers in the industry and we, of course, have our own approach to our formula. So we extract and we take from that. That's one thing.

 Shivi:

[23:33] So that, I would say, is a bit more manageable. It's a bit more easier. The ecosystem exists. The challenge comes in supplements. Okay, now it has taken us much more time, much more effort to actually get supplements than skincare. Even though skincare is more complex with textures and fragrances and packaging and the experience and so on. Supplement, it's ingredients in a capsule. It technically should be much easier, but it took us way longer because of this aspect that the quality, purity and the standards of herbal supplement actives across the world, like it's not in the best place.

 Shivi:

[24:07] A lot of the supplements let's say ashwagandha or like turmeric, consumers don't know how to really check their quality and consumers do not know what is the actual active concentration of the beneficial part in that extract because this category has not been subject to as much rigorous regulation and transparency and so on as cosmetics. It's a much older category. Nutraceutical is a bit newer category so it doesn't really have that depth so far but for us it's very important that it has to comply to our Swiss standards and that Swiss level of quality, which we as a brand stand for. So it took us like months and months to talk to so many suppliers and vendors, reject 99% of them, finally found that one source where we can then get authentic quality of it with the right active concentration. And then of course, we do multiple testing. With Eurofins, which is an independent testing body, we do multiple testings, we import it through the right channels to the right public declared with the right government authority checking us. We do all that clean, proper paperwork. So that we can give our consumers what we can strongly stand behind as the best quality herbal supplement on the market.

 Debbie:

[25:11] Being 90% plastic-free and 100% recyclable is ambitious for any beauty brands, specifically yours. Why was sustainability core to your brand identity and what operational hurdles you face in achieving this goal?

Vera:

[25:28] That's a great question. For us, it was very important, and it was very clear from the very beginning. We want to create the brand as sustainable as possible. I mean, here in Switzerland, we are champions when it comes to recycling, right? So it was clear for us from the very beginning that we want something that is real wood. We're using real wood as the lid. We're using real glass, 100% recyclable because also our customers, they appreciated that. And it's a good that you use on a continuous basis, right? You use supplements over many months or you use a scalp care over many months. So it does have a huge impact on the planet. And if we can make a difference, we want to make that difference. But of course, it comes with a lot of challenges. For example, we do offer free shipping for our customers and glass is heavy. So it does cost a little bit more on our end, but we believe that it's totally worth it and it's totally the right direction. And in the future, the more we can do to even be more sustainable, we will do it.

 Shivi:

[26:27] As a matter of philosophy, we are taking benefits from nature. Our brand stands for taking the best of nature to help our lives. I think as a matter of philosophy, we should not stress nature further. It's very important for the brand as its own purpose and DNA that we alleviate the impacts of stress ourselves through nature. At the same time, we minimize the stress that we as a brand add back to the nature.

 Debbie:

[26:56] I love that philosophy. You're reflecting the essence of what you stand for in terms of being nature-inspired brand. Now, targeting a global audience from the start, what were some of the key learnings you had about marketing Ayurvedic concepts across cultures?

 Shivi:

[27:13] It was very interesting because, to be honest, we had no idea what kind of consumer segment we like us, not like us. We were very interested to see if the audience or the consumer set that does yoga become an earlier mover to our brand because it's about Ayurveda, or is it an Ayurveda? There are niche audiences which are already interested in Ayurveda? Or is it going to be somebody else? When we launched, we had to go with an open mind to learn what kind of audience and what kind of consumers click to learn about the brand and what kind of consumers actually buy the brand.

 Shivi:

[27:45] Now, what happened is within the first few weeks, we noticed that the consumer segment was not Indians, was not over-indexed on yoga, was not over-indexed on Ayurveda. It was the Gen pop, which is a working woman between the age of 35 to 55 to 60, who in the local markets of Switzerland and Germany and rest of Europe are looking for a better solution to their problem because they're looking for attributes like it should come with a real philosophy or a real deep roots, it should have clinical evidence, it should look beautiful. All those factors really act well together into VEDIC LAB. And actually that was very liberating for us because we did not make this brand to be an Indian diaspora brand. We did not make this brand to be in a niche in the Ayurvedic predisposed community. We made this brand to bring the best of two opposing worlds together to solve for problems that people face every day. And for us to see if that gen pop population is our core audiences, like 95% of our consumers are women, 35 to 60 in the Dach market, which is where we target, but in a much more open way, was very powerful for us.

 Debbie:

[28:58] That's interesting to know that the target market that you actually thought would be interested in covers a much more broader scale. So far, what's been your proudest milestones? And conversely, what obstacle tested you most as founders of the company?

Vera:

[29:15] I mean, for me personally, look, one of the proudest milestones, I can't even name a single milestone. For me, it's really just like when I have customers reaching out to us. Every single day when I open the email mailbox, I get messages, I hear stories, and I hear how, for example, our product has helped them to transform hair looms. And this is, for me, is the biggest reward. Of course, we have won over 38 international awards, which is amazing. But for me, really personally, the biggest reward and the biggest achievement is just that we have such an amazing community of people who give their feedback, who share their stories. And honestly, there’s nothing better for me than that.

 Debbie:

[29:55] Building a company as a couple creates a unique dynamic, either bringing you closer or creating tensions. How has it been for you two?

 Vera:

[30:06] Well, that's a really good question. And you know, the funny thing is when we started doing this as a couple originally, there were like so many people around us. They were very skeptical about the fact that we were doing this. They were asking us like, yeah, but guys how are you going to manage this? You're married. It will lead to friction. But to be honest, it has been the opposite for us because we realize, and of course, it's not always easy. I would lie if I would say it's always easy, right? You have certain friction points, which is just normal. But it has just brought us so much closer together. And we know we can always rely on each other. Like, Shivi is the person I trust the most in my life. And I think we are a great team working together and  we complement each other also very well. And if you look at other businesses out there, interesting, actually a lot of the big businesses and a lot of the very successful businesses are founded by husband and wife.

 Debbie:

[31:04] And how do you leverage your individual strength? I know Shivi has years of experience corporate work, and your background as well, to drive that business forward. And how do you complement each other's best?

 Vera:

[31:17] So I would say we are both very different people. For example, Shivi is more the numbers guy, right? Like he's totally into numbers. He's also the CEO of the company. I am more into the creative space, which is maybe not so much the space. He likes to be, he also likes to be involved sometimes, but I'm more on that side. And I think that complements each other very well. Shivi, what do you think about that?

 Shivi:

[31:40] Yeah, no, absolutely. I think the other aspect that makes it pretty unique and authentic is Vera is Swiss. I'm Indian. And I think that also helps in business because like her network and my network is complementary. I don't speak Swiss German too well at all. So Vera, you know, takes on that foray. So when we have to interact with local customers or warehouses and other operational pieces, whatever it is, Vera takes that on very well and very strongly. Any international sort of global network and those operations, I take it on. So I think, like apart from our own backgrounds, just the kind of people who we are, it does actually make the brand and our business much stronger. So we have less overlap. But that said, anything that I do, Vera knows. Everything that Vera does, I know. And we sort of use each other as advisors and counsel for our years of work as well, which also adds in both of us knowing the full picture of the brand. And I think as two co-founders, if I have to step away, meet family or do something at some point where we have to be out, Vera is well capable to take it forward and then so am I. So I think that system for us so far is working well.

 Debbie:

[32:46] For couples thinking of starting a business together like you did, What's your most honest advice for them?

 Vera:

[32:53] I would say go for it. Honestly, it's the best thing you can do for an air person I'm experienced. But I think my biggest advice is also it's important to not use yourself. Because when you're in a business together, when you are a couple, you spend a lot of time with your partner. So it's very important that you also have your own time. It can be simple things like just going somewhere on your own mid for the weekend. Or, you know, just really take this time also to reason for yourself because at the end of the day, everyone needs that. And especially when you're doing business together, it's so intensive. So if you need to take a step back, take a step back.

 Debbie:

[33:28] What's your long-term vision for Vedic Lab? Are there any new wellness categories or markets you're excited to explore? Any upcoming products, innovations, or initiatives you'd like to share?

 Shivi:

[33:43] Yeah, so look I think in the long term, we envision Vedic Lab to be the place to go to for trusted, high-quality Ayurvedic science products for your beauty and well-being. I mean, that's a large vision, which means we should have a large portfolio that covers different needs states. We should also be present in multiple geographies, Europe for sure, but also the U.S. and parts of Asia. Now, that's a long-term goal and vision. We want to be the undisputed leader in this space. In the immediate future, we are in a few complementary categories. We are in hair loss. We are in skin health. We are in wellness, sleep and energy especially. In these areas, we want to continue to strengthen our offerings and portfolio. Right now, we have a very small portfolio. We only have eight SKUs. We are in the process of launching four more in the next few months, which will strengthen our existing play area. So we're not going to go into another space in the broad beauty and wellness area. We're going to continue in our current spaces, but strengthen the portfolio. That is a short-term approach. In the long run, of course, our vision is to be tackling multiple problems caused by stress to your beauty and well-being.

Debbie:

[34:53] When someone uses VEDIC LAB for the first time, beyond the visible results that you're promising, what do you hope they feel or experience?

 Vera:

[35:01] I hope what we tried to create is really that she has a 360-degree experience. So, for example, when you use some product, is it skincare or skincare? It should really transport you to nature. It also has a very wonderful smell. It's not just this typical cosmetic smell that we all know. It's really a more natural smell, a leafy smell. So, when you put it, it's almost like a little self-care moment, right? A little de-stress moment. You put it on, you really have this sensorial experience and really just relax for a moment.

 Debbie:

[35:35] Before we wrap up, I'd love to hear from both of you. What's one Ayurvedic myth or misconception you wish more people understood or questioned?

 Shivi:

[35:48] I can take the first stab at it. So I think like,  many people call it Aloe Vera. It's Ayurveda. I'll help people understand how to remember the name. Ayurveda, it's two words combined to one word. Ayur means life. Veda means knowledge. Ayurveda literally means the knowledge of life. Now, within Ayurveda, the most common, I think, people, what they think is there's Ayurveda chai latte or there's a turmeric shot or there is this Ayurvedic meal and so on. I think the biggest misconception is Ayurveda is none of that. It is truly a much more holistic, natural health system. And I would encourage people to get more involved in the overall approach of Ayurveda. 

[36:32] You don't need to buy our products. You can even get the app on the app store and start a journey there. But it is a much more holistic healthcare system. And a lot of times, sometimes we use Ayurvedic ingredients like Ashwagandha in different brands, for example. I would just urge everyone to take a little bit of time to investigate or ask brands the question on their sourcing, quality, certification, active levels of any Ayurvedic extract that they are using. Because the more knowledgeable and empowered we are in this space, the better we get the results.

 Vera:

[37:04] From my end, what I realize a lot is oftentimes people think Ayurveda is something spiritual. And people don't really understand or often I say, no, that this is actually real science and it's a real medical traditional system that's proven over years and years to work. Oftentimes, yeah, they think it's something spiritual or there's some leader or something in that direction, but it's absolutely nothing like that.

 Shivi:

[37:33] Well, I would just say that, you know, I'd love for the listeners to get involved in our journey. We are particularly driven and very passionate about answering questions, and what we really try and do is our customer service I think a lot of people on Trustpilot and other portals have called us out for good customer service and the reason for that is that we are here to answer your questions give you the right answers from our perspective on any problem you have through iViric Sciences so please make use of that it's not about selling products you know we will sell when we have to sell no problem but we do want to help and we do want to bring that unlocked and this mythical sign of Ayurveda in a much more pragmatic, digestible, useful manner to all of you. So please find us, ask us your questions, and we'll do our best to solve for it.

 Debbie:

[38:17] Shivi and Vera, thank you for sharing such an inspiring and deeply personal journey with us today. I'm sure our listeners will walk away with a richer understanding of Ayurveda and how ancient wisdom can meet modern science in the most powerful way. It's been a pleasure having you both on the show.

 Shivi:

[38:35] Look you're a fantastic host. I think you got a very nice thing going, Debbie honestly so it's great and thank you for your patience in setting it up. This is our first podcast that we've done so we've really enjoyed it. But i mean we'd love to stay in touch whenever you’re at Zurich, please say hi.

 Debbie:

[38:50] For all our listeners ready to take a more intentional balanced approach to their well-being i encourage you to discover what VEDIC LAB has to offer You can find their full range of products at their website, VedicLab.com. So thank you for tuning in to Skin in the Game. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps to bring more of these amazing stories to light. Until next time, remember to invest in your well-being. It's the best skin in the game you can have.