It was her mother’s cancer diagnosis that led Ayesha Madgavkar to experiment with creating natural beauty products, leading to the genesis of Kuva Botanicals, a brand which celebrates Goan ingredients and culture
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT
In 2010, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ayesha Madgavkar, the youngest of the three sisters who was an international swimmer and diver became more aware of the impact of the food we eat, beverages we drink, and the products we spray and apply on our body.
“During my mother’s recovery, she was told to avoid any foods or products that would elevate her estrogen levels, as that could cause a recurrence of the cancer. As I did my own research into it, I found that a lot of beauty products contain ingredients that are endocrine disruptors, especially items with fragrance,” says Madgavkar.
As there were no options for clean products on the market locally, she decided to try her hand at making her own. “I have always liked making things. So learning soap making and natural cosmetics came easily to me. In fact, I enjoyed the process so much that I started gifting products to friends and family and everyone loved them. Over time, this went from a hobby into a small business,” she says.
The Salvador do Mundo-based entrepreneur then went on to launch Kuva Botanicals in December 2018. However, she had to take a break following her pregnancy and the COVID-19 lockdown period and only seriously started Kuva as a business in 2023.
“Picking a name that reflected the brand was very important for me. I wanted the brand to reflect Goa as all the products I make are linked to my memories of growing up in the villages of Sangolda and Saligao. The ingredients too, like coconut oil, kokum butter, mango butter are grown locally,” she says. “The name ‘Kuva’ was one of the many names that Goa was known by in ancient times; sailors from Arabia used to refer to Goa as Kuva. I liked the name and I felt it was a good fit for the brand.”
And the business celebrates and elevates Goan ingredients and culture. “My first product was our Cocotinie soap. It has just three ingredients – coconut oil, water and lye. This was the first soap I made for my mother and still her favourite, so if you look at our Cocotinie soap box, you will see an illustration of my mother on it, Cocotinie is coconuts + Christine (my mother’s name),” she shares.
Following this, she started working on the deodorants. Last year she extended the product line to include new products like body scrub, face cleansing balm, mosquito repellent, etc.
To ensure that the products are irritant-free and safe, she ensures that she selects ingredients that are known to be safe. After this, she still tests and uses the products for a while to see how they work and make changes to them.
“I still source my coconut oil locally in Goa and I would like to source a lot more ingredients locally from Goa. As we grow, we plan on working with local producers to increase the number of items we source from Goa,” she says, adding that as a small business, right now, it is a bit of a struggle to find suppliers.
“Also, being an earth-conscious brand, we do our best to avoid plastic packaging, so our packaging options are very limited. We also have to pay much higher prices for everything, from ingredients to packaging,” she shares. Marketing the brand is also very difficult when competing with much bigger brands with huge budgets, she says. In fact, she admits, in 2022, she considered quitting the brand. “I felt I was working too hard for little or no money, but my husband and a lot of loyal customers convinced me to keep going because they all believed in Kuva and what we stand for. Their belief in me and my brand is what kept me going,” she says.
In fact, with the brand now slowly but steadily growing, Kuva Botanicals will soon be launching lotions, bath products, diffuser blends, candles, and more. “I hope to be able to grow Kuva to a size where I can truly make an impact in sustainability,” says Madgavkar.
