It takes a certain kind of audaciousness to be unorthodox; to break from the norm and chart a somewhat unexpected course because of a firmly-held belief that “natural” is the way for the future. That’s Roshmi Borthakur for you. Audacious, unorthodox and of-the-earth.
Nothing else can quite explain Roshmi’s sudden decision to shift gears and choose – after years in a high-energy corporate job - to come back to her roots. But then, as any native of the Northeast will tell you, there is something about the region that draws you back home.
It was one evening out with her friend, also from the Northeast where the discussion lead from finding good skin products for their teenage daughters, to home remedies, to actually creating such a product line themselves. Growing up in the Northeast and having access to all the fresh produce, they had the knowledge and understanding of what is good for health and skin.
“We believe we have the best, unique and purest ingredients (in the Northeast). It was just a question of bottling that goodness and making it available,” Roshmi says.
The decision to source fresh ingredients from the region then became the obvious choice. And thus, their skincare range - “Unorthodox” was born. Nature’s bounty carefully selected and bottled aesthetically.
Both of them grew up in Shillong and Guwahati surrounded by breath-taking natural beauty. Growing up in that part of the country did leave indelible marks on them. Their journeys too were somewhat on similar path – they both at different times, decided to move out to a big city to make a go at life as a professional.
Roshmi went on to hold senior management positions in American Express in India and abroad for almost two decades. She then set up her own payments consulting firm, and works with clients like VISA, MasterCard, Citibank and the government of Singapore. She also has a professional skills training institute. But covid impacted travel across the world which slowed down work for her. It gave her time to focus on other initiatives and it just seemed like the right time for her to work with her friend and build this brand that closely connected them back to their roots.
It's not as if there were no challenges. In this interview with The Northeast Stories, Roshmi tells us about the difficulties she and her partner faced in setting up Unorthodox, in particular the sourcing of ingredients from the region.
But she is also convinced that it is the people, the produce along with Unorthodox’s uncompromising commitment to quality and the purity of its ingredients, that will see the business through.
Where did your research take you - Do you think Northeast is not doing enough with its rich repository of natural ingredients? If so, what do you think would require us to do?
We spoke and met literally anyone and everyone in this field who would give us time. From friends and references in the agricultural institutes to people in the business to people farming the ingredients to companies extracting similar ingredients and produce. One thing I must say, people in the region are so helpful and willing to share information. The only challenge we faced was that things are not all that organised. Nothing was ready and available. Everything was a process, even getting samples for our ingredients and produce.
Tell us more about the USP of Unorthodox.
We have just two things that define our products: quality and unique ingredients sourced from a region that’s home to medicinal and aromatic crops and plants. Quality therefore, is at the core of the product. There is a single-minded focus on quality and to make it safe for everyone, including young skin. Our benchmark is simple. We want our daughters to use our products.
Secondly, the unique goodness of natural ingredients sourced from the Northeast itself comes with a guarantee that we are using the best and purest form. The list is endless, we have only just started.
What are the challenges in converting the natural wealth of Northeast (ingredients/plants/herbs etc) into products like organic cosmetics or even otherwise?
The sector needs to be more organised. There should be a common source of information for people seeking to build on similar lines, like where to go, and who to contact for specific needs. Even that is a start. After that, it would be great to have enterprising local folk setting up their base for providing the required ingredients or fresh produce which will vastly cut down the time to market. I think there is enough research done on benefits/availability etc. More focus on the commercial viability of each such produce would encourage people to set up such ancillary units.
What has been your biggest learning in this sector with regard to the Northeast?
That there is so much more that can be done. Firstly, I mean in terms of what has been tapped vs what Northeast has to offer. Then comes the need to build up this sector to justify its scope and wealth. A bit of focused attention to streamline and structure this segment can open up massive investment opportunities. We want to set up a manufacturing unit in the region next.
What are the challenges and also where do you think Unorthodox will be in the market space?
To us, our Brand is everything. But we have a very simple and clear understanding of how we will get to our ideal brand position.
Product Quality – zero compromise
Brand message – Authentic and Consistent
Every other aspect we work on is to ensure the above two elements. We work with a lot of vendors who are experts in their field, as we believe it is important to get the best person for the job. However, we try and choose people who get the brand message and understand what the brand actually stands for. That is very important. When we say Unorthodox, we mean the mindset, progressive thinking, people not bound by irrelevant conventions, whose benchmark of success is far removed from material pursuits, who live their best lives on their own terms. That’s why our message. Everyone is beautiful. Be Bold in your Beauty. Be Unorthodox.
Where do good products like Unorthodox—that’s born out of deep research using pure ingredients - find their feet in a very crowded market space?
A bit early to answer this, but we are hoping an honest effort will get us there. We want our customers to love our product and talk about it. That matters to us. We are looking at word of mouth over ads to make an impact. Yes, we realise this approach will take time, but it will keep us authentic. We know that social media is key to selling and creating brand awareness, but we are very clear that we do not want to buy a single follower. We want to keep everything organic and genuine.
I have always believed that ultimately, it’s the value of the product or service you offer that will get you loyalty. That’s our only strategy.
Organic brands could be a saturated market as more people are now fussing over the need to use fewer chemicals, so what do you think are the advantages of your products that are from a region that’s known for ingredients?
I think it already is a saturated market. But like I said, I believe in our products. And yes there is no place better than the Northeast to source such ingredients. We will have to constantly educate people (especially those from outside the region) with such details, and that will be part of the process. Our blog section on our website is dedicated to information snippets about the Northeast and the ingredients. Hopefully, we are able to create that community who love our products, believe in them and become advocates for the product and the region as well.
How are you priced and who is your target audience? How do you plan to promote/retail?
We are very moderately priced given the quality of the products as against our direct competitors; hence we call our line ‘affordable luxury’. The idea was to create quality products safe for even the younger age group in mind. Hence, we want to be conscious of how much a young person can/should spend on skincare yet not compromise on quality. For now, we just sell & promote online.
What are some of the ingredients and signature products?
For our cleanser, we use star fruit (kordoi) which is rich in Vitamin C, aids collagen production and minimise the appearance of pores. For the hydrating cream, we use Assam Olive (jolphai) that is packed with Oleic acid which reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also contains antioxidants that nourishes, protects and hydrates the skin. For our hydrating serum, we use the mulberry fruit which is nooni rich in minerals & iron, is a natural moisturizer and helps address uneven skin tone. This with rosehip extract works as a super hydrating serum curing dryness. The serum with tea oil extract leverages the antibacterial properties for skin and is perfect for treating skin acne. The oil Control Gel Cream with pomelo extract is for those with oil skin as pomelo helps maintain the oil balance and it leaves the skin blemish free.
For our next phase of products (six, precisely are in R&D), we are working with ingredients like honey and turmeric from Meghalaya, kiwis of Arunachal, mandarin from Manipur and pineapples from Tripura.
