● The round, led by Fireside Ventures with participation from BOLD, L’Oréal’s corporate venture capital fund, and Alkemi Growth Capital, now includes Wellbeing Nutrition founders Avnish Chhabria and Saurabh Kapoor
● The backing signals a structural shift in the industry towards skin and health longevity
28th October 2026, India: CHOSEN, India’s first exposome-based dermocosmetic brand, today announced an extension of its Series A round with investment from Avnish Chhabria and Saurabh Kapoor, the founders of Wellbeing Nutrition. The two join an existing investor group that includes Fireside Ventures, which led the Series A; BOLD, L’Oréal’s corporate venture capital fund; Alkemi Growth Capital; angel investor Avnish Anand; and a cohort of practising dermatologists.
The fresh capital will bolster CHOSEN’s R&D capabilities and expand its formulation pipeline across topicals and nutraceuticals, with products backed by clinical validation and dermatological insights. The pipeline will focus on the four domains of ageing in Indian skin: pigmentation, skin texture, contour, and hair ageing. CHOSEN will also establish a Centre of Excellence that brings dermatologists directly into product development and research and grow its R&D, brand, and growth teams as it enters its next phase of expansion.
Commenting on the investment, Dr. Renita Rajan, Founder, CHOSEN, said, “CHOSEN was founded to build skincare for Indian skin, shaped by the concerns patients bring to dermatologists every day. Our investors’ trust is a testament to this and will empower us to focus on what matters most: deeper research and a bigger role for dermatologists in how we develop our products. Avnish and Saurabh’s endorsement of CHOSEN carries special weight, as they have built a science-first health brand in India themselves.”
Avnish Chhabria, Founder, Wellbeing Nutrition, said, “I invested in CHOSEN because Renita pairs deep sunscreen expertise with a clear ambition: to build a globally respected skincare brand from India. Her commitment to rigorous research and stem cell science gives that vision substance. I’m backing her to set a new global standard for performance skincare.”
Saurabh Kapoor, Co-Founder, Wellbeing Nutrition, added, “It’s great to associate with a founder who believes in science as the core foundation of the personal care space. In an industry that is already so cluttered, you need strong, science-backed products built on a solid foundation to consistently deliver meaningful results.”
The investment comes as skin longevity becomes the next big conversation in personal care, with the focus moving from correcting damage to keeping skin healthy across decades. CHOSEN has been built on this idea since 2020, looking at ageing through the exposome and developing for melanin rich Indian skin. Its portfolio spans collagen powders, vegan supplements, and body and haircare products.
About CHOSEN
Founded in 2020 by cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Renita Rajan, CHOSEN is a Chennai-based dermocosmetic brand and India’s first dermocosmetic brand built on exposome science. The brand holds that Western anti-ageing models were never designed around the Indian genome or the climate Indian skin lives in. Heat, humidity, hard water, UV, pollution, and stress stack up on Indian skin every day, and that changes what an ingredient needs to do. CHOSEN formulates for melanin-rich skin across four areas where it shows age: pigmentation, texture, contour, and hair.
The brand grew out of the clinic; it opened in January 2020 as a retail experience centre in Chennai and moved online in April 2020 when the pandemic hit. Its first products came from protocols Dr. Rajan had built for her own patients, and new products still start from concerns dermatologists see in consultation. The range now covers 50+ products across skin, hair, body, and nutraceuticals, prescribed by more than 2,000 doctors. In 2026, CHOSEN Sculpt became India’s first topical lower face contouring serum, backed by a 12-week clinical study in Indian women published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
The products are sold through the brand’s own website and on Amazon, Myntra, Swiggy, First Club, and Distacart. CHOSEN delivers to almost every serviceable pin code in India, with Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Goa as priority cities, and ships to major international markets including the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, the UAE, Singapore, France, Sweden, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong & Thailand.
In May 2026, CHOSEN raised a $5 million Series A led by Fireside Ventures, with BOLD (L’Oréal’s corporate venture capital fund), Alkemi Growth Capital, CaratLane co-founder Avnish Anand, and a group of practising dermatologists. The funds are going into R&D, a larger pipeline of products, the brand’s Centre of Excellence, and hiring.
Website: https://chosenstore.in/
