- Would you please tell us more about yourself and your journey as the Founder of a modern health & wellness start-up?
I grew up in a “Hum educated service class hai!” family. My mother is a doctor, and my dad’s a loyal employee of a Pharma company. After pursuing my Computer Science Degree from Cummins College of Engineering, I worked in Healthcare for 4 years. I’ve always wanted to become an entrepreneur! That is the reason I took up a job in a start-up but never had any clue on how to get started. Had I been alone, I would keep dreaming and never started. But, it all changed when I met Altaf, who was running a food start-up. I still remember the day I went and told my grandmother I was starting a company; she asked concernedly if the market was too bad and I was not getting a job!
- India has a lot of brands that sell the “natural” way of combating health issues, hair-care included. In fact, one would say that it is a market with extremely high competition. What makes Traya unique? And what is your take on the competitiveness of space?
In the race to hop onto the next “natural hair fall trend”, brands forget that a one-product approach never works for all. Hair fall is triggered by a number of internal factors like stress, improper diet, irregular sleeping patterns, a weak metabolism, a poor metabolism, or even underlying health conditions like thyroid, PCOS, and more. At Traya, we combine the best of Ayurveda along with Allopathy and Food Science together on one platform to identify the type of hair fall, the stage, and the real reason behind it. Based on this diagnosis, our customers are given a customized plan along with a diet plan and a coach to track their progress. Our most unique product is an Ayurvedic Nasal Drop containing Ghee and Yashtimadhu, which has helped so many people get a good night’s sleep while regrowing their hair.
All hair loss companies today in the market today are either clinics or product companies selling some magic oil, shampoo or serum. We are not a product company; we sell a treatment that delivers results.
Traya is the only company that brings three sciences together on one platform
Each customer at Traya gets a prescription from two doctors (Ayurveda and dermatologist) who customize the plan based on the root cause.
We provide a very well-defined diet plan based on the internal health of the customer.
Our real work begins after the customer buys the plan. Traya provides a coach that stays in constant touch helping the customer get the desired results. Our work ends only when the customer sees regrowth. Meanwhile, we work closely to tweak the plan if needed.
- Traya is a digital-first hair-care solution. Could you please elaborate on what exactly your offerings include?
After starting Traya, we realized that more than 90% of hair fall cases (genetic or not) occur due to internal triggers, including hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. We try to switch the notion of people from shampoos and serums to a doctor-prescribed treatment bringing 3 sciences together to deliver hair regrowth within 5 months. Traya Dx is an online hair diagnosis that identifies the root causes behind hair fall and customizes a treatment plan for them. Each case is analyzed and customized by a team of experts – a Dermatologist, Nutritionist, and an Ayurvedic practitioner depending on the type, stage, and cause behind their hair fall condition. We cater to Stages 1-4 of hair fall with guaranteed results and have a 93% success rate over 1.5L+ Indians. Since our treatment involves consistency, we provide a hair coach who guides the customer through their hair growth journey and helps them stay on track with regular follow-ups.
- Traya focuses on Ayurveda, Dermatology and Nutrition to target the cause of hair fall. Why those three sciences? Are they connected?
Hair fall is viewed as a one – dimensional approach. Many people just use dermatological products to get rid of hair fall but think about it, can an onion oil really help you with your low hemoglobin levels? This is why a combinational approach serves best. Ayurveda allows us to take a preventive approach for all internal health triggers, while clinically proven medications from Dermatology work on follicle health to promote regrowth. Lastly, a highly nutritious and well-balanced diet allows our customers to transition toward mindful eating habits that enhance hair growth.
- Whom would you say are your primary target audience in the years since your inception? Are you seeing more of a female base, or do you have a larger share from men with hair fall?
The average age of a Traya customer today is 28 years old. Our customers are 70% men and 30% women, probably because the signs of hair fall are easily identified in a man compared to a woman.
- What made you go the digital way instead of setting up retail outlets with a panel of experts? Aren’t Indians more comfortable with a physical point-of-purchase for health-oriented products?
Traya Offering was completely digitized ever since we started in 2019. We treat hair fall by combining 3 sciences – Ayurveda, Dermatology, and Nutrition and to bring out all these 3 in a clinical setup would not be possible. In the midst of a pandemic, being a completely digital service was the ideal thing to do to make the entire process hassle-free, quicker, and easily accessible to all. The biggest challenge would have been to switch the notion of people from a physical clinic to an entire treatment curated by an online diagnosis. On the bright side, we were able to cater to people facing hair fall issues anywhere in the world.
- With many brands diversifying their business models, do you also have any plans of moving to an omnichannel business structure?
Although we wish to move to an omnichannel business structure, our current and major focus is to acquire customers through our website. However, we are listed on Amazon.
- What is the way forward for Traya? Where do you see the brand in the next 3 years?
We want to be synonymous with the term hair fall and hair care and be known for our efficacy and honesty. If in India someone talks of hair fall, they should know Traya has a solution for it. We also wish to venture out into new avenues of chronic health concerns.
The ultimate goal is to get every young Indian onto the #thetrayawayoflife to manage lifestyle-triggered health issues. Today we use the Traya philosophy for hair which we hope to take to every household. In short, we wish to be synonymous with the term hair fall and be known for our efficacy and honesty.
About: Saloni Anand, Co-founder of Traya Health. India’s leading new-age health-tech start-up provides doctor-prescribed hair loss treatment to both men and women based on their concerns. Their unique approach combines the best of Ayurveda, Dermatology, and Nutrition to deliver a holistic solution for a complicated problem like hair loss. As a result, Traya health has successfully treated over 1.5L+ customers with hair loss conditions.
