As India’s spiritual wellness market embraces premiumisation and sustainability, Kalyanamm Founder & Director Nidhi Sabbarwal speaks about conscious consumption, flower waste recycling and building a fragrance-led wellness brand rooted in tradition
India’s fragrance and spiritual wellness market is witnessing a significant transformation as consumers increasingly gravitate towards premium, sustainable and wellness-oriented products. According to industry estimates, India’s home fragrance and incense market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 8 per cent in the coming years, driven by rising disposable incomes, wellness consciousness and demand for eco-friendly alternatives.
Amid this shift, brands are reimagining traditional ritual products through the lens of sustainability, ingredient transparency and convenience. One such emerging player is Kalyanamm, which has carved a niche in the spiritual wellness segment with products made using temple flowers, cow dung and natural ingredients.
In an interaction with BW Retail World, Founder & Director Nidhi Sabbarwal spoke about changing consumer behaviour, building a premium ritual brand, sustainability-led innovation and the company’s expansion roadmap.
India’s spiritual and ritual products market is rapidly evolving, especially with premiumisation becoming a key trend. What consumer behaviour shifts are driving this demand?
There was a time when consumers rarely looked at ingredients or questioned what went into the products they used daily. Today, awareness levels are significantly higher. Consumers are reading labels, understanding ingredients, and becoming more conscious about their health and surroundings.
Earlier, agarbattis were largely purchased based on affordability. That market still exists, but now there is also a growing segment that prioritises purity, sustainability and wellness over price. These consumers want products that are safe for their homes, environmentally responsible and aligned with a healthier lifestyle.
That shift in consumer awareness is what encouraged us to enter this category. We specifically focused on consumers who care about ingredients, understand the impact of charcoal-based products and actively seek cleaner alternatives.
Kalyanamm has positioned itself between traditional rituals and contemporary wellness. What inspired the brand journey?
Kalyanamm was born from a very personal experience. During my pregnancy, I discovered that I was allergic to conventional incense products commonly used at home. Coming from a traditional family, rituals and fragrance were an inseparable part of daily life, but I did not want harmful smoke or chemicals around my child.
What started as a small home experiment eventually became a business. Interestingly, Kalyanamm began in my kitchen. Initially, we handcrafted small “holy laddus” because we did not have the machinery required to make Havan Cups. We would distribute them among neighbours and family members, and gradually people started asking for more.
That organic response made us realise there was a gap in the market for cleaner, ritual-based products that combined spirituality with wellness.
Your products use temple flowers and sustainable ingredients. How difficult was it to build a premium brand in this segment?
The biggest challenge was consumer perception around pricing. When we launched, we believed consumers would instantly understand the value of natural ingredients and eco-friendly sourcing. But the reality was different.
People often compared our products to low-cost incense products available in the market without understanding the difference in quality, ingredients or environmental impact. That became a turning point for us. We realised we had to educate consumers, not just sell products.
We started building awareness around flower waste recycling, the dangers of charcoal-based incense and the benefits of using products made from natural ingredients like cow dung and sacred flowers. Over time, consumers who followed wellness-driven lifestyles connected strongly with the brand.
Kalyanamm’s Laung Kapur and Havan Cups have gained strong traction. What differentiates these offerings in a highly crowded market?
Our idea was to simplify rituals for modern consumers. Traditionally, people would separately arrange cow dung cakes, cloves, camphor and various ritual ingredients. Today, people want convenience without compromising authenticity.
Our Laung Kapur Havan Cups combine all these traditional ingredients into one ready-to-use format. Apart from creating a calming atmosphere, ingredients like clove and camphor are known for their purifying and medicinal properties.
At the same time, we are transparent with consumers. We never claim smoke is completely harmless. However, our products are significantly cleaner than charcoal-based alternatives. For us, honesty and education are equally important parts of the brand.
Sustainability is becoming central to the FMCG ecosystem. How does Kalyanamm integrate sustainability into its business model?
Sustainability is not just a feature for us — it is the foundation of the brand. From sourcing to packaging, every aspect is designed with environmental responsibility in mind.
Our packaging is entirely eco-friendly and recyclable. We use kraft paper packaging and even include seed-paper inserts with our products so customers can plant them after use. It is our way of encouraging consumers to become participants in sustainability, not just buyers.
At the same time, since our business is heavily dependent on ecommerce, packaging also needs to be transit-safe. So we had to strike a balance between sustainability, durability and premium aesthetics.
How are you scaling the brand across distribution channels?
Currently, nearly 95 per cent of our business comes through e-commerce channels, including our own website, Amazon and Flipkart. We have also started exploring quick commerce platforms selectively.
Interestingly, South India has emerged as one of our strongest markets. The brand name “Kalyanamm” resonates deeply with southern consumers, where the word is culturally associated with auspiciousness and weddings. That emotional connection has helped us build a loyal customer base there.
What does the expansion roadmap for Kalyanamm look like?
We are currently expanding internationally through Amazon Global and have already started selling in markets such as the US, Canada and Mexico.
On the product front, we are working on several new launches, including wax-free ghee jyot and additional fragrance-led ritual products. We are also expanding our gifting portfolio ahead of the festive season.
Another important initiative we are developing is flower waste management from weddings and large celebrations in Delhi-NCR. The idea is to recycle floral waste into spiritual wellness products instead of allowing it to end up in landfills or water bodies.
Over the next year, our focus will remain on innovation, conscious consumption and building a larger ecosystem around sustainable spiritual living.
