Founder Sujata Pawar discusses the gaps in India’s women’s wellness market, the science behind Avni’s products, the company’s rapid growth and why menopause, clinical partnerships and women-led entrepreneurship will drive its next phase
India’s women’s wellness market is evolving rapidly as consumers seek science-backed, holistic solutions that go beyond menstrual hygiene. Sujata Pawar, Founder of Avni Wellness, believes the industry has long overlooked the broader realities of women’s health—from iron deficiency and hormonal balance to menopause and nutrition. In this conversation with BW Retail World, she explains how Avni is building an integrated women’s wellness ecosystem, scaling its Sakhi entrepreneur network and targeting Rs 300 crore ARR by 2030.
Avni Wellness operates in an increasingly competitive wellness market. What gap did you identify when launching the brand, and how has your value proposition evolved?
Avni wasn’t born out of market research—it came from personal experience. Like many women, I dealt with irritation from sanitary pads, persistent low iron, fatigue and fertility challenges. Yet every conversation around women’s health revolved around periods and those five days each month.
Even as a healthcare professional, it took me years to understand how environmental toxins affect hormones, how a woman’s body works across four phases of a cycle, and how something as common as hair fall could be linked to iron deficiency.
For decades, India’s women’s health industry focused on preventing leakage. The remaining 23 days—hormonal shifts, nutritional depletion, fatigue and overall wellbeing—were largely ignored.
The gap wasn’t just in products; it was in the conversation itself.
My husband and co-founder, Apurv, and I launched Avni with one product—Lush—and our personal savings. Today, we’ve evolved into a complete cycle-care ecosystem spanning hygiene, nutrition and awareness. Our value proposition hasn’t changed; the market has finally begun recognising the need.
Consumers increasingly want science-backed and natural wellness solutions. How does Avni differentiate itself?
We innovate across hygiene, nutrition and personal care.
Take our reusable sanitary pad, Lushpad. It took us 18 months to develop. We made 52 design iterations before achieving the right fit and comfort. We also had to custom-develop the fabric because nothing available in India met our requirements. We applied for a patent in 2021, which was granted in 2023, making it the first cotton or cloth pad in India with a design patent.
But solving menstrual hygiene immediately raised another question—what happens during the remaining 23 days of a woman’s cycle?
That led us into nutrition. I have thalassaemia minor and have struggled with iron deficiency throughout my life. Traditional iron supplements often cause digestive discomfort, which discourages women from continuing treatment.
That’s why we developed Iron Replenish, a liposomal iron supplement offering twice the bioavailability of conventional supplements, without the metallic taste or digestive side effects.
Education is equally important. Through our Avni Sakhi network, women educate communities about health while also distributing our products. Better-informed women make better healthcare decisions.
What have been Avni Wellness’ biggest growth milestones?
We started in 2021 with personal savings and one product.
Since then we’ve achieved 149 per cent year-on-year growth, threefold growth in our customer base over the past eight months, 100 per cent quarter-on-quarter revenue growth and threefold increase in manufacturing capacity.
Beyond commercial metrics, we’ve reached more than five million women, sold over 600,000 reusable products, and prevented around 650 tonnes of plastic waste.
Recently, we raised Rs 4 crore from strategic investors including Puru Gupta and Sreejith Moolayil of Proteus Partners, along with Dr A. Velumani and Somya Nigam through Bharat ke Super Founders.
However, the metrics that matter most to us remain repeat purchases, growth of our Sakhi network and the contribution of nutrition products to revenue.
Which sales channels and consumer segments are driving growth?
Digital commerce remains our largest business, with D2C and ecommerce contributing the majority of sales.
However, quick commerce is our fastest-growing channel because menstrual care is an immediate need. Consumers don’t want to wait several days for delivery.
We’re also investing heavily in clinical partnerships with gynaecologists, nutritionists and women’s health practitioners. Medical recommendations carry a level of trust that influencer marketing simply cannot replicate.
The biggest untapped opportunity, however, is women aged 40 and above.
Indian women typically experience menopause around the age of 46—earlier than the global average—yet very few science-led brands are addressing their needs. We see significant long-term potential in this segment.
Our Avni Sakhi network is another major competitive advantage. These women aren’t just generating income; they’re building confidence, managing businesses and mentoring others. That’s a distribution model that digital-only brands cannot easily replicate.
What is Avni Wellness’ long-term vision?
We started with one belief—that womanhood should be healthier and easier.
That vision continues to guide us. Our roadmap spans every stage of a woman’s life—from menstrual care and cycle nutrition to hormonal health, perimenopause, menopause and intimate care. Eventually, we also want to establish offline wellness centres that offer integrated women’s healthcare.
We plan to expand our Sakhi network to 10,000 women, not simply as a commercial objective but as part of our mission to empower women economically.
By 2030, we’re targeting Rs 300 crore in annual recurring revenue (ARR) through deeper product innovation, stronger clinical credibility, wider distribution and strategic partnerships.
Ultimately, our goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of 10 million women. That’s the mission we’ve been working towards from day one.
