Akshita Singla, Co-Founder of Akya Wellness, on transparency, collagen science and evolving consumer trends
In an exclusive conversation with BW Retail World, Akshita Singla shares insights on building a transparent, efficacy-led wellness brand in India.
What inspired you to co-found Akya Wellness? What gap were you looking to address?
I would say that building a wellness brand was not something I originally envisioned for myself. My family comes from a pharmaceutical background and has been in the industry for nearly 15–20 years. My father initially started as a pharmaceutical distributor around two decades ago, and over time the business evolved into manufacturing.
Growing up around pharmaceuticals, I was familiar with the industry but never really saw myself entering it. That changed about three years ago when I personally started taking supplements while living in Luxembourg. European winters are long and you barely get sunlight for months, so I began taking Vitamin D3 and magnesium. That was the first time I experienced the benefits of supplements firsthand.
Around the same time, my mother was going through a health phase where she was taking supplements from several well-known brands in India. When I read the label on one of the protein powders she was using, I noticed ingredients such as bulking agents, emulsifiers, artificial colours, and synthetic sweeteners despite the brand positioning itself as “clean.” That was surprising, especially because the product was priced at around Rs 3,500.
That moment made me realise that the way supplements are marketed does not always reflect what is actually inside the product. Since our family already manufactures for several brands, I began observing that this disconnect exists across a large part of the industry. Many brands focus heavily on marketing, but the product efficacy often does not match the promise.
With Akya Wellness, our goal is to reverse that approach. We want to build efficacy-first products with high-quality formulations and then communicate transparently about what goes into them. Similar to what Minimalist did in skincare by educating consumers about ingredients, we want to help people understand why they need a supplement and how to choose the right one.
What key consumer trends are shaping India’s wellness market today?
Consumers have definitely evolved. People are actively looking for solutions that support their overall health and lifestyle. However, there is still a lot of misinformation in the market, which makes it difficult for consumers to decide which brands or claims to trust.
India is also a very price-sensitive market. Many consumers look for affordable options when buying supplements, but it is important to understand that high-quality formulations cannot be produced at extremely low prices. If a supplement is priced at Rs 200 or Rs 300, there are likely compromises in ingredient quality or dosage.
At the same time, I believe consumer awareness is improving. More brands today are focusing on education and transparency. Founders are increasingly communicating directly with their audiences and explaining their formulations in detail. As a result, consumers are gradually becoming more informed about ingredients and product quality.
Another major trend is the growth of products that fit seamlessly into modern lifestyles. Everyday supplements, functional foods, and healthy snacks are gaining traction. For example, brands offering protein bars, functional chocolates, or convenient nutrition formats are seeing strong growth.
At Akya Wellness, we think a lot about convenience and consistency. For instance, many of our products are available in single-sachet formats. Even though this increases packaging costs, it makes the product easier to carry while travelling or to keep in a work bag. These small decisions can significantly improve adherence to a daily wellness routine.
We also designed our packaging to support consistency. Many supplement brands sell 20-serving packs, but we opted for 30-day packs. Supplements usually require at least four to six weeks of consistent consumption to show results, so a 30-day format encourages better adherence and improves outcomes for consumers.
How does Akya Wellness differentiate itself from the growing number of wellness and nutrition brands in the market?
Many wellness brands today are founder-led, but in my case I also formally studied nutrition because I wanted to deeply understand what should go into the human body.
This knowledge influences how we approach product development and consumer interactions. I remain personally involved in community engagement and consumer education. For example, when people ask about a supplement, my first response is usually to understand the root cause of their concern rather than simply recommending a product.
A recent example involved someone asking whether collagen could help with acne. Instead of immediately suggesting a supplement, my first question was about the underlying cause of the acne. If the root cause is not addressed, simply taking collagen may not solve the issue.
We strongly believe that supplements should support a healthy lifestyle rather than replace food or a balanced diet. At Akya Wellness, we position supplements as an add-on to good nutrition, not as a substitute for it. That philosophy shapes the way we formulate products and communicate with consumers.
Q: How should consumers approach collagen supplementation?
The first step is understanding why you want to take collagen in the first place. For many people, the initial triggers are changes in skin elasticity, wrinkles, or changes in hair texture as they age.
Before starting collagen, I usually recommend that people evaluate their overall diet, particularly their protein intake. Collagen is essentially a protein molecule, although it is considered an incomplete protein. Including adequate protein in the daily diet is important for collagen supplementation to be effective.
Another important factor is the source of collagen. Many bestselling collagen brands in India actually use collagen peptides from the same suppliers, which means the core ingredient may not be very different across brands.
When we were sourcing collagen for Akya Wellness, we wanted to work with a company that had strong research backing. We eventually partnered with Nippi, a Japanese company that has been manufacturing collagen since 1927 and has conducted extensive clinical studies on collagen peptides.
Research from this supplier indicates benefits such as improved skin elasticity, wrinkle reduction, better immune response through increased T-cell count, and protection from UV exposure. Studies suggest that consistent intake over eight weeks can visibly improve skin appearance.
In addition to collagen itself, the supporting ingredients in the formulation are equally important. For example, Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis in the body. Without adequate Vitamin C, collagen absorption and utilisation are not optimal.
What are your expansion plans and outlook for the wellness market?
In the near term, our focus is on deeply understanding consumer needs and improving our formulations accordingly. For example, we are exploring ways to enhance our collagen offerings, whether through new flavours, improved formulations, or combination products.
Globally, many brands are introducing collagen products that combine multiple functional ingredients such as protein or creatine. We are studying such innovations and evaluating what could work well for the Indian market.
More broadly, I believe consumers in India are becoming increasingly informed about their health and wellness choices. This is a positive trend, but it also means the industry needs to address the issue of misinformation. There is a lot of content online about supplements, and not all of it is accurate.
Over time, I believe consumers will become better at identifying credible brands and information sources. For us, success will not only be about selling products but also about contributing to better education around nutrition and supplements.
