Mannlich raises $294K to sell men's care beyond beard oil
What's the deal? Indian men's personal-care startup Mannlich has raised $294,000 in seed funding to build a brand around hygiene and skincare problems the grooming aisle often overlooks. The round drew investors including Arjun VaidyaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Arush ChopraDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, BeyondseedDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Chandigarh Angels NetworkDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Growth91Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Signal VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Founder Pritam Kudev wants to move past beards, fragrances, and aspiration — the pitch behind the first wave of Indian men's brands. Instead, Mannlich targets specialised skincare, intimate hygiene, and products built for specific needs men rarely discuss.
Why now? The past decade persuaded Indian men to take grooming seriously, making beard oils and face washes normal purchases. Social media has since made conversations about acne, pigmentation, waxing, and hair fall commonplace, opening demand beyond basics.
Kudev, 34, built Mannlich alongside a marketing job that included stints at Hindustan UnileverDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, State Bank of IndiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Indian BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. He funded it himself and only joined full-time in October 2024, once he was confident it could sustain itself without an early raise.
A wider market than planned: Months after launching a hair-removal cream, Kudev took a call from a woman buying it for her son, bedridden for ten years after paralysis. For him, removing hair was about comfort and hygiene, not appearance.
"We are often thinking about Gen Z consumers and social-media trends, but this was a use case we had not anticipated," Kudev says.
The signal: India's men's grooming market was built around a narrow idea of the male consumer — confidence, attractiveness, aspiration. Mannlich is betting the next growth lies in the everyday problems that pitch left out.
Read more: openthemagazine.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
