Chicnutrix earlier this year unveiled its latest campaign, Glow Mode On, featuring South Indian star Sreeleela. With her radiant persona, strong youth connect, and authentic approach to wellness, Sreeleela brings both charm and credibility as the new face of the brand.
The campaign reflects the changing preferences of modern skincare consumers, who now seek clinically proven, science-driven solutions over superficial promises. Glow Mode On highlights Chicnutrix Glow, powered by Japanese OPITAC™ Glutathione, the global gold standard in skin health, and Vitamin C. Together, the ingredients work to address dullness, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and uneven skin tone, promoting brighter, clearer, and radiant skin from within.
Blending live action with Japanese anime, the campaign showcases Sreeleela as a radiant force whose glow transforms into a shield, defeating pigmentation and dullness while amplifying inner beauty and protecting against external stressors.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Shilpa Khanna Thakkar CEO Chicnutrix
Q. Is the festive season important for Chicnutrix, or is it business as usual for the nutrition and wellness category? How will the GST reduction give the company and the category a boost?
Nutrition and wellness are year-round priorities, as true “inside-out” health isn’t limited to any particular season. That said, the festive and wedding season does provide additional momentum, as people naturally want to look and feel their absolute best. The most effective way to achieve this is through optimal nutrition and consistent wellness routines.
When it comes to GST, while the skincare segment hasn’t benefited from reductions, the wellness and supplements category has seen meaningful relief. We’ve ensured that every benefit is passed directly to our consumers, making premium wellness more accessible to everyone. With Chicnutrix Glow in particular, we’ve gone even further, delivering exceptional value that exceeds the GST savings alone.
We’ve received so much love for Chicnutrix Glow that, in addition to the GST benefit, we’ve also passed on the advantages of economies of scale. This means our customers not only enjoy greater affordability but also access a truly premium product at a price that feels within reach. This approach not only supports our customers during the festive season but also drives growth across the entire category.
Q. Could you talk about the brainstorming that led to the campaign, Glow Mode On, featuring South Indian star Sreeleela?
This campaign grew out of countless conversations, creative debates, and shared ideas. But through it all, one thing never changed, our commitment to ingredient quality and results you can trust.
Chicnutrix Glow is made with 100% Japanese OPITAC® Glutathione, the purest, most clinically proven form of glutathione, sourced directly from Japan. It’s the gold standard, and it makes all the difference. A lot of brands talk about glutathione, but not all glutathione is created equal. When sourcing or quality is compromised, so are the results.
With Chicnutrix Glow, you can be sure you’re getting the real thing, paired with vitamin C to boost absorption and effectiveness. Because for us, glowing skin isn’t about empty promises. It’s about science, quality, and choosing what truly works.
We wanted to highlight this competitive advantage, which inspired our distinctive Japanese anime-inspired creative execution. The concept communicates that while our hero ingredient originates from Japan, the formulation is specifically designed to work effectively for Indian skin. Just as home-cooked meals are trusted because of uncompromised ingredient selection, Chicnutrix benefits from in-house manufacturing and direct ingredient sourcing. This integrated approach ensures authenticity, optimal efficacy, and superior results that outperform competitors in the category.
Q. Why does Sreeleela’s personality make her the perfect advocate for beauty and nutrition backed by science?
Sreeleela is the perfect fit for Chicnutrix because she truly embodies our “beauty meets science” philosophy. As one of the most exciting rising stars in the entertainment industry, she strikes the right balance between credibility and aspiration.
What makes this partnership even more authentic is that Sreeleela isn’t just endorsing Chicnutrix Glow, she’s a genuine, long-term user who trusts our formulations. That authenticity, combined with her influence, makes her one of the very few personalities who can represent the intersection of beauty and science-backed nutrition so effortlessly.
Q. What other campaigns and marketing innovations can we expect this year?
This year, we’re strategically focused on strengthening our presence in the beauty category, with several exciting new launches planned over the next six months. Innovation remains our core philosophy, not through fleeting trends, but through scientifically backed products that address genuine consumer concerns.
We have ensured not to go all out with multiple products. Instead, we follow a focused approach, creating a problem-solution offering for our customers. Every single product is engineered to be best-in-class within its segment.
At Chicnutrix, we place a strong focus on consumer research and insights. Through extensive surveys and feedback from hundreds of consumers across India, we discovered that Orange is one of the most preferred flavors in the market. Guided by this insight, we introduced the Orange variant of Chicnutrix Glow.
The response so far has been extremely encouraging, reaffirming our commitment to listening to our consumers and delivering products that truly resonate with their preferences. Moving forward, you can look forward to more innovative launches backed by the same rigorous research and consumer-first approach.
Q. Will the media mix skew towards digital? Or does traditional media like print and TV play a role?
Our core demographic is aged 18–35, a cohort that predominantly consumes digital and OTT content. Consequently, our media investments are heavily weighted toward digital platforms, where we can execute precise targeting and foster interactive engagement.
While traditional media certainly plays a role in building broad awareness, digital is where our customers live and engage, and that’s where we’ll continue to concentrate our efforts.
Q. Is the goal of marketing to educate consumers about formulations?
Absolutely. Consumer education is fundamental to our marketing strategy. Many people try glutathione or similar ingredients and conclude they “don’t work”, but typically the problem lies in incorrect dosage, inadequate formulation, or compromised ingredient sourcing.[JS1] Our objective is to empower consumers to look beyond surface-level label claims and understand that true efficacy depends on ingredient quality and on clinical studies.
So far, only Japanese Glutathione has been supported by clinical studies, no other Glutathione in the world has such evidence. By educating consumers about these critical nuances, we enable them to make informed choices and experience the complete range of benefits.
Q. How is predictive analytics helping the company gauge consumer intent and then reach her with the right message at the right time?
Predictive analytics enables us to analyse consumer behavior patterns, ingredient adoption trends, and emerging market opportunities. However, we don’t simply chase trends. Once analytics identify a promising area, our focus immediately shifts to rigorous research, evaluating scientific merit and clinical validation.
If an ingredient demonstrates solid scientific backing and proven results, we incorporate it into our formulations and marketing campaigns. For us, analytics serve as directional guidance, but science remains the foundational pillar.
Q. In terms of allocating digital budgets, are retail media platforms like Flipkart and Amazon giving Google and Meta a run for their money in beauty and wellness?
Rather than competing, each platform serves a complementary role in the consumer journey. Google and Meta excel at building awareness, establishing trust, and driving advocacy, particularly through influencer collaborations that deliver education and credibility.
Flipkart and Amazon are exceptionally effective for bottom-funnel conversion, as shoppers on these platforms already have strong purchase intent.
We don’t view budget allocations in isolation. Instead, we strategically balance investments across platforms based on category-specific performance. Budgets are reviewed quarterly, and sometimes monthly to ensure we’re capturing both awareness and conversion efficiently.
Q. Could you elaborate on the respective strengths of each medium when it comes to performance marketing? (repetitive)
Google & Meta: Optimal for top and mid-funnel objectives such as brand discovery, narrative storytelling, influencer advocacy, and large-scale awareness campaigns.
Flipkart & Amazon: Exceptionally effective for lower-funnel conversion, featuring highly intent-driven audiences and measurable return on ad spend.
The strategic key is orchestration, sequencing creative content and targeting parameters across platforms to guide consumers seamlessly from initial awareness to final purchase.
Q. The company started with three products. Now it has more than ten. What goals have been set in terms of diversifying product formats, and what challenges lie ahead?
From three products six years ago, we’ve grown to over ten SKUs, and this expansion has been deliberate and strategic.
Our philosophy isn’t to saturate the market with countless products, but rather to create focused, highly effective, concern-specific solutions. The challenge lies in maintaining the right balance between portfolio breadth and formulation precision.
We started with effervescent formats, expanded into powder delivery systems (such as our Mighty Collagen), and introduced a premium Korean-manufactured skincare line.
Across all categories, our guiding principle remains consistent: sourcing clinically validated, including Japanese glutathione, Japanese collagen, and Korean skincare formulations. Our ongoing challenge is preserving this rigorous, quality-first approach as we expand into new concern areas and delivery formats.
Q. How is Chicnutrix leveraging advances in AR, VR, and MR to deepen storytelling online?
We’re currently in the exploratory phase, carefully evaluating how AR, VR, and MR technologies can genuinely enhance consumer education and engagement.
Our focus is on meaningful, value-adding applications rather than adopting technology for novelty’s sake. Having said that, the future is AI based technology, and we are also currently incorporating the same in our marketing efforts.
Q. Is misleading advertising and false label claims an issue in the nutrition and wellness category?
Unfortunately, yes it’s a significant industry challenge. Many brands offer low quality sourcing or they use ingredients without giving the right information about the dosage. Some brands claim to use premium ingredients but dilute them with inferior, non-clinically validated alternatives.
For instance, they might use minimal amounts of Japanese glutathione mixed predominantly with lower-quality Chinese glutathione. Consumers typically can’t detect these discrepancies and often accept marketing claims at face value.
As an ethically driven brand, we find this practice deeply concerning. This is precisely why consumer education forms a cornerstone of our campaigns: to empower people to critically evaluate label claims, understand ingredient sourcing, and avoid deceptive marketing practices. Transparency and integrity remain our foundational principles.
Q. Is AI playing an important role across the marketing funnel for Chicnutrix?
AI is increasingly playing a pivotal role, even though industry-wide adoption is still in relatively early stages. At Chicnutrix, we leverage AI to streamline creative development, optimise video production, and most critically, enhance audience targetting and purchase pattern analysis.
While it currently represents a modest portion of our marketing technology stack, AI is undeniably a transformative force that no forward-thinking brand can afford to overlook.
Q. Today’s skincare consumer is smarter, savvier, and deeply ingredient-conscious. How much R&D goes into product formulation keeping this in mind?
We invest substantially in research and development, maintaining an in-house laboratory staffed by specialised biotechnologists and nutritionists who work closely with our production teams.
Every formulation undergoes multiple iterations, optimising taste profiles, stability, and efficacy with extensive testing protocols before market launch. Some products require 8–12 months to perfect. Because we control the entire process end-to-end, from initial concept to final commercialisation, we can guarantee that our products deliver genuine, scientifically validated results. We are the only brand in India which offer ‘Ideation to Commercialisation’.
Q. Does the whitespace for growth lie in vegan products?
Vegan and vegetarian formulations are certainly gaining prominence, as more consumers seek plant-based and cruelty-free alternatives. As a committed vegan myself, I deeply understand this evolving preference. However, while we prioritise vegan formulations wherever scientifically viable, our primary commitment remains to proven science and demonstrable efficacy.
For example, marine collagen continues to deliver unmatched performance and bioavailability. Current vegan “collagen” alternatives function primarily as collagen synthesis boosters rather than true collagen replacements. While we’ll continue favouring vegan, vegetarian and cruelty-free ingredients whenever feasible.
However, scientific validation is also equally important. Our mission is to achieve the optimal balance between ethical sourcing principles and clinically proven efficacy, ensuring consumers receive results they can genuinely trust.
