A Lawyer’s Passion for Discovering Clean Brands

We chatted with Himanie Katoch, founder of Clean Origins, who discovers and shares her reviews on healthy, natural, Earth-friendly and sustainable Indian brands.

1. Tell us a little about your setup.

The idea behind Clean Origins is to create a consolidated discovery platform for interested people to know more about healthy, eco-friendly, organic, natural, non-toxic, clean and sustainable brands available in India.

2. What made you start Clean Origins? What exactly do you do and why? 

Like countless others, I shop for most of my essentials online, from groceries to cosmetics. In terms of preference, I like looking out for niche brands, preferably where the products are freshly made using natural ingredients. In the process, I ended up discovering (and loving) many natural, organic and sustainable indigenous brands.

However, the process of discovering these brands has not always been straightforward. Most of them are created and operated by small, informal set-ups or individuals, and some of them don’t have their own websites nor are they available through standard e-commerce platforms. They are largely discovered through word-of-mouth or random online-browsing. With certain brands, feedback of their products is typically not readily available in the public domain.

So, Clean Origins was born when I decided to create a dedicated space to write about my experience with all the off-beat brands that I have personally tried. It’s also my small bit to promote the various brand-owners who are sharing their knowledge and working so hard to encourage clean living amongst us all. Clean Origins is still at a fairly nascent stage at the moment, but the plan is to gradually build it to a one-stop platform for all things clean, green and healthy!

3. Why do you think people need to know where their food and toiletries come from? Do you think they actually care?

I hope they do! The health concerns associated with additives, preservatives and chemicals in the things we consume practically every day are quite alarming. The environmental concerns are another story altogether. I think people are now increasingly becoming aware of what they’re putting in and on their bodies and are consequently looking for cleaner alternatives. Brands are also aware of this shift in urban-consumerism.  

I think everyone wants to lead healthier lifestyles, but the main issues with cleaner alternatives are two-fold (i) they’re typically more expensive than commercial brands; and (ii) they are not always easy to find since they’re not heavily advertised or available in supermarkets or popular e-commerce platforms.

So I think while many people do care about where their food and toiletries come from, they just don’t find it practical to make the switch to cleaner alternatives at the moment.  

4. What are some of the most interesting products that you have found? Any favourites?

There are so many! But if I had to narrow it down, then for food, it would be microgreens (The First Leaf), organic herbal tea infusions (Himalayan Haat) and stone-ground nut butters (All Over Nuts).

For skincare, it would be organic activated-charcoal toothpowder (Raw Beauty 2018), cold-pressed soaps (Chennai Soap Company) and powdered skin cleansers (Raw Beauty and Skincare Villa).

5. Who are the people behind Clean Origins? Tell us a bit about yourself/selves.

Currently, Clean Origins has a floating team of clean-living enthusiasts, which is spearheaded by me! So I personally curate and review all the products, and I also get some team members to try some of the products that are discovered through the platform and give their opinion, so that the reviews cover a broader spectrum of users. I’m a litigating lawyer based out of Delhi, specialising in commercial and business laws, and Clean Origins is my passion project.   

6. Where can people know more about the products you find?

The Clean Origins website covers all the products that we’ve reviewed so far (with additional details) with links to the brand’s website and/or social media page. Further, we also tag the brand on our Facebook and Instagram reviews, so that it’s easier for users to jump to their page. The relevant links are below:

Website – https://cleanorigins.com

Instagram –  @cleanorigins

Facebook – @cleanorigins

Follow Clean Origins on social media to stay updated about their recent discoveries!