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From Precision Razors to a ₹300 Crore D2C Giant
A story of bold branding, smart positioning, and building trust in a crowded market.
Think Tank
April 15, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
Introduction: Reinventing Routine
Shaving was never meant to be exciting. For decades, it was just another part of a man’s routine—mechanical, forgettable, and dominated by Gillette. But in 2015, former McKinsey consultant Shantanu Deshpande spotted an opportunity to reimagine it.
With a titanium razor and a bold vision, he launched Bombay Shaving Company—a D2C brand that turned grooming into an experience. What began as a premium niche play is now a ₹300 crore powerhouse backed by Reckitt and Colgate.
This case study explores how BSC built a brand in a saturated market—and what entrepreneurs can learn from its journey.
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Table of Contents
The Backstory: From Boardrooms to Beard Care
In 2015, Shantanu Deshpande, an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co., found himself at a crossroads. Around him, a wave of ex-consultants were quitting plush jobs to build startups—from logistics to fintech. But Shantanu was drawn to a different, less glamorous problem: men’s grooming.
At the time, shaving in India was functional at best—dominated by Gillette, driven by discounts, and completely devoid of delight. But a spark came from overseas: the rise of Dollar Shave Club in the U.S. showed that even a routine like shaving could be reimagined.
Shantanu saw a white space—a premium, design-forward brand that turned mundane grooming into something aspirational. Not just about razors, but about identity, ritual, and self-care.
“I didn’t want to play the pricing game. I wanted to build something men would actually look forward to using.”
And just like that, Bombay Shaving Company was born—not to undercut Gillette, but to outclass it.
Product Play: Premium, Thoughtful, Indian
From day one, Bombay Shaving Company didn’t just aim to sell grooming products—it aimed to transform the experience of grooming itself. Where legacy players focused on function and mass-market appeal, BSC went the other way: craftsmanship over cost-cutting, indulgence over utility, and personalization over plain packaging.
Their philosophy was simple: make products that feel good to use, look great on the shelf, and solve real grooming problems—all while being proudly Indian in spirit and storytelling.
The First Product: More Than Just a Razor
The company launched with a six-part shaving kit, built around a standout hero—a titanium precision safety razor with Japanese blades. Priced at ₹2,000, it was sleek, ergonomic, and came with engraving options to make it personal.
This wasn’t a drugstore purchase—it was a gift-worthy product, a grooming upgrade, and a conversation starter. And it worked. The razor is still one of BSC’s top-selling items to date.
Men’s Grooming Line: A Full-Stack Experience
As traction grew, so did the product line. BSC realized that the Indian male consumer was ready for more—more options, better quality, and tailored routines. The brand expanded into:
Shaving Essentials: Razors, shaving foams, brushes, and after-shave balms—all infused with natural ingredients like turmeric and aloe vera.
Beard Care: From beard straighteners to beard oils, balms, and grooming kits, Bombay Shaving Company tapped into India’s growing "beard culture" with tools designed for precision, styling, and health.
Skincare & Haircare: They moved beyond shaving with products like charcoal face scrubs, turmeric face washes, exfoliants, serums, moisturizers, shampoos, and conditioners—always prioritizing clean, effective, ingredient-led formulations.
Bombae: The Sister Brand Born from Frustration
During the COVID-19 lockdown, something unexpected happened. Thirty women employees at BSC found themselves without access to salons—and even though they worked at a razor company, there was no razor designed for women.
Instead of waiting for a solution, they built one.
That initiative gave birth to Bombae, BSC’s women-focused brand. Designed, tested, and brought to life entirely by the women of the company, Bombae launched with products tailored to the needs of Indian women—offering razors, hair removal creams, and kits that addressed the unique texture, sensitivity, and routines of female grooming.
Today, Bombae contributes over 25% of BSC’s revenue, with expectations to hit 50% by 2024—a rare example of employee-led innovation scaling into a core business vertical.
What Makes Their Products Stand Out?
Premium design
Natural ingredients
Gifting appeal
Pricing sweet spot
The Marketing Edge: Building a Brand, Not Just a Business
From the very beginning, Bombay Shaving Company didn’t just sell products—it built a personality. In a crowded D2C space, it stood out by blending authenticity, storytelling, and smart digital distribution.
Where most grooming brands stopped at slick ads, BSC went deeper. They created conversations, not just campaigns.
Content That Connected
Founder Shantanu Deshpande became the face and voice of the brand. Through podcasts, fireside chats, and founder-driven storytelling, he humanized the company and built trust with a younger, startup-savvy audience. This founder-first approach made the brand feel relatable, real, and rooted in modern Indian ambition.
They also invested heavily in:
Influencer collaborations across YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter
Grooming tutorials and educational content
Community building through giveaways, polls, and behind-the-scenes stories
The goal? To create loyalists.
But in a hyper-connected world, bold messaging walks a fine line—and Bombay Shaving Company learned this the hard way.
The Prachi Nigam Ad (2024): In an attempt to promote inclusivity, BSC featured UP board topper Prachi Nigam—who had previously been trolled online for her facial hair. While the intent was to spark a conversation around body positivity, the execution felt exploitative and tone-deaf to many. The brand faced backlash for capitalizing on a student’s vulnerabilities, even if unintentionally.
The 18-Hour Workday Post (2022): Shantanu’s now-infamous LinkedIn post advised freshers to work “18 hours a day” in their early career years. Meant as a tough-love career tip, it instead triggered a debate on toxic hustle culture. The backlash was swift, with critics accusing the brand of glorifying burnout. Shantanu later issued a public apology and temporarily withdrew from LinkedIn.
“These weren’t PR disasters—they were wake-up calls. In today’s digital landscape, empathy isn’t optional—it’s expected.”
Both incidents were reminders of a simple truth: the more human your brand becomes, the more responsibility it carries. Bombay Shaving Company had built a strong community—but in doing so, it also signed up for public scrutiny.
Challenges: Stumbles on the Way to Scale
Like any ambitious consumer brand, Bombay Shaving Company’s journey wasn’t without its share of missteps and growing pains. Behind the glossy packaging and influencer campaigns were moments of public backlash, category uncertainty, and operational complexity. Here’s a look at the key challenges they faced—and how they responded:
1. Facing Giants: Competing in Gillette’s Backyard
When BSC entered the shaving category, Gillette owned nearly 90% of the Indian market. Competing with a brand that had decades of distribution muscle, pricing power, and consumer trust meant BSC had to position itself differently—as a premium, design-forward alternative.
What worked: Differentiated product + storytelling
What didn’t: Unable to truly disrupt mass-market shaving hardware
2. The D2C Dilemma: Scaling Beyond Online
While the D2C model gave BSC early traction, scaling meant stepping into offline retail, which brought logistical challenges, working capital requirements, and the need for deeper supply chain control.
4. Pricing Perception: Premium vs. Expensive
While BSC wanted to be an “accessible premium” brand, a significant segment of Indian consumers still viewed their products as overpriced, especially in price-sensitive markets.
5. Maintaining Product Quality at Scale
As the product line expanded and revenues soared, maintaining consistency across categories—especially with natural ingredients and packaging innovation—became a major operational challenge.
Funding & Financials: Scaling with Strategy
From day one, Bombay Shaving Company didn’t chase vanity metrics or burn capital to “buy revenue.” Instead, the brand focused on building a profitable, high-margin business—one that could scale sustainably, without compromising on product or positioning.
Funding:
Seed Round (2016): ₹4–4.5 crore
Raised from a close-knit circle of McKinsey alumni and colleagues who believed in Shantanu’s vision and capabilities. This early capital helped BSC develop its first premium products and build out its D2C infrastructure.Total Funding: $45.9 million
Raised across multiple rounds from a mix of venture and strategic investors.
Key Investors:
Fireside Ventures – Early-stage consumer brand specialists
Sixth Sense Ventures – Known for backing disruptive, fast-growing startups
Reckitt Benckiser – A global consumer goods giant that sees synergy in the personal care segment
Colgate-Palmolive – Strategic investment for market access, manufacturing, and distribution insights
These strategic bets weren’t just about cash—they brought distribution expertise, operational efficiency, and global brand insights into BSC’s playbook.
Revenue Growth: From Crores to Categories
Fiscal Year | Operating Revenue |
|---|---|
FY20 | ₹17.6 Cr |
FY21 | ₹37.7 Cr |
FY24 (Est.) | ₹300+ Cr |
Even as competitors like Beardo, The Man Company, and Ustraa grew at modest rates, BSC scaled 17x in under 5 years, driven by product innovation, omni-channel presence, and relentless brand building.
The Vision: A ₹1,500 Cr Brand in the Making
Bombay Shaving Company isn’t looking to be just another D2C brand—it’s aiming to be a category-defining powerhouse in personal care.
Brand valuation target: ₹1,500 crore
Growth levers: Women’s care (Bombae), tier-2/3 market penetration, international expansion, and sustained customer lifetime value
Positioning goal: Accessible premium—not luxury, but aspirational and everyday
“We don’t raise money to chase GMV. We raise it to build trust, community, and brand equity.”
Final Thoughts
Bombay Shaving Company isn’t just selling razors—it’s reshaping how India thinks about grooming. With premium products, bold storytelling, and a founder-led voice, it carved a niche in a space long dominated by giants.
The journey hasn’t been without bumps, but the brand’s ability to learn, adapt, and stay relevant is what makes it stand out.
As it eyes global markets and deeper Indian penetration, one thing’s clear: BSC is building more than a brand—it’s building a moveme
What Can Founders Learn From This Case Study?
Bombay Shaving Company’s story isn’t just about grooming—it’s about smart positioning, consumer empathy, and brand-led growth. For founders building in competitive spaces, here are a few takeaways worth noting:
1. Enter crowded markets—differently. BSC didn’t beat Gillette on price; it won with positioning and storytelling.
2. Create a brand, not just a product. BSC sold routines, not razors—and built emotional resonance through community.
3. Own the voice, but tread carefully. Being bold builds recall. But in today’s world, empathy matters just as much as visibility.
Even in routine categories, there’s room for reinvention—if you lead with insight and stay human.
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Think Tank is a bi-weekly newsletter that simplifies business case studies into engaging, story-driven insights. It’s designed for entrepreneurs, professionals, and curious minds who want real, actionable takeaways without the fluff.
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