June 2, 2023
From Engineering to Skin Care: How one woman is changing the skincare industry in India
IITKGP Foundation
KGPian Malini Adapureddy (2011/Dual Degree/Civil/SN-IG) runs the science-based skin care company Deconstruct. According to Deconstruct’s website, Malini founded the company because she was tired of brands indulging in what she called "fairytale marketing." So, she decided to turn to science to launch a skin care brand she could identify with. After months of research and development, Deconstruct was born. Deconstruct saw immediate success with an Instagram community that identified with the brand well before its products were launched. The brand has become known for its innovative product formulations – incorporating multiple active ingredients, along with additional soothing ingredients to ensure skin stays hydrated and soothed. This makes it easier for those starting a new skin care routine to make the transition easier. The brand claims the active ingredients are biologically functional ones that target specific skin concerns such as reducing fine lines or evening out skin tone.
Malini Adapureddy completed her civil engineering degree at IIT Kharagpur and went on to pursue an MBA at INSEAD. She spent nearly ten years in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries, including Flipkart, Proctor and Gamble and Kraft-Heinz, for almost a decade before starting Deconstruct. She is quoted as saying that there are multiple challenges being a woman founder because the market is not as open and asserts that, “In most of the paths I have chosen in life, I was in the minority. Even in IIT, it was 700 men and 45 women, but that did not stop me, and it has given me a more well-rounded approach as to how to tread the right path. Even today, I am one of the few female founders and also a single founder.” While she is of the opinion that anyone who wants to innovate and make a change will have to face some level of adversity, she believes that more role models like her are needed to instill courage and motivate people to start new ventures.
