The next big war, experts believe, will be fought over water. While that is a big enough concern, conserving water was not the primary objective for Dr Puneet Gupta when he started his company in 2016. Clensta International, which began as a by-product of Gupta’s biotechnology endeavours, today produces waterless products for personal health and hygiene.

Clensta introduced its first product, a waterless body wash, in August 2017, and now has more in the offing. The prospect of waterless bath, as odd as it sounds, might raise quite a few eyebrows, but ask a soldier posted in Siachen or a patient in a government hospital, and you’ll know the difficulties in maintaining personal hygiene in places that we generally do not find ourselves in. 

According to Clensta’s market research team, India alone is a Rs.50 billion market for waterless personal hygiene products, lying completely untapped with no existing players in the segment. Nilaya Varma, partner, government lead at KPMG India, feels it is difficult to put a number here. He explains, “It is not a typical product category, but a product created for a need. Therefore, if you are able to communicate and change behaviours, then yes, it could be a Rs.50 billion industry.” He believes in the product’s potential, especially if it manages to extend its target segments beyond defence and hospital — for travellers and natural calamity situations. “Behavioural change is the most significant thing here,” he adds.

Replacing essentials

Today, Clensta’s client base includes the Indian defence and paramilitary forces, and leading hospitals such as Apollo, Batra and Medanta. “You and I wouldn’t need this product on a daily basis, not for now at least. But, we discovered that in places such as Siachen, soldiers could not take bath