National, 1 July 2026: Ananta Capital has acquired a majority stake in Phitku, the Made-in-India personal care and hygiene brand redefining body odour management through science-backed, alum-based formulations. Just 14 months since its launch, the strategic transaction marks a significant milestone for one of India’s fastest-growing profitable personal care brands, reflecting strong investor confidence in science-led, clean personal care businesses.
Structured as a combination of primary capital infusion and a secondary share purchase, the transaction provides Phitku with fresh growth capital while also enabling partial liquidity for the founders. Sumit Marda, Neha Marda and Rahul Dokania will continue to lead the company while retaining a significant stake in the business, reinforcing their long-term commitment to building the brand.
Founded in early 2025 by Sumit Marda, Neha Marda and Rahul Dokania, Phitku has been built entirely on a 100% bootstrapped and profitable model, making Ananta Capital’s investment the company’s first institutional funding. Beyond capital, the partnership brings strategic expertise and institutional backing that will help accelerate product innovation, strengthen brand building and deepen Phitku’s presence across D2C, quick commerce, marketplaces, and selectively expand into international markets as it builds India’s leading science-led hygiene brand.
In just over a year, Phitku has established itself as one of India’s leading natural odour protection brands, built a profitable business, and served over 6 lakh customers across India through its D2C platform, leading marketplaces and quick-commerce channels.
Speaking on the investment, Ashutosh Taparia, Founder & Managing Partner, Ananta Capital, said: “What drew us to Phitku was the category itself. Consumers today are increasingly seeking cleaner personal care products and paying closer attention to ingredients, while odor protection remains a large category with limited innovation. Phitku has modernized a trusted ingredient like alum and built a proposition that resonates with today’s consumers. We believe the brand is well positioned to lead this emerging category.”
Sanjeev Taparia, part of the Taparia family, added: “We have been impressed by what the founders have built in such a short period of time. Going forward, we see an opportunity to build Phitku into a broader clean personal care platform by leveraging our consumer ecosystem, distribution network, product development capabilities, and international presence.”
Commenting on the partnership, Sumit Marda, Co-founder & CEO of Phitku, said: “Phitku was founded with a simple vision, to build a science-led personal care brand that consumers can genuinely trust. As a team, we’ve stayed focused on one thing: building products that are clean, safe, and that actually work. For us, efficacy and safety aren’t trade-offs; they go hand in hand. In a market where consumers have grown weary of brands that over-promise and under-deliver, we set out to bring back something simpler, pure trust and lasting loyalty. In just over a year, that approach has helped us build a community of over 6 lakh customers, reaffirming the demand for clean, effective, and ingredient-conscious hygiene solutions.
Partnering with Ananta Capital is an important milestone for us. This is about far more than capital. Ananta brings the strategic expertise, operational experience, and long-term vision to help us build Phitku into a true personal hygiene platform, one that scales responsibly, accelerates innovation, and strengthens our distribution across both Indian and international markets. Together, we aim to build Phitku into India’s leading science-led personal hygiene brand.”
Founded with the vision of reimagining the age-old benefits of alum for modern consumers, Phitku is redefining body odour management through clean, alcohol-free and skin-friendly formulations that eliminate odour at its source rather than masking it with artificial fragrances. Developed for Indian climate conditions and everyday use, the brand combines science-backed efficacy with ingredient-conscious innovation.
Looking ahead, Phitku’s philosophy remains unchanged: the company aims to go deep and sharp within a category and establish clear leadership before expanding into new products. Rather than chasing buzzwords or continuously adding new SKUs, the brand follows a “do less, but do it exceptionally well” approach. In keeping with that belief, Phitku plans to introduce new products only in categories where it is confident of offering genuinely excellent solutions, with the long-term goal of becoming a market leader in each. With Ananta Capital coming on board as a partner, the company has expanded its vision from India to global markets, and is targeting 4-5x growth over the next two years to reach an ARR of ₹300 crore, all while remaining committed to building a globally relevant, science-led hygiene brand from India.
About Phitku
Phitku is a Made-in-India personal care brand built on a simple idea: one of the oldest answers to body odour is also one of the most effective. Reaching back to alum, a mineral Indian households have relied on for generations, the brand has reengineered it into a modern range of clean, alcohol-free and skin-friendly formulations that neutralise odour at its source instead of masking it with synthetic fragrance.
Founded in early 2025 by Sumit Marda, Neha Marda and Rahul Dokania, Phitku has scaled rapidly in its first year, earning the trust of more than 6 lakh customers across the country. That momentum has made it one of India’s fastest-growing and profitable personal care brands, at a time when more consumers are actively seeking gentler, ingredient-led alternatives for their daily routines.
