When Mira Kulkarni started making handmade candles and soaps at home in 2000, she had little experience of running a business. She was 45, had spent most of her life away from the workplace and was looking to build a source of income after a difficult phase in her personal life. What began as a small venture, backed by an investment of Rs 2 lakh, would eventually become Forest Essentials, a recognised luxury Ayurvedic skincare brand.
Nearly 26 years later, the business has grown into a company with annual revenue of more than Rs 580 crore. It has also attracted the attention of American beauty major The Estée Lauder Companies, which completed its acquisition of the remaining 51 percent stake in October 2026, taking full ownership of the Indian brand.
But the beginnings of Forest Essentials were far removed from the scale of the business it is today.
In her book, Essentially Mira: The Extraordinary Journey Behind Forest Essentials, Kulkarni highlights the circumstances that eventually led her to entrepreneurship.
Raised in Delhi, Kulkarni spent part of her childhood at boarding school in Shimla before moving to Madras with her family. At 19, she faced a choice between pursuing higher education at Cambridge and accepting a marriage proposal. She chose marriage, against her father's wishes, a decision she would later question.