Healthcare industry has been evolving at a rate much faster than expected, however, nothing heals faster than nature. Divya Mehtawith her twin Neha Mehta– Cofounders of AlchemLife, a brand that offers ‘Phytoceuticals’ - a new category of plant based natural healthcare solutions. Believed to offer the best of clinically tested efficacy of modern medicine and the safety of traditional natural medicine, AlchemLife’s phytoceutical healthcare solutions aid a large range of ailments such as viral cough, cold, sore throat, liver care, prostate care, joint pain management and many more. The firm is backed with the expertise of its parent company, Alchem International, which is pioneer in plant extractions since 1935. To add to this, for over 75 years, Alchem International has studied and extracted critical plant derived active ingredients for some of the world's biggest and most advanced pharmaceutical,cosmetics and nutraceutical companies.

At present, AlchemLife brand is available globally with the sheer twin power in action. Having completed her high school from Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer, Divya joined Purdue University, USA and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. In 2002, she started her career with Unilever in Chicago, and eventually moved back to New Delhi, India. It was in 2007 when she teamed up with her twin and established AlchemLife.

Today, AlchemLife products are clinically tested internationally, have proven efficacy and are packed with clinically proven natural Phytoactives most powerful active ingredients in medicinal plants. Divya Mehta, Co-Founder, AlchemLife recently engaged in a one-on-one interaction with Women Entrepreneur magazine. Read the excerpt below from her exclusive interview.

Tell Us About Your Early Educational And Prior Industry Experience That You Bring To The Table. What Is It That Motivated You To Venture Into The Field Of Pharmaceuticals And Nutraceutical Industries?

Since my great grandfather was a forest officer in the Himalayas, he understood botanical plants very well. His knowledge and wisdom was passed onto my father who then set the foundation and built a global enterprise. It was his aim to provide high quality plant based active ingredients, products and services to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and health food industries across the world.

Belonging to this environment where my grandfather and then my dad have been close to nature, I naturally feel a connection and believe that nature has always been an incredible and generous wonder. With AlchemLife, my main vision was to bring the magic of nature to a modern day clinical setting and hence, our firm was born towards this endeavour. Today, weare in the 15^th year of successfully providing natural healthcare solutions validated by science that enables people to stay naturally healthy for life.

Tellus What Inspired You To Launch Phytorelief-CC?

Phytoactives are one of the most powerful active ingredients in medicinal plants. At AlchemLife, we use our sophisticated PhytoAdvance technology to extract Phyto-actives in a manner that preserves the perfect balance in which they exist in nature. Talking about our flagship brand PhytoRelief, it came from an intensely personal experience. I happened to contract flu and sore throat almost twice a month and almost nothing seemed to work. Either the product had serious side effects or then simply wasn’t effective. So, my search for a product that builds immunity while relieving symptoms resulted in us developing the product ourselves.

Our initial research revealed that the saliva is our mouth is our first line of defence. It contains Lysozymes which are immunity building enzymes. We wanted to use plant extracts and develop a way that we could make the Lysozymes stay in the mouth for long. This would ensure that the formulation we developed would be effective to build immunity as well as cure flu symptoms while having no side effects. We tested our hypothesis by working closely with the R&D team.

After spending three years on developing and clinically testing this type of formulation with a unique delivery system, post all the iterations, the formulations contained the plant extracts in the precise concentration and purity with a delivery system that stayed in the mouth for 30- 45min. This was highly effective and safe. These highly concentrated and purified plant extracts are called Photoactive and so Phyto Relief was born. Needless to say, I was the most willing test subject. After going back and forth for a long time, we were all pleased with the formula.

One of the main reasons why we ended up testing it on ourselves was because we care. We wanted a product that we would consume ourselves. It was no longer about selling hope in package but the actual efficacy of the product. That’s what drives us even today. To make and deliver products that we are 100% convinced of.

Today, Phytorelief has won several International Awards and Recognitions and is Registered and actively sold in EU and USA and more than eight other countries. It is a Patented Formulation – It has been granted USA, EU, Mexico, Japan, China& Australia Patent. In 2021, Phytorelief got acclamation from AIIMS as an immunity booster and effective against Covid 19. It also has been awarded the most Innovative Product on Immunity & Respiratory 2021 by the Ministry of SPAIN , WINNER for Golden Mortar Award for Product of the year 2021 – Turkey, WINNER for BARC PRESTIGIOUS RISING BRANDS OF ASIA 2021 Award.

Tell Us About the Roles and Responsibilities That You Currently Shoulder At Alchemlife? Tell Us About Few Challenges That You Had Faced And How Did You Overcome Them?

As an entrepreneur, one tends to wear several hats throughout the day. However, at AlchemLife, my key focus area is research and development, supply chain management and business development - with the sole aim of making the brand come to life. The most challenging yet exciting aspect of my role is to develop a product from its inception to its completion. This requires repeated trials and learning’s. At every step of the process, from discovery to extraction and then testing, one must re-assess and ensure that the product delivers to meet the objectives. Watching people benefit and get healthier is its own reward.

I am passionate about my work and in life, it is essential to strike the right balance between the two. I am motivated to help heal people and those in need. I also recognize that this kind of dedication, hard work and hours mean one also needs to invest time in oneself. So, keeping a healthy work life balance is essential to your well-being in my book.

What have been the most significant milestones that you have achieved so far in your professional journey?

Bringing the brand - AlchemLife- to life was a long arduous task. The repeat orders and watching the brand grow through the years has been the biggest pay off for us. Developing a product from scratch and watching it gain momentum and being loved globally has been very rewarding experience for us.

How do you keep yourself well aligned with the evolutions that are continuously occurring within the industry?

Keeping oneself well informed about the changes in the industry and the evolving trends gives you an edge over other competitors while it enables you to run a business in a successful manner. To this end, we travel extensively to attend pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic exhibitions, and this has really helped us to not just keep a watch on emerging markets and trends but in making shifts as per industry requirement.

What Would Your Advice Be To Young Women Aspiring To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs In The Future?

Being a businesswoman, I can confidently share that Passion, Commitment and Perseverance are the perfect ingredients to ensure any success. Recognizing that failure is a part of success and the best teacher one can get is also important to remember!

With alchemlife, my main vision was to bring the magic of nature to a modern day clinical setting and hence, our firm was born towards this endeavour

Divya Mehta, Co-Founder

A passionate entrepreneur, Divya is at the helm of affairs at AlchemLife, a brand that offers ‘Phytoceuticals’ - a new category of plant based natural healthcare solutions. Having completedher high school from Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer, Divya joined Purdue University, USA and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering.