Organiko: Pooja Kaul on Reviving Ancient Beauty Secrets and Empowering Rural Communities

January 15, 2026 11 min read

In the world of luxury skincare, the most revolutionary ingredients are often the oldest. Pooja Kaul, the Founder of Organiko, is bringing back an ancient beauty secret—donkey milk—to create a high-end skincare brand that doubles as a lifeline for rural Indian communities. A graduate of TISS, Pooja has turned a college project into a thriving social venture that not only promises natural anti-aging benefits but also provides a sustainable income for donkey owners who were previously struggling for survival.

Pooja's journey began in 2017 while she was pursuing her Masters in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. "I was doing a project in Solapur, Maharashtra, and I saw donkey owners who were migrating to cities to work on construction sites for meager wages," Pooja recalls. "At the same time, I read about the incredible benefits of donkey milk—it's rich in vitamins, has natural anti-aging properties, and was famously used by Cleopatra. I realized that if we could create a market for this milk, we could transform these communities."

The Economics of Donkey Milk

Donkey milk is one of the most expensive and rare ingredients in the skincare world. "A liter of donkey milk can cost anywhere from ₹2,000 to ₹7,000," Pooja explains. "By sourcing this milk directly from rural owners, we provide them with a revenue stream that is far more lucrative than manual labor. It's a win-win: high-quality natural products for the consumer and economic empowerment for the producer."

Breaking the Stigma

One of the biggest hurdles Pooja faced was the social stigma surrounding donkeys. "In India, donkeys are often associated with low status or even black magic," she shares. "When we started telling people we were making soap from donkey milk, they were skeptical. We had to spend a lot of time educating the market about the scientific benefits and the historical significance of the ingredient. Once people saw the results on their skin, the mindset shifted."

Scaling a social venture also meant navigating the challenges of bootstrapping. Pooja relied on her own savings and research grants from innovation challenges, including those at IIT Delhi and IISc Bangalore. "Money is always a constraint in the beginning," she admits. "But if your idea has genuine impact and potential, the resources will find you. You just have to be persistent and stay true to your mission."

Building a Sustainable Future

Organiko is not just about soap; it's about building a sustainable ecosystem. Pooja is currently expanding the product range to include lotions and creams, while also working to stabilize the donkey population in India, which has seen a significant decline. "We want to create a brand that people trust for its quality and its ethics," she says. "Our goal is to provide more employment opportunities and ensure that donkey rearing becomes a respected and profitable profession once again."

Pooja's Guide for Social Entrepreneurs

Start with Ground Reality: Spend time in the field. Understand the problems of the people you want to help before you build a solution.
Leverage Your Education: Use your college projects to experiment. The stakes are lower, and the mentors are plenty.
Educate Your Market: If you are introducing a radical new concept, be prepared to be an educator. Confidence in your product is key to changing mindsets.
Be Prepared for the Grind: Entrepreneurship is 100% commitment. If you aren't ready to give your all to your idea, it will remain just an idea.

"Don't just build a business to make money. Build it to solve a problem that nobody else is looking at. When you create value for the most neglected sections of society, you build something that is truly unstoppable." — Pooja Kaul

The Vision: National Impact

Looking ahead, Pooja aims to take Organiko to every corner of India. She is passionate about proving that social impact and high-end luxury can go hand-in-hand. For Pooja, success is seeing a former construction worker now thriving as a donkey owner, knowing that their work is valued by consumers across the country. Organiko is more than a skincare brand; it's a movement to revive ancient wisdom for modern social good.

Organiko at a Glance

Focus: Natural skincare products made from donkey milk.
Heritage: Born as a TISS innovation project in 2017.
Impact: Creating sustainable livelihoods for rural donkey owners across India.

About the Guest

Pooja Kaul is the Founder of Organiko. A graduate of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) with a Masters in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Pooja is a visionary leader in the social enterprise space. She is dedicated to creating high-impact business models that empower rural communities and promote natural wellness. Pooja has been recognized in numerous innovation forums and is a vocal advocate for the role of students in solving India's most pressing social and economic challenges.

Organiko is a social venture specializing in natural skincare products formulated with donkey milk. By combining traditional beauty secrets with modern science, Organiko offers premium soaps and lotions that nourish the skin while driving positive social and economic change in rural India.