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Forest Essentials: How the business started by a 45-year-old single mother with 2 lakh became a 500 crore empire

Mira Kulkarni founded Forest Essentials in 2000 with 2 lakh and two employees, building a luxury Ayurvedic skincare brand from handmade soaps. After an early hotel order helped raise its profile, the company expanded internationally and attracted investment from Este Lauder.