In a MediaBrief exclusive, Preetam Jena, Chief Marketing Officer and eCommerce Head of Fixderma, speaks about the cosmeceutical company’s 14-year journey. Jena highlights the challenges and milestones of the company’s journey so far, its growth story, its Make-in-India approach, and its presence in international markets.
Jena also speaks about the brand’s marketing strategies and media mix, the steps taken to penetrate and cater to Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, and the role of influencers, KOLs, and collaborations in engaging with consumers.
Established in 2010, Fixderma, the skincare and hair care brand, has steadily evolved over the past 14 years. Reflecting on this journey, Preetam Jena, Chief Marketing Officer and eCommerce Head of Fixderma, says, “Fixderma has focused on different core values over the years. We look for integrity, transparency, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. We have become a trusted name in the dermatology-prescribed space by building strong relationships with dermatologists and utilizing the opinions of medical professionals.
“The brand thrives on adaptive policies that change and innovate with evolving consumer needs and market dynamics shifts. As we have a leading R&D team, we place a strong emphasis on sustainable growth, achieved by balancing the introduction and marketing of new products,” he adds.
Preetam Jena on Fixderma’s challenges and milestones
Touching upon the key challenges and milestones of the journey, Jena says, “Fixderma faced significant challenges transitioning from a dermat-recommended brand to driving success online with commercial brands like Shadow, Durave, Salyzap, and Skarfix.
One key hurdle, Jena says, was leveraging the equity built through years of trust with dermatologists and patients to connect with a broader digital audience. He adds, “While this credibility gave us a strong foundation, translating it into online sales required educating consumers and reinforcing our clinical expertise in a crowded, competitive market.”
Another challenge Jena highlights was maintaining premium pricing. Elaborating on this, he says, “In an industry dominated by deep discounting, where perceived value often trumps product quality, maintaining premium pricing was a challenge.
He continues, “As a self-funded company, staying PAT-positive was non-negotiable, even in the eCommerce space, where most competitors burn cash to gain market share. Rising CPC costs, driven by well-funded brands spending aggressively on advertising, further strained performance marketing and unit economics.
Outlining how Fixderma navigated these challenges, Jena says, “To overcome these challenges, Fixderma used its derma-backed credibility as a differentiator, educating consumers through result-oriented content and leveraging organic channels and influencer collaborations to build trust.
“Operational efficiency and a profitability-first approach ensured long-term sustainability without sacrificing growth. By turning clinical trust into a competitive advantage online, Fixderma has become a rare success story—a skincare brand that thrives without external funding, balancing growth with profitability and proving that trust and authenticity can outperform deep pockets,” Jena adds.
The international market drives Fixderma’s growth
The international markets too played a role in shaping Fixderma’s growth story. Speaking about this, Jena says, “The international market has become an integral part of Fixderma’s growth story and its achievements.
“The company, which has more than 14 years’ experience in the derma space, managed to create a notable export presence across 30+ countries. This is supported by the company’s image as a producer of high-quality, scientifically developed products for varied skin problems,” he adds.
Speaking about the company’s expansion plans for the future, Jena says, “As Fixderma seeks to widen its scope, it intends to penetrate newer territories, primarily Africa and the CIS, in the next fiscal year, targeting double-digit YoY growth in export earnings by FY’25.
“This international presence emphasizes the company’s efforts to ensure that its manufacturing processes and the effectiveness of its products meet the international standards of a demanding audience. In addition to this, we are also planning category expansion into baby care products by December,” he adds.
Fixderma’s Make in India approach drives local success
Fixderma’s Make in India approach has also contributed to its success, both in terms of local employment and market acceptance, says Jena. Elaborating on this, he says, “The ‘Make in India’ vision of Fixderma has significantly been one of the driving factors for its success by providing diverse benefits in terms of employment opportunities as well as market acceptance.
He adds, “The brand not only emphasizes the job market in India by owning its production units, but it also maintains high standards of quality and relevance to Indian consumers in terms of quantity. Looking at it from the market point of view, the ‘Make in India’ culture is slowly gaining popularity among consumers who prefer products manufactured in India.
“Such alignment with a patriotic idea,” he says, “enhances the brand image of Fixderma and makes the brand a viable option for target markets that are quality-oriented and also seeking a sense of patriotism.”
Preetam Jena on Fixderma’s strategies for Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities
Speaking about the unique strategies implemented to penetrate and cater to tier 1 and tier 2 cities, Jena says, “Fixderma has designed and incorporated a variety of cutting-edge strategies that allow them to penetrate and serve tier 1 and tier 2 cities efficiently.
“For tier 1 cities, the target has been on the portion of consumers that understand skincare, particularly with ingredients like Vitamin A and Retinol. The company has successfully executed ad campaigns, including collaborations with Delhi Capitals and advertising during the IPL on prominent television channels such as Star Plus and Zee TV.
He continues, “We have also partnered with renowned actors like Vani Kapoor as a Brand Ambassador, Boman Irani, and Divya Dutta for our product shoot. These activities have improved the image and recognition of the brand, making it competitive in tier 1 markets, where it targets consumers well-versed with skincare products.
“For tier 2 cities,” he says, “we had to come up with a strategy to overcome barriers regarding the availability of products and consumer awareness. The company also utilized social media, public relations platforms, and influencer marketing to educate and motivate consumers from these regions on skincare and its benefits.
He adds, “This combination of enhanced online presence and expanded offline reach has enabled Fixderma to develop robust strategies tailored to both urban markets.”
How Fixderma balances affordability with premium quality
In the cosmeceuticals market, affordability is often a challenge for high-quality dermatological products. Outlining how Fixderma balances affordability with premium quality, Jena says, “Fixderma is a unique ‘Make in India’ brand which manufactures its own products, ensuring premium quality at affordable rates. We are able to offer such favorable prices because most competitors outsource production, while Fixderma employs an integrated strategy.
“This strategy,” he says, “allows for high-quality, derma-recommended products, which are clinically approved solutions, to be available at affordable prices.
He further adds, “The brand avoids unnecessary fragmentation of products, thereby keeping costs low and maintaining efficiency by concentrating on the production of Shadow, Nigrifix, and Foobetik, which are all clinically effective SKUs.”
“As part of its market penetration strategy, Fixderma uses a tier-level strategy in its quest to provide more value to customers. Fixderma seeks to establish a presence in tier 2 and tier 3 cities while also establishing itself in tier 1 cities,” he adds.
Preetam Jena on Fixderma’s Digital strategies
Apart from these, Fixderma also uses innovative digital marketing strategies to engage consumers. Speaking on this, Jena says, “Fixderma has several interactive ways of reaching its consumers through many technologies and digital marketing strategies.
He continues, “Focusing on the customers’ requirements is one of the ways that AI is used for marketing strategy. The organization employs AI in several phases of its marketing activities, including campaign bidding, creative testing, forecasting inventory, and planning for new product launches.
He adds, “Also, a significant aspect of Fixderma’s digital strategy is the use of influencer marketing and partnerships with KOLs (Key Opinion Leader). Fixderma develops its strategy of engagement with dermatologists as brand ambassadors for the company as they appreciate the importance of beauty influencers and skincare experts.
“These collaborations expand the audience of the brand, reinforce trust in the products and increase interaction with consumers through genuine product recommendations.”
Preetam Jena on Fixderma’s 360-degree marketing strategy
Delving deeper into the brand’s marketing strategies and media mix, Jena says, “Fixderma’s marketing strategy revolves around a 360-degree approach, integrating both traditional and digital media in order to enhance the brand image.
He adds, “The brand uses digital media because it’s quick on its feet and efficient, employing YouTube, eCommerce, and partnering with dermatologists and skincare influencers to increase consumer engagement.
He wraps up by outlining how it engages the youth segment, saying, “Fixderma effectively utilizes the digital space to combat misconceptions and promote the usage of sunscreen and other skincare products. The use of AI and automation is also part of the strategy for performance campaigns to optimize and control messages across multiple platforms.”
