Some stories don’t begin in boardrooms or investor decks. They begin at home, in quiet moments of worry, in unexpected discoveries, in the messy, beautiful intersection of personal life and purpose. That’s how it was for Saloni Anand, co-founder of Traya. Long before the brand became a disruptor in the hair wellness space, it was just a couple trying to figure out a chronic health problem, and stumbling upon something that would change their lives.
At the same time, Anand was also navigating the wild, unpredictable ride of motherhood. Think pitch meetings in the day, lullabies at night, and somewhere in between, trying to hold on to her sense of self, sanity, and purpose.
What makes her story worth telling isn’t just the milestones she’s hit as a founder. It’s the way she’s doing it, with heart, with honesty, and without trying to be superwoman. In a candid conversation with Marketing Mind, she opened up about building a science-backed brand out of a personal journey, redefining success as a working mother, learning to live with (not against) her guilt, and why the real win is waking up excited to go to work and coming home in time for bedtime.
It all started with a very personal health journey, not hers, but her husband’s. “Traya is actually the outcome of something we went through together,” she shared. What began as a quest to manage his thyroid led them down a path involving Ayurveda, endocrinology, and a strict dietary plan. Unexpectedly, his hair started growing back, something that years of dermat visits hadn’t managed to achieve. “The doctor told us, Hair is your body’s way of communicating. If the inside is healing, it’ll show on the outside.” That insight stuck. And so did the realisation that the hair care industry was still stuck in cosmetic quick fixes. “No one was treating hair loss like a chronic condition, but that’s what it is.”
Thus, Traya was born, part science, part Ayurveda, all heart. But while the company was growing, so was something else: Anand’s journey as a new mother. “All of it changed me,” she laughed. “If anyone wants to learn time management, just raise a child while running a company.” With fewer hours in the day, she learned to prioritise with precision. “You have to trust people. You have to honour your team and make them the heroes, not yourself.”
Motherhood also rewired her leadership style. “I’ve become more empathetic. I know what it feels like to go through pregnancy, delivery, and recovery, and now, when my team goes through their own life events, I’m more aware, more present, and way more human.” Still, self-doubt creeps in, because, as she puts it, “we’re women, and we’re wired to care. We’ll always wonder if we’re doing enough.” But she’s found her way of managing it: by giving up perfection and choosing peace. “I don’t compare myself with moms who stay at home and do everything. I focus on giving quality time, and I make sure I enjoy that time.”
Every evening at 7 pm, no matter what’s happening at work, Anand heads home. “That 7–8 pm slot is for my son, that’s non-negotiable. If I have more work later, I’ll go back to it after putting him to sleep. But that hour? It’s sacred.” On busier weeks, she finds her own hacks to make it work. “If a big launch is happening over the weekend, I’ll block off Friday just to spend time with him. I’ll tell him, ‘This weekend Mama has to work, but Friday is ours.’” There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, she’s figured out a routine that works for her, and that’s what keeps her sane.
Anand also co-founded Traya with her husband, a partnership that, she says, has only deepened their relationship. “When I do something at work and earn his respect, it flows into our life at home. And when one of us is going through something personal, we carry that empathy into the workplace. There’s no pretending. You know each other’s full story.”
Traya today isn’t just growing, it’s thriving, and it’s built on the foundation of a team that reflects equality, not just talks about it. “We actually have more women than men,” Anand shared, proudly. “In our leadership team too. Honestly, you don’t need big rituals or policies. Just put women at the table, they’ll take care of the rest.” She’s also deeply committed to mentoring women who didn’t come from fancy institutes. “Your degree might get you the interview, but your attitude, skills, and hard work, that’s what will take you up the ladder.”
When asked what legacy she’d like to leave behind, Anand paused. “Honestly, I don’t know yet. But I hope I find that one problem I can dedicate my life to, the way Kailash Satyarthi devoted his life to fighting child trafficking. I want to make that kind of impact someday, something beyond just Traya or one product category.”
That doesn’t mean she’s not excited about what’s next. In fact, there’s a lot happening. Traya is now eyeing international markets. Their women-centric line, Traya Women, is scaling fast. And they’ve even opened offline clinics to deepen their geographical reach. But the real mic-drop moment? Their clinical study just got published in the International Journal of Dermatology. “The study shows Traya regrows hair three times more than Minoxidil, the gold standard in hair treatment globally. That’s huge, and it’s made in India.”
Before we wrapped up, we asked her what advice she’d give to women who have an idea but are scared to take that first step. “Don’t wait. The idea alone has no value. You don’t need to wait to save money or finish your MBA. If you’re truly passionate about something, so passionate that the journey excites you even if it fails, that’s your cue to start.”
And how does she define success today? “For me, it’s waking up every morning excited to go to work. It’s feeling grateful for the work I do, and for my family. Whether Traya does 500 crores or 5 crores, it won’t change how I feel about my life. That, to me, is success.”
