Our Legacy

Dr. S. S. Nishat was a scholar before he was a businessman — a doctorate in philosophy, a poet, and for a time, Trade Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 1957, he founded Hygienic Research Institute — not as a factory, but as a research and development institute, dedicated to formulations that solved people’s problems. Its first creation, Florozone, was a skincare formula effective enough that dermatologists themselves prescribed it.

Soon after, the research found a second calling: hair. Vasmol Emulsified Hair Darkener and Vasmol Pomade followed, alongside Scintilla bath salts.

Subhash Nishat, a Bachelor of Commerce graduate, joined the company in 1965, bringing marketing and distribution expertise, and went on to serve as Chairman from 2002 until his death in 2018. Kailash Chhabra, a trained pharmacist, joined in 1968 and set up a factory in Mazagaon, Mumbai.

Kailash formulated Vasmol Emulsified Hair Darkener and Vasmol Pomade, then watched the market shift and reformulated it into something faster, better suited to how people actually lived — the result was Super Vasmol 33 Kesh Kala, India’s first oil-based hair colour. Subhash took it to market, building the distribution and sales strength behind it. Over fifty years later, it still commands the trust of millions of Indian households.

Alongside it, the family introduced a fuller line of hair oils — Brahmol, a Brahmi-Amla based light hair oil, Jasmine Hair Oil, and pure castor oil — building HRIPL into a consistently profitable, debt-free organisation.

In 1990, Kailash Chhabra suffered a sudden, fatal cardiac arrest. He left behind his wife, Savita, and two sons — Manish, then in college, and Ashish, still in school.

Savita Chhabra took charge of manufacturing in 1993. Coming from an arts background, having never worked a day in a factory, she immersed herself in daily operations — learning the machines and working alongside the staff — and grew the workforce from 20 to more than 900+ today. With an unwavering focus on quality and timely delivery, she led the company’s ISO initiatives and continually upgraded systems and processes, ensuring consistency across every factory in India and Bangladesh. Her dedication was recognised by industry bodies and the Government of India. Savita Chhabra continues to serve as an advisor to the board and leads HRI’s CSR initiatives, much of it centered on the causes closest to her own journey — education, skilling, and the belief that every girl deserves the same chance she once had to prove herself.

She was joined by Manish Chhabra, who began working part-time before joining the organisation full-time in 1991, after completing his graduation.

Throughout this period, Subhash and Savita’s joint stewardship kept the company steady as the next generation found its footing.

Manish Chhabra joined the business in 1991. A trained pharmacist, he began as a shop-floor chemist before finding his calling in sales and finance — travelling across India to build the sales structure and team from a field force of 20 to more than 800. He drove automation and stringent SOPs across departments, from supply chain to finance, led the Ideation and Innovation Cell, and spearheaded HRIPL’s joint venture in Bangladesh. From 2004, he led the company from the front as Joint MD & CEO.

Rochelle Manish Chhabra joined HRIPL in 1993, bringing a strong foundation in pharmaceutical science, research, and product testing.

Ashish Kailash Chhabra joined the business in 1995. A commerce graduate, he set out to strengthen the marketing function, building a deep understanding of consumer needs that helped position Streax for colour and self-expression while Vasmol continued to serve consumers rooted in tradition. He built packaging for all HRIPL brands, led successful launch campaigns, and as legal head, relentlessly pursued counterfeiters through continuous branding and packaging innovation. From 2004, he led the organisation as Joint MD, spearheading marketing, media planning, and export, taking Streax and Vasmol to global markets.

By the early 2000s, Vasmol had done what few products ever do — it had become a category in itself. The family’s jingle, “Surakshit Kaale Mere Baal, Vasmol Ne Kiya Kamaal,” had become a household refrain.

In 2004, HRIPL entered the fast-growing hair colour category with the launch of Streax. Backed by in-house research, the brand launched with 13 shades, nine of them fashion shades, giving consumers the ability to colour their hair at home for the first time. Over time, Streax became a household name in its own right.

Around this time, HRIPL also entered into a joint venture with the Aman Group in Bangladesh, giving rise to HRI Bangladesh (HBL). Today, HBL leads the Bangladesh hair colour market with Super Vasmol 33 Kesh Kala and Vasmol Kali Mehndi.

While Streax and Vasmol were winning over consumers directly, the family noticed something else: the salon industry itself was an even bigger, largely untapped market. That insight gave birth to Streax Professional.

Under the leadership of Rochelle Chhabra, Streax Professional grew into a platform in its own right — investing in technical education and support for salon professionals, and building a network spanning tens of thousands of salons with a range of straightening creams, hair spas, masques, and treatment products.

In 2011, HRIPL also launched a structured learning and development programme for employees, beginning with a collaboration with IIM Ahmedabad.

By 2015, HRI had grown into a company operating at real scale — five factories, including two new units in Guwahati opened in 2015 and 2017, national distribution, and brands that had earned genuine household trust.

That year, Premji Invest became a partner in HRI, bringing strengthened governance and strategic support to help the company’s next phase of growth.

HRIPL stayed anchored to its strategic plan through this period, driving the launch of successful products like Streax Serum and Streax Shampoo Hair Colour, and marking the company’s entry into the fast-emerging e-commerce channel with Streax.

Between 2016 and 2022, HRIPL navigated demonetisation, the introduction of GST, and a global pandemic — and grew through all of it. In early 2022, Premji Invest doubled down on its initial investment, a vote of confidence in the company.

Premji Invest and the family drew up a strategic roadmap for the company’s next phase of growth, bringing in professional leadership under Dheeraj Arora to run the organisation’s day-to-day operations, combined with the family’s continued strategic oversight.

Today, HRI operates six manufacturing facilities across India and Bangladesh, along with multiple technical education centres for salon professionals, and a research and development platform built on the same instinct Dr. Nishat had in 1957.