Eduard Gerlach GmbH and its brand GEHWOL were born with a vision to make foot care accessible to all. A pioneer in modern foot care, the brand is now in India with Grey Trendy Professionals Pvt Ltd as their exclusive Indian Distribution partners.
With a rich legacy of nearly 150 years and around seven generations in business, GEHWOL has made a remarkable place for itself in the foot care realm. Offering more than just pedicures, the brand brings medical-grade products for maintaining feet health. The present owner and CEO Timor Gerlach-v. Waldthausen has the honour of running the family business in the seventh generation. In an exclusive interview with Priyanka Parshurami, Timor Gerlach from GEHWOL takes us through their journey in India.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
What motivated GEHWOL to enter the Indian market and what unique value proposition does it offer to Indian consumers?
It’s because India stands for beauty and cosmetics. So it was more or less a question of time when we entered. When we were in Dubai last year, we spoke to a few people and realised that there are very few cosmetics concerning the feet. This is exactly our topic. And, hence we saw the niche in this country where many people are wellness-oriented and beauty-oriented, but are lacking options focusing on the feet.
It was a combination of the strategic goal to go to India because of the complete awareness of beauty, wellness, and health. On the other hand, it was also that we met the right people at the right place, in Dubai.
Several points make our product unique. We have a very rich experience. The company was founded in 1868, it is older than 150 years. Since then we have been dealing with feet health. The other thing is our quality approach. We have a quality system for the whole company focusing on medical products. We have the highest quality assurance on our side.
When the founder invented the first foot cream, he used what was reachable for him. He could only use natural oils to make something special. He invented the very first industrial-produced foot cream in 1882. We didn’t invent foot care, even Cleopatra treated her feet. But we made the world’s first industrial-produced foot cream to meet the demands of a larger group.
Eduard Gerlach is well-known as a pioneer of foot care. He not only creates the creams but also awareness: that feet are a very important part of the body and deserve our attention. This is our philosophy until today. Our aim is to create a happy life. Healthy feet are the foundation of a happy and active lifestyle. So this is the whole vision of the company. It’s no rocket science, it’s quite simple.
Could you elaborate on the specific needs or challenges of Indian consumers that you aim to address through this product?
The problems with the feet are always the same. There are no specific problems Indians have that other countries do not have. We have more than 50 preparations for each foot care problem. Be it dry skin, cracked skin, ingrown nails, corn, or callus, we have a solution for each of them. Whatever the people demand here in India, we can offer them a solution.
For the Indian market, we are not trying to change the products but adapt the way we can give service with this product. That is where the partnership comes in. We’ll understand the Indian market, and adapt according to it by not compromising the product.
What we understand is that Indian consumers love to be pampered. And, we also realise that getting a treatment once a week or once in two weeks is not sufficient for foot health. Good home care is additionally needed for best results. We wish to bring this mindset change for the Indian population to support the healthy aspect also at home. That could be an interesting move for the future.
With the increased trend towards natural and organic beauty products, how does GEHWOL incorporate these elements into its formulation while maintaining its medical efficacy?
Our products use natural organic ingredients and we also combine them, in some cases, with state-of-the-art solutions from our R&D department. This makes us unique even in Germany. We are a medium-sized company but we have our R&D department. We also have our laboratories and quality department. Every product you buy from us is made in Lübeck, the town where we come from. Therefore, we try to keep to this old concept: using as much natural ingredients as possible. Only where natural ingredients are not effective anymore, we combine them with state-of-the-art ingredients which come directly from the laboratories.
Tell us about your partnership with Grey Trendy.
It was fate that we met in Dubai. They impressed me from the very beginning as they came to our booth. We share the same philosophy, that is why Grey Trendy and Eduard Gerlach completely fit together. Together, we want to bring happiness to the people. And we do it by offering products and services that support people’s health.
What marketing and distribution channels does GEHWOL prioritise in India and how does it plan to expand its presence across different regions?
The aim is firstly to get the right products for the Indian market. We don’t want to rush into getting a lot of products or SKUs and just flood the market. We want to go slow and cater to the market needs. Simultaneously, we also want to create academies in India where we can train pedicurists. Besides pampering or cosmetic or spa pedicures, there is not a single brand which does medical grade pedicures or pedicures as per the need of the feet health. That is the most important thing which we have planned together. GEHWOL Academy will be the first pedicure academy in India. The students will learn how to understand the customers, their problems and the solutions. All of this they will do using our pedicure products. And, we will surely not rule out pampering.
How does GEHWOL engage with local communities, professionals and institutes to educate consumers about foot care and the importance of medical pedicures?
Most people are not aware of medical pedicures. They have not even heard the term ‘medical pedicure’. If people do a pedicure for cracked feet, it comes back in two weeks. This is because once they have done the pedicure, they go home and get into the same routine they were following earlier. There is no aftercare product for their problems. They would go to a chemist and buy a crack cream and put it. That is not going to help. There has to be a long-term solution. It is like if you have any problem, you take a long-term medication till it goes away. In the same way medical pedicures are also to be used.
It’s important to understand that the combination of the foot care specialist and the preparation can only bring success. There has to be someone consulting you, who has to look at your feet and say you have this problem, you have to take this treatment, this product, this is very important.
