Renita Rajan's CHOSEN gets Series A top-up from Wellbeing Nutrition founders

CHOSEN, a Chennai skincare brand founded by dermatologist Dr Renita Rajan, has extended its Series A funding round with an investment from Avnish Chhabria and Saurabh Kapoor, the founders of the nutrition brand Wellbeing Nutrition. The extension was announced on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The company did not disclose how much the two founders put in. It said the money will go into research and development, clinical validation of its products and a wider product pipeline across skincare and nutraceuticals.

India's beauty market has been crowded with brands that sell on marketing first and science second. CHOSEN has positioned itself the other way round: a dermatologist founder, formulations built around specific skin concerns, and products that many customers first hear about from their own doctor. The extension, with money going mainly into research and testing rather than advertising, shows that this model is still attracting investors in 2026.

The choice of backers also matters. The new investors run a nutrition company, not a beauty company, and CHOSEN has said its pipeline will cover nutraceuticals, which are supplements taken by mouth, as well as creams and serums. Founders who have already built a supplement business bring knowledge of sourcing, regulation and distribution in that category. According to reports on the deal, Avnish Chhabria said he invested because Dr Rajan combines deep expertise in sunscreen with the aim of building a globally respected skincare brand from India.

For women reading Shakti, the story is also about who builds the beauty industry. Dr Rajan moved from clinical practice to running a consumer brand, and she has gathered a cap table that includes a global beauty group's venture fund and practising dermatologists. That route, from professional expertise to enterprise, is one more women in medicine and science are now taking.

The round sits in a busy year for funding in Indian beauty and personal care. Several brands raised money in 2026, though the sizes vary widely.

Short-term: CHOSEN gets more money for formulation work and for testing its products, and plans to hire for its research, brand and growth teams. Customers are unlikely to see any change in prices or availability from this round alone.

Long-term: If the company does set up a Centre of Excellence with dermatologists and publishes clinical validation of its products, it could raise the standard of proof that Indian skincare buyers expect. Brands that claim results without testing may face more questions from customers and doctors.

Who is affected: People who buy dermatologist-recommended skincare, the dermatologists who prescribe such products, formulation chemists and researchers who may find new jobs at the company, and other beauty start-ups competing for investor money.

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