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Minimalist

Beauty & Personal CareFounded 2020
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Minimalist?

Mohit Yadav, Rahul Yadav · Founded 2020 · HQ today: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Who founded Minimalist?

Minimalist was founded by Mohit Yadav, Rahul Yadav in 2020. It is now led by Mohit Yadav.

Founders
Mohit Yadav, Rahul Yadav
Founded
2020
Headquarters
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Mohit Yadav (since 2020)
Where was Minimalist founded?
Minimalist was founded in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India in 2020.
When was Minimalist founded?
Minimalist was founded in 2020.
Who started Minimalist?
Minimalist was founded by Mohit Yadav and Rahul Yadav.
How old is Minimalist?
Minimalist is 6 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Mohit Yadav, a chartered accountant who had worked at Deloitte and as an AVP at Credit Suisse, and his brother Rahul Yadav, an IIT Roorkee chemical engineer, began as entrepreneurs in 2008 with Scopial Fashion, an online T-shirt store that later became kids' fashion brand Mangostreet. After two ventures that did not work out, they launched Minimalist from Jaipur in October 2020. Mohit has said he raised ~$116,000 (₹1 crore) by mortgaging the family home to fund the start.

What each Minimalist founder did

FounderRole at foundingContribution
Mohit YadavCo-founder & CEO—
Rahul YadavCo-founder—

Mohit Yadav

Co-founder 2020

Background

Chartered accountant; worked at Deloitte and as AVP at Credit Suisse before co-founding Scopial Fashion (later Mangostreet) in 2008 and Minimalist in 2020.

Role at Minimalist

Mohit Yadav is co-founder and CEO of Minimalist. Raised in Jaipur, he left a finance career to start businesses with his brother Rahul. After two earlier ventures, they launched Minimalist in 2020; HUL bought 90.5% of it in 2025 at a ~$343 million (₹2,955 crore) valuation. He is a judge on Shark Tank India Season 5. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Rahul Yadav

Co-founder 2020

Background

Indian entrepreneur and beauty industry disruptor.

Role at Minimalist

Rahul Yadav co-founded Minimalist in 2020 alongside Mohit Yadav. Recognizing that the Indian skincare market was completely saturated with 'ayurvedic' and 'natural' brands making vague, unscientific claims, he launched Minimalist to provide absolute, clinical transparency. By clearly stating the exact percentage of active chemicals (like Niacinamide or Salicylic Acid) on the front of the bottle, he completely revolutionized how Indian millennials buy skincare. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Minimalist: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Mohit Yadav

Co-founder & CEO

2020 – Present

Chartered accountant and former Credit Suisse AVP who built Minimalist around front-of-pack ingredient disclosure.

Rahul Yadav

Co-Founder

2020 – Present

As Co-Founder, he steers the company's incredibly successful direct-to-consumer digital marketing strategy, heavily utilizing Instagram and YouTube influencers to rapidly build brand trust.

Keep researching Minimalist

Who Founded Minimalist? FAQ

Who founded Minimalist?

Brothers Mohit Yadav and Rahul Yadav founded Minimalist in Jaipur in 2020.

What is Mohit Yadav's background?

He is a chartered accountant who worked at Deloitte and as an AVP at Credit Suisse before becoming an entrepreneur.

What is Rahul Yadav's background?

Rahul Yadav is a chemical engineer from IIT Roorkee.

What did the founders do before Minimalist?

In 2008 they started Scopial Fashion, an online T-shirt store that became kids' fashion brand Mangostreet; their earlier ventures did not succeed.

What inspired Mohit and Rahul Yadav to launch Minimalist in 2020?

The Yadav brothers noticed that while Indian consumers were becoming increasingly literate about active chemical ingredients (reading Reddit, watching YouTube dermatologists), the domestic beauty market was saturated with unscientific claims like "100% natural" or "chemical-free." Recognizing that chemicals are essential for effective dermatological care, they launched Minimalist to demystify skincare chemistry and make evidence-based actives accessible to everyone.

What prior ventures did the founders build before Minimalist?

Prior to launching Minimalist, Mohit and Rahul Yadav co-founded Carbingo, a tech-enabled automobile platform that was successfully acquired by CarDekho (GirnarSoft). That experience gave them deep expertise in digital customer acquisition, scalable technology platforms, and data-driven product management.

How did Rahul Yadav's technical role shape product development?

Rahul Yadav spearheads technical R&D, working closely with cosmetic chemists and toxicologists. He instituted a strict corporate policy that no product is launched without third-party clinical efficacy trials and detailed patch testing published openly on their website.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.