Impact / Social · Bengaluru, Karnataka
Bare Necessities
Zero-waste personal-care and sustainable-living social enterprise.
Founded by Sahar Mansoor
Verified by Women Can StartupSnapshot
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Bengaluru, Karnataka
- Industry
- Impact / Social
- Business model
- D2C / Impact
- Funding stage
- Bootstrapped
- Employees
- 11-50
- Markets
- India
- Last updated
- 25 June 2026
About Bare Necessities
Bare Necessities makes zero-waste personal care and home products in Bengaluru, from package-free soaps and shampoo bars to oral care and cleaning supplies. Sahar Mansoor founded the company in 2016 after working in environmental policy, wanting everyday products that send nothing to landfill. Production is handled by a women-led team, and the business holds B Corp certification. Beyond products, it runs workshops and education programmes on low-waste living, and the company reports having kept over 68 million units of plastic out of circulation.
Founder
Sahar Mansoor
Woman FounderFounder & CEO
Sahar Mansoor is a University of Cambridge alumna with a background in environmental policy who worked with the World Health Organization in Geneva and the SELCO Foundation before starting Bare Necessities in 2016. She co-wrote Bare Necessities: How to Live a Zero-Waste Life, published by Penguin, with Tim de Ridder.
Industry classification
Impact / Social Sustainable Personal Care
Products & services
Shampoo bars
Plastic-free solid shampoo.
Natural deodorants
Aluminium-free, vegan, zero-waste.
Toothpaste & bamboo toothbrushes
Lip balms & multi-purpose spa bars
Ideal customers
Founder story
In-depth profile
How Sahar Mansoor built Bare Necessities
A Cambridge-trained sustainability professional who decided the credible move was to live the thesis — and sell it.
Read the story →Website, social
Related women-led startups
More in Impact / Social.
More women-led startups in Bengaluru
Other Bootstrapped women-led companies
Featured in collections
Frequently asked questions
- What does Bare Necessities do?
- Bare Necessities makes zero-waste personal care and home products in Bengaluru, from package-free soaps and shampoo bars to oral care and cleaning supplies. Sahar Mansoor founded the company in 2016 after working in environmental policy, wanting everyday products that send nothing to landfill. Production is handled by a women-led team, and the business holds B Corp certification. Beyond products, it runs workshops and education programmes on low-waste living, and the company reports having kept over 68 million units of plastic out of circulation.
- Who founded Bare Necessities?
- Bare Necessities was founded by Sahar Mansoor.
- Where is Bare Necessities headquartered?
- Bare Necessities is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
- Is Bare Necessities funded?
- Bare Necessities is bootstrapped — self-funded rather than venture-backed.
- When was Bare Necessities founded?
- Bare Necessities was founded in 2016.