Ishant Sharma, Chahal launch D2C hydration brand AQUON
Two India cricketers turn founders with a D2C electrolyte brand aimed at everyday hydration, not just athletes.
- AQUON is marketed by DPIIT-recognised Kiyas Lab, made at Baddi
- Sachets carry five electrolytes, eight vitamins, taurine and 10 kcal
- Pricing runs Rs 299 for six sachets to Rs 1,080 for a pack of 24
- D2C-first start protects margin, but scale will need quick-commerce
Cricketers Ishant Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal have launched AQUON, a direct-to-consumer electrolyte hydration brand, adding two more names to the growing roster of players turning founders. The brand is marketed by Delhi-based Kiyas Lab, a DPIIT-recognised startup, and manufactured at Sapiens Labs in Baddi.
Each sachet carries five electrolytes, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride, along with eight vitamins, 500 mg of taurine and 10 kcal, across four flavours. Pricing runs from Rs 299 for six sachets and Rs 399 for an eight-sachet variety pack to Rs 1,080 for a pack of 24.
AQUON will sell first through its own website, and the founders are positioning it beyond athletes, pitching daily hydration for everyday consumers rather than a narrow sports-nutrition play.
For operators, the launch lands in a crowded functional-hydration category already stacked with ORS drinks, sports beverages and supplement brands from pharma majors and digital-first challengers alike. A D2C-first start protects margin and first-party data, but electrolyte mixes are an impulse, habit-led buy, which usually means quick-commerce and modern trade become unavoidable to hit scale.
The celebrity founders solve early awareness cheaply. The harder test is repeat rate: whether the taste, format and 10 kcal positioning convert one-time trial into a daily-use subscription behaviour.
Zane’s analysis draws on original reporting by Passionate In Marketing. Read the original report.