Bootstrapped Indian Startup Innovating Treatment for Eczema, Itch & Beyond

From the story by Ipsita Mathur at Entrepreneur India.

When personal health challenges inspire innovation, remarkable solutions can emerge. Such is the story behind NistuHeal, a breakthrough dermocosmetic product addressing eczema and chronic itch. After suffering from relentless eczema for a decade, Buddhadev “Buddha” Chaudhuri, Ph.D. and CEO of Keylika, turned his scientific expertise toward creating a better treatment. What began as a kitchen experiment has evolved into a successful family-run enterprise delivering relief to thousands across India.

A Scrappy Beginning

September 2022. Buddhadev (Buddha) P. Chaudhuri, co-founder and CEO, had just completed fundraising for his Y Combinator-backed startup, Keylika. The California-based biotech company is developing a breakthrough oral patch to treat iron deficiency anemia. Amid the excitement, he found himself distracted by the relentless itch of his decade-long eczema with flare-ups occurring at the worst moments during meetings, presentations, family gatherings, you get the picture.

Doctors prescribed the standard of care comprising corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, yet the issue persisted. Buddha, who holds a Ph.D. in drug delivery systems from KU Leuven (Belgium), wondered if a better treatment was possible. He delved into the scientific literature and identified 11 promising natural bioactives from plants, peptides, amino acids, and minerals that could act synergistically.

Without hesitation, he procured the compounds and formulated a prototype cream in his kitchen. Testing it on his own eczematous lesion, he photographed daily progress and, to his surprise, saw remarkable improvements within two weeks. Encouraged by the results, he consulted dermatologists at Stanford and UCSF, as well as medicinal chemists, to refine the formulation.

After eight weeks of continuous application, his eczema vanished, his skin normalized, and hair regrew on the previously barren skin patch. “The decade-long itching, flare-ups and inflammation completely vanished in this 8-week period. It was quite an exhilarating scientific outcome,” says Buddha. Determined to validate these results, Keylika’s co-founder and CTO, Frederik Ceyssens, Ph.D., suggested running a clinical study. Buddha invested personal savings to initiate a 28-day trial in India on patients with mild-to-moderate eczema. The results confirmed both efficacy and safety, laying the foundation for a commercial launch.

Lab-to-Market: A Family Affair

The next step was deciding whether to launch in India or the U.S. After careful consideration, they opted for a beta launch in India. This required either setting up a new entity or partnering with an existing company. It so happened that Buddha’s dad, Basudev, who’s a successful serial entrepreneur himself and a cancer-survivor, was hanging up his boots preparing for a lazy retirement. Unable to resist the temptation of yet another challenge, he agreed to spearhead operations for the new project.

Within days, Streem Bio was incorporated in India! Basudev navigated regulatory approvals, secured Ayush registration, and collaborated with a GMP-certified manufacturer to produce the initial batches. Buddha’s mom, a culinary maestro, oversaw a key critical manufacturing step that till date remains a closely guarded in-house secret, a strategic decision taken to prevent copycats. Buddha’s wife, a psychologist and part-time artist, designed the product packaging. Basudev also meticulously vetted ingredient suppliers and established the supply chain. He built a marketing team to approach doctors in Kolkata while also launching the product on Amazon and 1mg. Since the family hails from Bengal, it was logical to launch in Kolkata first. By September 2023, NistuHeal, the innovative dermocosmetics brand was born.

Marketing Strategy & Feedback

Pruritus (itch) affects 90% of the Indian population at any given time, while atopic dermatitis (eczema) impacts roughly 9% of the adult and pediatric population. “We adopted a two-pronged marketing approach – one towards doctors for prescribing to patients, and an online one for DTC marketplaces towards end consumers,” recalls Buddha, who’s a partner in Streem Bio. Buddha’s brother, Siddharth, who holds an MBA from ISB, a business strategy expert, advised exploring broader clinical indications beyond eczema. As prescriptions increased, doctors observed NistuHeal’s efficacy in treating chronic diabetic and cholestatic itch, seborrheic dermatitis, pediatric rashes, skin allergies, surgical wounds, and even chilblains.

Repeat positive patient and doctor feedback confirms this. Dr. Arunima Ray, MBBS, MD (DVL), Consultant Dermatologist and Dermatosurgeon at Narayana Hospital (formerly R.N. Tagore Hospital), Kolkata, a regular prescriber of NistuHeal, says: “Eczema is a long chronic condition of the skin and it requires prolonged treatment especially with topicals. Steroids, though long established to be potent treatment options, have their share of adverse effects. This needs the use of eczema directed medication which has anti-inflammatory properties also. NistuHeal is proving to be increasingly effective in our patients of eczema, providing us, dermatologists, with new sustainable treatment options.”

Another prescribing dermatologist, Dr. Punam De, MBBS, MD (DVL), at KPC Medical College, Kolkata, notes, “NistuHeal is a very good emollient for atopic individuals who persistently suffer from xerosis and are very much prone to allergic manifestations.” At the core of NistuHeal’s effectiveness lies its proprietary EXHIGAT™ formulation, developed by Keylika’s team in California. It leverages plant-based phytochemicals rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and peptides to target multiple biological pathways to generate a synergistic therapeutic effect, an approach aligned with ancient Ayurvedic principles. Acknowledging this, Dr. De further adds, “One must try this unique combination as it is suitable for all skin types.”

The NistuHeal Difference & the Future

Despite a limited marketing budget, NistuHeal gained traction both online and offline. Building on its success, Keylika expanded its product line with NistuHeal Medicated Moisturizing Lotion, launched on Amazon in February 2025, featuring 14 bioactives to hydrate, nourish, and heal the skin. Reflecting on what distinguishes NistuHeal from a plethora of other moisturizers, Buddha states: “The main purpose of non-steroidal cosmetics for eczema on the market today is to only temporarily soothe and hydrate the skin. They are not meant to address deeper causes of the condition and hardly contain any bioactives. Our customers and prescribing doctors, however, are reporting that NistuHeal is effectively providing long-term curative relief and restoring the skin back to normalcy. These results are unique, as eczema is known medically to be a non-healing condition whose symptoms can be managed at best.” CTO Frederik who is an avid user of NistuHeal summarizes, “NistuHeal has a rapid-phase effect for acute uses, and a cumulative-phase effect for long-term uses. It’s this dual-phase action that makes it superior to the rest.”

Meanwhile, even two years after his initial experiment, Buddha’s eczema remains fully healed. As NistuHeal continues to grow, Keylika and Streem Bio are actively exploring pan-India marketing partnerships to expand their product portfolio and solving more unmet needs for patients.