Parenting with Purpose: An Interview with Prasanna Vasanadu, Founder of Tikitoro

An Exclusive Interview with Prasanna Vasanadu, Parent Educator and Founder of Tikitoro, one of the leading D2C brands

In this exclusive interview, Prasanna Vasanadu, parent educator and founder of Tikitoro, shares her inspiring journey from homemaker to building India’s first personal care brand made specifically for kids and teens, driven by her mission for honest, science-backed, and safe solutions.

What inspired you to create Tikitoro, and what gap in the market did you aim to fill with this initiative?

Prasanna Vasanadu: I’m Prasanna Vasanadu — a Computer Science engineer with a post-graduation in Marketing. I never expected to become an entrepreneur. After 14 years as a homemaker, my journey shifted when I became a parent.

My passion for conscious parenting led me to become a certified Parent Educator with Parenting Matters, Chennai, where I spent years guiding families to build deeper connections.

As my son grew older, I noticed a serious gap in personal care — baby products were too gentle, adult products too harsh. Despite deep research, I found that truly clean, effective products for kids and teens were hard to come by — either too expensive, only partially safe, or available only abroad.

Having faced my own health challenges, including PCOD, hypothyroidism, infertility, and alopecia, I knew firsthand the dangers of endocrine disruptors and hormone-disrupting chemicals. I couldn’t ignore what kids were being exposed to.

When no one else was solving the problem, I chose to be the change. That decision led to the birth of Tikitoro — a brand built on science, safety, and sincerity, offering dermatologically tested, age-appropriate care for kids aged 4 to 16.

Today, Tikitoro is trusted by over 1 lakh families worldwide — what began as my mission as a mother has now become a movement for safer childhood care.

As a parent educator, what is your core philosophy when it comes to educating parents about child development and parenting techniques?

Prasanna Vasanadu: As a parent educator, my core philosophy is rooted in two key principles: Parenting with Connection and Science-Based Parenting.

Parenting with connection means understanding how a child’s brain develops and knowing what is right for them at each age—what behaviours are normal, what they need, and what values we can teach them at that stage.

I also believe that good parenting starts with the parent. When parents take time to understand and heal themselves, it helps them become more calm, confident, and connected in their parenting. This self-awareness makes a big difference in how they relate to and respond to their child over time.

When we understand brain development, it becomes easier to connect with the child and also guide the parent in a more thoughtful way. This is what I focus on—setting boundaries with kindness, using knowledge backed by science, and bringing awareness into everyday parenting.

How does Tikitoro differentiate itself from other parenting resources or platforms available today?

Prasanna Vasanadu: Tikitoro was born out of a real parenting need. As a mother, I struggled to find products that were truly safe and effective for my growing child.

Baby products were too mild, and adult products were too harsh. Most brands weren’t offering anything age-appropriate — just clever packaging around adult formulations.

When Vinita Singh called Tikitoro an honest brand, it stood out — because honesty is exactly how we’ve built this. We are not white-labelled.

We formulate everything ourselves, and every single product is dermatologically tested and certified for safety.

Unlike many brands that certify a few products and market it as a brand-wide claim, Tikitoro certifies each product individually. No shortcuts. No exaggerations.

This brand is used by our own team for their children — including mine. It’s not just a business for us; it’s a responsibility. Tikitoro exists to give kids and teens access to clean, science-backed care made just for them. Nothing more, nothing less.

What challenges did you encounter while establishing Tikitoro, and how did you overcome them?

Prasanna Vasanadu: One major challenge was breaking through the misconception that “kids don’t need skincare” or that “whatever works for adults is fine for kids.”

Educating consumers about the importance of age-appropriate care took time, consistency, and a lot of patient storytelling.

Another challenge was formulating products that meet the highest safety standards—dermatologically tested, endocrine disruptor-free, EU-compliant—while still being fun, sensorially delightful. We wanted products that were not only safe but also effective

Our Deo Mist was carefully formulated to meet the EU standards for allergen-free fragrances. Initially, the EU listed 20 ingredients that needed to be avoided for a fragrance to qualify as allergen-free. Later, this list expanded to 80 ingredients, making the criteria much stricter.

To ensure that our Tikitoro Teens Deo Mist continued to meet these updated standards, we had to reformulate and rigorously test the fragrance to ensure none of the 80 listed allergens were present in our product.

Despite the challenges, we stayed committed to delivering a formulation that’s not only allergen-free by EU standards, but also safe, clean, and effective for teen skin.

We don’t rush to launch. Every formulation is tested rigorously with internal focus groups—especially office moms and parent circles—and only moves forward once it’s proven to be both safe and aligned with real user expectations.

This process can take time, but it’s essential to ensure our products are not just clinically sound, but also emotionally and practically relevant.

Balancing safety, efficacy, and experience meant prioritizing allergen-free fragrances, naturally derived ingredients, and textures suitable for delicate, growing skin. It wasn’t easy—but staying true to our mission made all the difference.

How do you engage with parents to ensure that the content and resources provided by Tikitoro are relevant and helpful?

Prasanna Vasanadu: We maintain an ongoing dialogue with our community through focus groups, parent interviews, and direct feedback loops on multiple communication channels like whatsapp, email phone, social media

Tikitoro isn’t built in isolation; it’s shaped by the everyday concerns of parents navigating puberty, hygiene habits, and wellness for their kids & teens.

Our content reflects those real conversations, and we evolve continuously based on what we hear from parents and their kids/teens

New product ideas at Tikitoro often emerge from the queries and suggestions we receive from parents—and sometimes even from kids and teens—through our communication channels. These ‘real-life needs’ help shape our product development pipeline.

Before launching any product, we involve focus groups of parents to gather honest feedback, and the final decision to launch is always based on their collective input.

We also hold regular feedback sessions with customers who have purchased our products, and their insights are invaluable in refining formulations and guiding future development.

What are some common misconceptions about parenting that you encounter, and what advice would you give to parents to help them navigate these challenges?

Prasanna Vasanadu: One big misconception is the idea that kids should be shielded from conversations about body care, hygiene, or changes until “later.” The truth is, the earlier we establish healthy habits, the more confident and capable children become.

My advice? Start early, normalize the conversation, and choose products and practices that empower rather than overwhelm. Kids and teens aren’t mini-adults — they deserve solutions made just for them.

What are your future aspirations for Tikitoro? How do you envision the platform evolving in the coming years?

Prasanna Vasanadu: Tikitoro will continue to grow beyond products and become a trusted authority in kids’ and teens’ body care education.

We’re expanding our content library to help parents and teens navigate personal care with clarity, confidence, and a sense of empowerment.

At the heart of it all is our message: “You are beautiful the way you are.” Through safe skincare and honest conversations, we aim to build confidence from an early age.

On the business front, we’re gearing up for large scale hyperlocal expansion and growth, international expansion, entry into retail stores and salon chains to increase accessibility.

Long-term, I see Tikitoro shaping the narrative around safe, science-backed personal care for the next generation—wherever they are.

How has your own journey as a parent influenced your work as an educator and the development of Tikitoro?

Prasanna Vasanadu: This isn’t just a business for me — it’s deeply personal. It’s my mission as a mother.

After going through my health challenges , from PCOD and hypothyroidism to infertility, I became deeply aware of how much harm hormone-disrupting chemicals can cause. When I became a parent, I knew I didn’t want my son, or any child like him, to be exposed to the same risks.

As I looked for safe, effective personal care for him, I found nothing that truly felt right — baby products were too mild, adult ones too harsh. What existed was either partially safe, unaffordable, or unavailable in India. That’s when I realised: if no one else is solving this, I have to.

Every product I create is something I trust enough to use on my child. If I can’t stand it as a parent, I won’t launch it. That’s the standard I hold myself to — not just as a founder, but as a mother first.

This mission — to bring clean, safe, endocrine disruptor-free care to kids and teens — is what drives me every day. It’s what gives me the clarity, passion, and purpose to build something truly meaningful, and to keep showing up for families like mine.

Prasanna’s story is a testament to purpose-driven entrepreneurship, resilience, and her commitment to child well-being. As Tikitoro grows, she continues empowering families and redefining care for the next generation.

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