Bengaluru-Based Vegan Skincare Brand Founder Dhruv Mukhija Among Winners of PETA India’s 2026 Compassionate Young Entrepreneur Awards

For Immediate Release:

28 January 2026

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Bengaluru – Starting off 2026 with a bang, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) is shining a spotlight on five young people aged 30 years and under who are building a kinder world through their cruelty-free and vegan businesses – and honouring them with PETA India’s 2026 Compassionate Young Entrepreneur award. Among this year’s recipients is Bengaluru-based Dhruv Mukhija, co-founder of the animal test-free and vegan skincare brand The Bare Bar.

27-year-old Mukhija is driving positive change for animals by crafting high-quality, vegan skincare, candles, and accessories “rooted in love, nature, and nourishment.”

Joining Dhruv is 21-year-old, Dehradun-born dancer Akash Thapa, who has already built his own animal-free streetwear brand, Skydrip. Thapa gained popularity as an influencer through vlogging on social media and as a reality TV star in shows such as Super Dancer, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, and Roadies.

30-year-old textile scientist and sustainable fashion entrepreneur Adhiraj Shinde, along with his co-founder Aishwarya Lahariya, also a textile scientist, set out to revamp the fashion space by launching Nashik-based 100% plant-based fashion supply chain and PETA-Approved Vegan company JIWYA. Its mission is to create high-end fashion without exploiting animals or harming the planet, and even led to movie critic Sucharita Tyagi wearing a Jiwya gown 2024 Festival de Cannes and journalist Mariana Costano Cano wearing a climate stripes dress at COP30.

After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education, 25-year-old vegan chef Divij Agarwal wanted to show that exceptional cuisine can be created without exploiting animals, leading him to found Canvas V Kitchen, a vegan fine dining restaurant in New Delhi. His approach combines culinary creativity with a strong commitment to sustainability, while highlighting vibrant, seasonal flavours and eco-conscious practices.

In New Delhi, 26-year-old Sarthak Khandelwal is elevating the vegan leather movement with his PETA-Approved Vegan brand Vyakti India. The plant leather accessory brand made the finals on the hit reality series Pitch to Get Rich, judged by Bollywood luminaries Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, and Malaika Arora – and his creative use of cactus, banana, olive, eucalyptus and other plant-derived leathers in his cruelty-free designs proves that ethical fashion can be luxurious, fashion-forward, and environmentally responsible.

“More and more shoppers are seeking out vegan brands that are kind to animals and the planet, and these compassionate young entrepreneurs are meeting the demand with style and innovation,” says PETA India, Director of Corporate Affairs, Ashima Kukreja. “PETA India encourages everyone to support these inspirational changemakers and to always opt for ethical, animal-friendly businesses that leave animals in peace.”

Every person who goes vegan spares up to nearly 200 animals a year a miserable life and a terrifying death in the meat, egg, and dairy industries. Those who avoid items made of leather protect cows, buffaloes, and other animals from having their throats slit often while they are conscious, and buying only vegan non-animal tested cosmetics spares rabbits and other animals suffering in cruel experiments such as those in which chemicals are rubbed into their eyes or on their skin.

PETA India encourages everyone to support these compassionate young entrepreneurs and to always make kind shopping choices by choosing vegan.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat, wear, or abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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