How many times have you come across an Instagram page claiming that a DIY hack can cure your hair fall or bring back the natural glow 100%? Most of us would be guilty of falling for such videos more than once. We often believe the person, especially if they have 'Dr' in the prefix of their name, and follow their advice in blind faith, only to realise later that it was fake. Because of this, many users have even reported suffering from severe hair or skin issues.
In one of the latest episodes of Shark Tank India, one such entrepreneur, claiming to be a doctor, appeared on the show asking for Rs 1 crore from the judges in return for 1% equity. Result? The sharks bashed him, called him a "fraud", and sent him home, but not without revealing his true colours.
Shark Tank India Judges Slam An Entrepreneur
If you are often scrolling through Instagram looking for some natural remedies for hair and skin issues, you must have stumbled upon Manoj Das's page. He is a naturopath and an aromatherapist, claiming to be a doctor.
His entire feed is loaded with too-good-to-be-true claims. For example, in one of the videos, he claimed to cure baldness, for which even modern medicines have limitations. In another reel, he said that a person can achieve glass skin using glycerine.
With a following of 611 thousand people on Instagram, he founded Lewisia Wellness. The banner on its official website reads, "India's #1 choice for natural skincare, haircare, and health care products."
Shark Tank India Judges Call Out 'Fake' Doctor
Clips from this particular segment are going viral on social media, in which Anupam Mittal of Shaadi.com asked Manoj Das to showcase his content to the rest of the judges. He asked him if he was actually a medical practitioner.
To this, Das said that since he was an aromatherapist, he could be called a doctor. Mittal and Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt, got furious and called him a "fraud". For those who don't know, an aromatherapist is not a doctor.
Kunal Bahl, co-founder of Snapdeal, asked if Das sold any of his products in the marketplace. He agreed and showed him the brand's page on Amazon. He even played a video in which he claimed to cure any disease that the customer was suffering from.
This claim also irked Bahl and other judges. He pointed out that no one in this world can claim to cure all the diseases. In fact, no medical practitioner even promises 100% results for any treatment. Bahl further added that it was nothing but a misleading video from someone who does not even know how many diseases there are in the world, and how many people across the globe might be battling critical ailments.
Mohit Yadav, co-founder of Minimalist, said that Manoj Das made clickbait content by studying the insecurities of people. He was claiming to correct issues that his followers were insecure about, and his products were not at all science-backed.
Namita Thapar, Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, even flagged that his products contained harmful chemicals like parabens. She not only called Manoj Das's practice "unethical", but she also urged him to do some soul searching and see if he would like to continue going ahead on the same path.
If you follow him or use his products, you should unfollow him and discard the skin and hair care products before they cause you any harm.
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