Beauty / South Asian Heritage Month: 10 Successful South Asian Beauty Brands That Combine Science & Art To Promote Inclusivity

South Asian Heritage Month: 10 Successful South Asian Beauty Brands That Combine Science & Art To Promote Inclusivity

Beauty May 15, 2024

by Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

As the month of May plods towards colour and brightness, it is a great time to reflect on how the beauty space is populated with classic and new brands founded by people of South Asian origin. As someone who has been in the beauty space for many moons, I confirm that when I started as a salesperson there were no such lines, and the foundation range was bleak, to say the least. I was convinced as a teenager that there would never be a concealer that could go mano à mano with my dark circles. Now I have a plethora of choice!

I derive a particular pleasure in seeing South Asian brands include all skin tones and being conscious to deflate colourism; these messages are essential, particularly for young women, who should be encouraged to appreciate their own skin and to feel a sense of belonging.

In honour of Asian Heritage Month, this blog celebrates 10 South Asian brands that make people look and feel terrific!

COSMETICS

Vasanti Cosmetics is a trailblazer, because it is the first South Asian Canadian brand that directly addressed beauty questions posed by the community and took on discolouration with aplomb and success. Its historic significance aside, the founding sisters Vasanti, Gargi, Pinki, Monal and Priti, pushed the conversation on the role of fruits acids being able to exfoliate the skin. Vasanti’s legendary Brighten Up! Exfoliator is an all time classic exfoliator that uses the power of microdermabrasion crystals and papaya enzymes to slough off dead skin to reveal a fresh, bright complexion.

**South Asian Heritage Month: 10 Successful South Asian Beauty Brands That Combine Science & Art To Promote Inclusivity**. Photo Credit: www.vasanticosmetics.ca

Live Tinted! just celebrated its fifth anniversary, and entrepreneur, Deepica Mutyala, deserves full credit for bringing the battle of dark circles to the mainstream conversation. Deepica’s keen business sense aside, her down-to-earth demeanour and innovative spirit, changed the conversation on dark circles from one being resigned to DNA to one with two steps – colour correct effectively and then conceal. The Hue Stick® Color Corrector in Rise shows the might of the colour yam, because it puts my dark circles on notice, and makes me bright-eyed all day long.

Wander Beauty, was co-founded by Divya Gugnani 9 years ago, who is a serial entrepreneur and understands the importance of efficiency, transportability and effectiveness in a beauty routine. The ethos of the brand, which is carefully curated to reflect the needs of its active and on-the-go fans, demonstrates that you do not need to spend hours preening in front of the mirror to look unforgettable. The brand’s hero product, Baggage Claim™ Eye Masks, marries luxury and impact, as these “gold foil under eye masks visibly brighten, hydrate and reduce puffiness while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and dark circles.” This product has won multiple awards and pushed the conversation on the role of eye masks – these products are not an occasional luxury they are part of the daily arsenal to look refreshed on command.

4. Kulfi Beauty beautifully interprets the bedrock of South Asian beauty: the kajal! Founder Priyanka Ganjoo, whose corporate roots lie in the beauty industry, now uses her personal journey in beauty to inspire and empower others. The brand’s hero product, it’s Nazar No More Kajal Eyeliners possess both pigment payoff and lasting power. This liner stays put and flatters coffee peepers beautifully! A must-have!

Ctzn Cosmetics was founded by three Los Angelenos of South Asian origin, Aleena, Aleezeh and Nasseha Khan, who like many entrepreneurs featured in the blog, were struck by the lack of representation of South Asians in the beauty space. They used their passion for beauty and inclusion to create lipsticks (and now eye makeup) that brings the world to your vanity. The website contains helpful quizzes that remove the guesswork from identifying which nude or red works on your lips. My personal favourite is Nudiversal in Lahore because I have the traditional matte lipstick and matching gloss in a single, double-ended component, so I can create a bespoke lip look while on the go!

HAIR

Fable & Mane, founded by the sibling duo, Akash and Nikita Mehta, eloquently demonstrates how Ayurvedic rituals enhance hair health and beauty. The duo recognised that South Asians were not represented or served enough by the beauty industry, and this entrepreneurial duo decided to address this gap. The result is a collection of products that nourish and style the hair. The champi-on product is the HoliRoots™ Hair Oil that is used as pre-wash treatment to boost hydration. Hair feels silkier and feels softer afterwards.

7. Aavrani is new on the block, but founder Rooshy Roy, caught our attention when she created a line of haircare products that fused her love of Ayurvedic beauty traditions with clinical tests and science. For people unfamiliar with Ayurveda, the science makes sense, and for people who love the Ayurvedic approach to life, the science confirms what they knew all along… The line’s queen product is the Hair Density Boosting Treatment, a lightweight gel, formulated with turmeric stem cells that encourage hair growth. It is a solutions-oriented line that packs impact!

SKIN CARE

Tula Skincare was founded by Dr. Roshini Raj, a gastroenterologist who decided to harness of the power of probiotics and super foods into skin care. Raj observed that her clients’ skin glowed after they started to add probiotics into their diets, and she was inspired to create the line. Tula’s hero product is the 24-7 hydrating day & night cream, which is lightweight and appropriate for am and pm use. It plumps the skin and revives the complexion.

9. Sahajan, an Ayurvedic based skin care line was created by Lisa Mattam, who was inspired by her familial practises which are rooted in Ayurveda. Lisa wanted to connect the ancient sciences with the modern world, and paired her Canadian team with Ayurvedic doctors in Kerala to develop products that have been tested and are proven to be effective. The line’s Nourish Crème Riche is packed with Triphala, Gotu Kola and coconut oil to firm and hydrate the skin. Its test results show that 97% of the testers experienced improvements in fine lines after 4 weeks.

FRAGRANCE

Byredo, a Swedish brand that creates elegant fragrances, was founded by Ben Gorham, a Swedish Canadian of Indian, French Canadian and Scottish descent. The heart of the brand is composed of a series of fragrances that are housed in simple, elegant bottles with black caps, that reveal a journey to a lucky recipient of a spritz. Ben is a storyteller through molecules and his classic Mojave Ghost, a woody composition that evokes the desert, demonstrates the art of perfumery and how our noses can take us through time and space.

The variety of products and development philosophies reflect that diversity that is South Asia. I love the passion with which the creators have developed their lines, and how so many of them are driven by the values of inclusion and the promotion of scientific knowledge. A vanity populated with South Asian products is one that is filled with quality!

Main Image Photo Credit: Instagram

Top Row from left to right: Roshini Raj. Photo Credit: Instagram; Monal, Priti and Pinki. Photo Credit: www.vasanticosmetics.ca; Aleena, and Naseeha Khan. Photo Credit: www.ctzncosmetics.com;

Middle Row from left to right: Deepica Mutyala. Photo Credit: Instagram; Akash and Nikita Mehta. Photo Credit: Instagram; and Ben Gorham. Photo Credit: Instagram

Last row from left to right: Rooshy Roy. Photo Credit: Instagram; Divya Gugnani. Photo Credit: Instagram; Priyanka Ganjoo. Photo Credit: Instagram; and Lisa Mattam. Photo Credit: www.lisamattam.com.

Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Author

Meena (@meenalaregina) always loved the idea of exploring the non-conventional idea of beauty. Having grown up as a pimply chubby teenager, she wanted to see the change in the world that best reflected your uniqueness as well. Her well-received collection of blogs where she tries on various beauty p...

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South Asian Heritage Month: 10 Successful South Asian Beauty Brands That Combine Science & Art To Promote Inclusivity

by Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

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