From Vedas To Vanity: How Ayurveda Is Redefining Beauty

In the beauty world, Ayurveda is having a moment, but for us South Asians we have experienced daily moments with Ayurveda for the past 5000-plus years.  Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word which means knowledge of life.  It is a system of medical science that has been passed down to us by our parents and grandparents who concocted home remedies using ghee, spices and plants to soothe tummies, heal itchy skin and to calm our nerves.  In this story, I explore the fundamental concepts of Ayurveda and its role in modern day beauty by reviewing South Asian brands that integrate Ayurvedic concepts into their product lines.

The Roots Of Ayurveda

The roots of Ayurveda demonstrate the importance of medical practises in India and broader South Asia as a whole.  One legend regarding the origins of Ayurveda is traced to Sushruta, a physician who lived in 6^th century BC who is credited with the founding of surgical medicine and the author of the seminal text Sushruta Samhita.  Sushruta recounted that he and other sages approached the god of Ayurveda, Dhanvantari, who shared with them the knowledge of ayurveda to help humankind, and thus Ayurveda took root in India.

Even though a multitude of centuries have passed since the first thoughts of Ayurveda were formed, it is always uplifting to realise that the end goal of this scientific body of knowledge has always been to help people to achieve balance within their mind and body.

Fundamental Concepts And Personal Journey

Ayurveda is not a science that is relegated to the medicine cabinet, it is designed to help us interact with our environment and to achieve an equilibrium between our ‘doshas’. A dosha is a humour of the body, and in Ayurveda there are three:  fire (pitta), air (vata) and wind (kapha). Too much of any dosha results in a disequilibrium which needs to be corrected to ensure that we are in harmony with ourselves and nature.

To properly assess the state of your doshas, it is important to visit an accredited Ayurveda doctor who will take your pulse, look at your tongue, examine your eyes and have you answer questions about personal behaviors.

I know this, because several years ago I visited an Ayurveda doctor to help me with my chronic stomach issues that were worsening. The doctor assessed that I suffered from an excess of pitta, and that I needed to reduce my intake of masala, biryani, chicken palao, tandoori chicken, kebabs, naan, pakoras, samosas, dalmot, channa, behl puri, parathas (plain and aloo) and achaar (mango, lime, and lemon).  I literally wept but I followed her sage advice.   I consumed copious amounts of apple sauce and other cooling foods to balance my doshas, and as a result, I lost weight and felt better.  That experience marked the first time that I truly appreciated the power of Ayurvedic knowledge and when I now see Ayurveda integrated into beauty brands, I am thrilled because they are embracing science and caring as part of its DNA.

Beauty And Ayurveda – How Does It Work?

After examining the brands, I have come to understand that Ayurveda is integrated whereby the knowledge captured over centuries regarding plants and their uses is harnessed for new formulations, practices that are recognized by Ayurveda such as head massage (champi) are taught; and manufacturing techniques are used to produce high quality products.

The following brands and founders capture ayurveda beautifully:

Fable & Mane

Fable & Mane, founded by British sibling duo Nikita and Akash Mehta in 2020, is a line of products that infuses Ayurvedic practices and ingredients, that strengthens scalps and grows lustrous locks.  With this launch, the Mehta siblings became the first sibling run brand that featured Ayurveda as its centrepiece to the masses, meaning for all communities South Asian and beyond.

The Mehta siblings hold their South Asian culture in the deepest regard. Their love and respect for their grandmother fostered their understanding of Ayurvedic practices, because when they were children she oiled their hair using Ayurvedic oils on a weekly basis.  During these times, their grandmother recounted Indian fables, and this brand’s seeds were planted.

The brand’s star product is HoliRoots™ Hair Oil – a pre-wash oil treatment that strengthens the roots and nourishes the brands.  Its key ingredients are i) Ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic root that strengthens roots and hair follicles ii) Dashmool, a propriety blend of Indian herbs that calm the scalp and iii) castor oil that thickens hair and nourishes strands.

Aavrani

Aavrani is haircare brand founded by American entrepreneur Rooshy Roy, who learned timeless Indian beauty rituals from her mother and grandmother. Growing up, Rooshy like many children, just wanted to fit in and was unable to appreciate the potency of the rituals. Rooshy rediscovered her family’s beauty methods when she was older as her then-beauty routine was no longer serving her needs.  She delved into her grandmother’s secrets and realized that they possessed the efficacy and results that she needed to glow on her own terms.

The line’s star product, Hair Density Boosting Treatment, is a colourless, odourless serum you massage into the scalp on a nightly basis, focussing on areas where the hair has thinned to encourage hair growth.  The heart of this product is turmeric, the all-powerful spice, whose stem cells initiate an epigenetic reset of hair follicles to encourage hair growth.  It also contains Ashwaganda.  I tested this serum for 6 weeks between the months of May and June, and confirm that my nighty ritual paid dividends. I have always had an indentation on my hair line, and this serum helped me to sprout baby hairs that have lessened the indentation.

Uma Oils

Uma Oils was founded by Indian entrepreneur Shlanka Holecek, who was raised with Ayurveda as part of her daily routine.  She is also a yogini and a vegetarian.  She was inspired to start Uma Oils because she recognised that the west was curious about Eastern medicine, and that in the west Ayurveda was being misrepresented and catered to fringe elements who wanted something “fantastical”.  The line is named for her aunt who helped to raise her and her sister.

The organic, Indian oils are grown on her family’s estate In India, and its star product is UMA Absolute Anti Aging Body Oil which includes the following oils: neroli, rose flower, frankincense, grapefruit, juniper berry, pomegranate, moringa, grape seed and jojoba seed. It combats dryness, reduces and repairs scars and the gorgeous scent relaxes the mind.

Ghlee

Ghlee was founded by Canadian sibling duo Varun and Arati Sharma, and is rooted in Varun’s classic Canadian struggle of how to soothe chapped lips. Like many Canadians he swiped on lip balm for relief… that never lasted. Like many Canadians he did not listen to his mother’s sage advice, in this case to apply ghee to his lips, until one day he did and he realised that mom was right.  He identified that there no ghee lip balm on the market and this gap sent him down a path to understand ghee and its healing properties.

Varun developed a prototype that met his needs, i.e. it was portable, stable and effective, and he approached his sister, an avid entrepreneur, who recognised the product’s potential, and Ghlee was born.

Ghlee is a line of lip products that is focused on the healing properties of this unclarified butter.  Ghee possesses healthy fatty acids like Omega-3, 6, and 9, and contains Vitamin A, D, E, all which hydrate the delicate skin on the lips, and in Ayurveda it is recognised for its antioxidant and soothing benefits.  The Ghlee products are shelf stable for up to 12 months and each balm in the collection is paired with an oil to create both a soothing an olfactory sound experience.

Hymnologie

Hymnologie is a skin care line founded by Dr. Jigyasa Sharma, an entrepreneur from Haryana, India.  She suffered from breakouts and dull skin as a teenager, and this issue followed her into adulthood.  She realised that her products were not helping her to achieve her glow.  Dr. Sharma learned that her products contained parabens, sulfates, heavy metals and synthetics, and she was nervous that they were being absorbed by her skin, and she started to look for alternatives in Ayurveda.  She found that centuries-old formulae were effective and gentle on the skin.  When she was pregnant with her first child, she and her husband decided to develop Hymnologie, an all-natural beauty brand that harnesses the power of Ayurveda and helps you to balance your doshas.

Interestingly, this line also focusses on how it manufactures products and engages in classic techniques such as steaming and hand sieving to maintain the delicate molecules that soothe the skin.  Moreover, Dr. Sharma sources cold pressed oils from her husband’s cousin’s farm to use in Hymnologie products.

Hymnologie’s reverence for the power of plants shines through in its offerings of masks, serums and body care, including its star product the Anti-ageing Eye Serum which hydrates the delicate skin, reduces the appearance of fine line and firms.  This serum contains Tamanu Oil and Robusta Coffee, the former is renowned for its ability to regenerate skin cells and reduce wrinkles, while the latter depuffs and diminishes dark circles.

Sahajan

Sahajan was founded by Canadian entrepreneur Lisa Mattam, who was inspired both by her Kerala roots and background in the pharmaceutical industry, to bring Ayurvedic products that pass modern scientific testing to produce effective, timeless products.  Lisa was always aware of the power of Ayurveda and she wanted people to understand that they could rely on plants to care for their skin.  She partnered with two Ayurveda doctors from Kerala to develop formulas and the rest is history… in that in 2016 Lisa was the only Canadian to be selected for Sephora’s first ever Beauty Accelerate, a brand incubation program dedicated to building a community of innovative, inspirational brand founders in beauty.

Sahajan’s popular Ritual Body Oil features a host of Ayurvedic ingredients such as coconut oil to heal and hydrate the skin; almond oil adds glow; and sesame oil nourishes the skin.  These three ingredients are the first three on the ingredients list, which means that they are present in the largest amounts in the formula.  This is the type of quality that brings people back to Sahajan.

Mango People    

Mango People was founded by Canadian entrepreneur and chemical engineer Sravya Adusumilli, who was inspired to create her own lipsticks that suited her skin tone and satisfied her desire to use natural ingredients.  She understood that we consume part of our lipsticks daily, and she wanted natural ingredients that would respect her body.  Sravya tinkered with mango butter and developed a formula that showed up on her lips and garnered praise from friends.  She decided to use her savings of $10,000 to work with labs to develop more formulas and by 2020 Mango People was launched.  In 2022, Mango People was selected for the Sephora Accelerate program and became the first Ayurvedic cosmetics line to be launched at Sephora.

Mango People’s Multi Stick, the star product, combines Ayurveda, practicality and portability into a single product.  Each shade can be applied on the lips cheeks and eyelids, and are formulated with fruit extracts and Ayurvedic herbs.  As its namesake, the stick includes mango butter which is recognised for its anti-inflammatory properties and soothes and repairs the skin.

Ranavat

Ranavat was founded by American entrepreneur Michelle Ranavat in 2014 as she was inspired by a trip to Jaipur in 2010 and became driven by her desire to share her Indian heritage with a broader audience.   The brand was launched at a time when the western audience was not familiar with ingredients such as bakuchi, turmeric and ashwagandha, and Michelle identified that she was breaking new ground.  Ten years after its launch, Ravanat can take pride in knowing that it helped to open the conversation about Ayurveda in beauty.

The brand’s star product is Brightening Saffron Serum, and this product is a more potent, yet always gentle, alternative to vitamin C. It relies on saffron to decrease the look of fine lines and dark spots.  It is produced by using traditional Ayurvedic techniques which highlights how this science not only teaches us about the power of plants, but how to use them in a beneficial manner.

Parting Thoughts

This group of 10 entrepreneurs not only deserve accolades for representing Ayurveda to new audiences responsibly and effectively, but they also strengthened their personal identity by exploring this profound science.  Their journeys from engineering, science, and entrepreneurship all lead them to a path in which they achieved harmony with their roots and their other identities, which is a beautiful balance.

Cover Photo Credits:
Aavrani. Rooshy Roy. https://www.instagram.com/rooshyroy/
Fable & Mane. https://www.instagram.com/nikimehta/
Ghlee. Arati Sharma. https://www.instagram.com/aratisharma/
Hymnologie. Dr. Jigyasa Sharma. https://hymnologie.com/
Mango People. Sravya Adusumilli. https://www.instagram.com/sravyaadusumilli/
Ranavat. Michele Ranavat. https://www.ranavat.com/
Sahajan. Lisa Mattam. https://ca.sahajan.com/pages/my-story/
Uma Oils. Shrankhla Holecek. https://www.umaoils.com/