Top Ayurveda (ORGANIC) Cosmetic Brands

“Mirror Mirror on the wall – who is the fairest of them all ?”-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Grimm’s Fairy Tales  mid 19^th Century.From ancient times, people have aspired to flawless skin & ageless beauty. Let us introduce Ayurveda cosmetics, Kerala Ayurveda and how it is changing the beauty market. Ayurveda is an ancient whole body (holistic) Indian system of medicine.

The Global Beauty Market

The Global Beauty and Personal Care market is projected to reach $904B by 2030 from a market size of $520B in 2022, with a compounded growth rate of 7.15% through the years (January 2024 LinkedIn). VMR (Verified Market Research estimates that Ayurveda’s share of current $646 B global beauty and personal care will reach 21.1 B by 2028. While Korean Beauty is valued at $100B, A (Ayurveda)Beauty is valued between $8 and $9 B(VMR) today.

Ayurveda -Natural Beauty Products

As people look  to embrace fresh & natural foods in the daily routine, similarly, they are looking for natural products to use in their beauty regime.This is especially true for the youngsters of today who want to buy cosmetics that have responsibly sourced raw materials & do not harm the planet. Preservatives in food &  harmful chemical substances in cosmetics are a clear NO. Ayurveda uses botanical extracts that are  natural & sustainable.Rose water, sandalwood oil, neem flower, saffron, honey, turmeric are some of the oft used ingredients.

Additionally, an increasing effort and search for clean beauty is driving the global beauty care market. A February 2024 article on the South China Morning Post carried a headline ‘Move over K-beauty, Ayurvedic skincare is latest trend…’.

And “Is this the year of A Beauty reads a headline in an article in the Hindu Magazine publication .

What is Ayurveda ?

Ayurveda is an ancient  Hindu system of medicine that has its origins in the Atharva Veda written  5000 Years ago. For instance,Ayurveda means Science of life in Sanskrit. Moreover, it is a branch of  medicine that focuses on healing & wellness or holistic wellness.

Further, it is the oldest codified system of medicine in the world. (Co-founder of KAMA Ayurveda).Besides, it talks about body, mind & spirit in the same breath. The State of Kerala in India has more than 50  Kerala Ayurveda wellness centers.

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Popularity of Kerala Ayurveda & AYUSH

For example Kerala Auyurved is practised in several leading  hospitals across India, in addition to Allopathy & Homeopathy. Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala is a prominent center for Kerala ayurveda treatments in the State of Kerala. It is a Charitable Institution  that offers Ayurvedic treatments to patients.

Further,The Ministry of Ayush was formed by the Government of India to promote India’s ancient systems of medicine & wellbeing such as Ayurveda,Yoga,Unnani and others.

Ayurvedic Treatments & Skin Care  

The ancient system of Ayurvedic treatments is getting recognised and finding its place in the world today .A healthy body, mind & soul is integral to good health.Further, treatments are tailored to individuals based on their doshas. Doshas in Ayurvedic terminology refers to the energies from within the body. Vata, Pitta & Kapha- these are energies governed by air, water, fire & earth.

 Ayurveda Cosmetics  

 The fragrance  that comes from Ayurvedic cosmetics is absolutely divine.That is because they use ingredients such as coconut oil, turmeric, honey, sandalwood rosewater, Jasmine and so on. These ingredients  are regularly found in Indian homes.Coconut oil  or Seasme oil is  used to cleanse the hair & body. For example, Kerala Ayurveda supports the application of coconut oil on the scalp &  hair everyday. As a matter of fact, women of Kerala have lustrous & thick black hair. Soapnut was used to cleanse the hair after an oil hair bath. Henna paste  from henna leaves were applied to colour the hair. In addition, henna paste is used as mehendi to decorate the bride’s hands.

These basic & essential ingredients are made into modern formulations and delivered in ready to use packaging  to consumers today. They are all based on Ayurvedic  prescriptions written down centuries ago. Ayurveda aims to deliver natural and organic  beauty products that are easier on the skin and promotes healthy skin & hair.

 Ayurveda cosmetics -Ingredients

Let us take a look at some of ingredients being used in Ayurveda cosmetics.

Sandalwood has a wonderful fragrance apart from its anti-inflammatory  & antioxidant properties. Similarly, turmeric  has an ingredient called curcumin that has both anti inflammatory & anti oxidant properties. Honey makes  for a natural moisturiser. It is able to penetrate the skin and enrich the hydration thus softening the skin with a  natural glow.Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is a stress relieving grass and inhaled for its aroma & used for joint pains & insomnia.In addition, drinking vetiver water is good for the intestines.

With big funding, a proliferation of homegrown & international  Ayurveda brands, and a growing global acceptance, the ayurvedic skin care market is poised to hit 21.1 billion in 4 years )Hindu March 2024.

Premier Ayurveda Cosmetic Shops /Brands

Biotique

Firstly Biotique-  this is a premium Ayurvedic cosmetics products company started by Vinita Jain. Rare herbs, oils, & precious minerals are used in the rich formulations.

 Top selling products include –Sandalwood Moisturiser & Morning Nectar Moisturisers with sun shield,Soya protein shampoo, saffron anti-ageing cream and green apple shampoo & conditioners . Bio kajal ( eye make-up ) is another  best seller. Further ,they stock face serums, scrubs ,bath & body oils & fragrant soaps and toothpaste too.

 Shahnaz Hussain

She was a pioneer in the world of Beauty  and has received several international awards in recognition of her excellence in outstanding ayurvedic innovation.

Some of their Best Products are:

Sha Rose is a date enriched skin cream with date, sandalwood, aloevera,vetiver & rosewater among others.

Further, Sha Mask is a face mask made with jasmine aloe vera, almond date & honey.

ShaLife is a nourishing cream with  sandalwood oil, olive oil, almond oil & wheat germ oil among others.

Kama Ayurveda

This brand was established in 2002 by Vivek Sahni in partnership with 75-year-old Arya Vaidya Pharmacy in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.Best Sellers include, Kumkumadi oil  which is made with saffron & a blend of Ayurvedic herbs that contain vitamins A & C.

Bringadi Hair oil, shampoo, conditioner &  hair mask is a hair ritual made with Bringadi. It starts with intensive scalp & hair treatments for a strong hair growth.Bringadi contains, indigo , eclipta alba, gooseberry and herbs extracted from sesame oil. Further, Rose Jasmine is a gentle foaming face cleanser .

 Forest Essentials

Mira Kulkarni started this brand.They have a world class manufacturing facility in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.

Eladi Day cream with SPF 30, Soundarya cream with 24k gold & SPF, which has vitamin C, cows ghee saffron & sandalwood  are  their most popular products. After Bath Oil with saffron, avocado oil & lime & Oudh Essential Oil with apricot oil & Ashwagandha smell divine.

They have kajals(eye pencils)  concealers & highlighters. In addition, lip serums –gulab jal lip serums, anjeer lip serums ,coconut kesar (saffron) lip serum are exciting.Fresh coconut cream, ghee &black grape extract is used in this serum, in addition to moringa oil & jamun extracts.

Ubtans are exfoliators with orange peels & coarsely ground legumes. Further, orange peels (Narangi )are used with neem rose, turmeric ,saffron to reduce pigmentation & reveal a healthy & supple skin

Ayurveda Cosmetics from around the world

Aveda was started by Horst Rechelbacher based on Ayurveda. He was an Austrian American who founded the hair care company Aveda, which was started in 1978, and generated revenue of $1.1 billion last year .(Hindu Magazine, March 2024)

PureEarth is another Ayurvedic brand from Hongkong. They source ingredients from Himachal Pradesh (near the Himalayas) in North India. Los Angeles based Soma Ayurveda is a big hit with several celebrities and  has won awards for its sandalwood perfumed oil. The “Ayurveda Experience ” is another skin care & nutrition brand  that has recently raised money .

Moreover,several leading hotel chains also stock on A beauty products.

To conclude, cosmetics based on Ayurveda, source plant based ingredients from the soil that are sustainable, are soft on the skin ,smell divine and are much lighter on the pocket . It is time that we move away from chemical based skin & hair care to Ayurvedic cosmetics.