11 'MADE IN INDIA' Beauty Brands That are the Biggest Players of the Paraben-Free Task Force

There’s a new army of homegrown, natural brands leading the farm-to-bottle movement that are taking over an industry long governed by scientific-sounding ingredients.

15 June, 2018
11 'MADE IN INDIA' Beauty Brands That are the Biggest Players of the Paraben-Free Task Force

1. FOREST ESSENTIALS

Mira Kulkarni, Founder & MD
Being the only Indian brand that Estée Lauder Group has invested in is proof that Forest Essentials is doing things right. While studying the effectiveness of traditional Ayurvedic recipes, Mira Kulkarni noticed a gap in the market. “I was in Rishikesh, and realised there’s an abundance of Ayurvedic doctors with tiny pharmacies selling homemade soaps, oils, and creams. These products weren’t just effective, but also contained no chemicals or preservatives,” says Mira. She launched Forest Essentials in 2000—with just `1,00,000—and products boasting of the freshest ingredients. Today, the brand has a global cult following, courtesy their organically grown cold-pressed oils to steam-distilled pure essential oils and creams—all created according to Ayurvedic tenets, and wherever possible, by hand.

2. KAMA AYURVEDA

Vivek Sahni, Co-Founder & CEO

While working on a government project called Khadi, Vivek Sahni thought of launching a luxury, Ayurvedic brand. “It’s been one of our most ambitious projects, since we were venturing into an unknown territory,” he says. The idea took two years to take flight, and in 2002, Kama Ayurveda was born. Roadblocks come with any new venture, but Vivek says a clear chain of thought—creating a treatment and
wellness-oriented brand versus just a ‘beauty’ brand—helped them stay on track. Today, the brand’s trademark Bringadi treatment (among others) has earned them loyal customers from around the world, enabling them to turn into a global brand in all of a decade.

3. BLOSSOM KOCHHAR AROMA MAGIC

Blossom Kochhar, Founder

A veteran of the all-natural beauty movement, Blossom Kochhar launched one of India’s first and oldest aromatherapy-based brands back in 1992. “I had been practicing the science of aromatherapy and herbalisim for over 25 years, and launching Aroma Magic was an organic process,” shares Blossom. She wanted to create honest, natural products stitching together aromatherapy, and the modern day science of Terra therapy. And while she struggled with creating an awareness about the brand and its ideals at first, Blossom’s happy that, after trying her 100% paraben-and-chemical-free products,
people’s perceptions changed rather quickly. Constantly working with new ingredients and combinations, Blossom’s business model of selling products in small containers (since natural products have a short shelf life) worked well, as this made it possible to offer customers only freshly-made products—and earn their loyalty in return.

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4. SOULTREE

Vishal Bhandari, Founder

While many beauty brands claim to use natural ingredients, SoulTree is the first and only Indian brand to have BDIH Germany’s (an international authority on paraben-free skincare and cosmetics) seal of approval, Vishal Bhandari tells us. Leaving his lush job to find his calling, Vishal set up a small lab in a refurbished shed, hired a 25-year-old chemist who was willing to experiment and learn, and roped in a retired 75-year-old vaidya as an advisor to start SoulTree in 2002. “With my motley crew, we explored the concepts of natural cosmetics and finally emerged with the initial range of organic, natural cosmetics,” he shares. Since it was difficult to find an investor initially, Vishal invested all of his own savings in the project. “I envisioned an Indian brand with an international look and feel,
meeting the highest standards.” In the last 16 years, the brand’s portfolio has rapidly increased with products made with 100% natural, fairly-sourced ingredients for overall skincare and tackling concerns like dark circles, wrinkles and more.

5. ORGANIC HARVEST

Rahul Agarwal, CEO

Stepping into a crowded space was a risk Rahul Agarwal was willing to take, as he believed the buzz surrounding organic ingredients would grab attention. “We researched for two years on what our TG wanted, and launched Organic Harvest in 2013,” says Rahul. But sales looked grim in the first few months. “People assume that organic products are expensive... That’s why we decided to make our in-house beauty advisors (BAs) educate the customers about our products and their benefits. And it worked,” he tells us. With a team of more than 600 BAs now, Organic Harvest has managed to build a loyal customer base basis just word of mouth! Available in over 5,000 outlets in the country, Organic Harvest also has an international presence in countries like the UAE and Bangladesh, and will soon
launch in South-East Asia. Their USP: all-natural exotic ingredients like sea buckthorn, marshmallow root extract, mulberry extract, among others that tackle pretty much any skin concern you can think of.

6. WIKKA

Rupal Shabnam Tyagi, Founder

After marrying into a royal family, Rupal Shabnam Tyagi was privy to aromatherapy secrets not known otherwise. Impressed with the healing effects of these products, she decided to study and pursue
the subject professionally—a step that was met with resistance at first, “since women in our family aren’t ‘supposed’ to work”. Rupal knew that this one-of-a-kind beauty brand would strike a chord with people (as aromatherapy was still a virgin territory in India). “I knew I could take this royal legacy forward, but finding the right medium was important. I started consulting spas in 2003 and then set up an aromatherapy-healing clinic in 2006. That’s when I thought of launching Wikka,” she adds. While conceptualising the brand, Rupal ensured she created a range that wouldn’t confuse people. “We have
a small bouquet of products, but they’re all you need for skin and hair.” And as far as personalised service goes, Rupal blends the potions herself, curating a bespoke routine for each client.

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7. APS COSMETOFOOD

Himanshu Chadha, MD

As the name suggests, APS Cosmetofood creates, well, food for the skin—food that’s free of mineral oils or petrochemicals. Even their products sound like exotic recipes, with ingredients ranging from avocado to mulberry to acai berry, and more. “I’m a chemical engineer, and frankly, I was itching to do something different,” says Himanshu Chadha, who first forayed into the field of Ayurvedic science 17 years ago with his brand Aryanveda Cosmeceuticals. What you’ll love about APS Cosmetofood is that they have an exhaustive range of products packed with vitamins and minerals that can tackle any skin concern.

8. JHELUM LOVES

Jhelum Biswas Bose, Founder

An expert in chakra healing and aromatherapy, Jhelum Biswas Bose loves whipping up her own versions of Bach Flower remedies. When Jhelum’s friends badgered her to launch her own brand, she took it seriously. Her experience as the ex beauty editor of Harper’s Bazaar India helped “scrutinise her own products objectively”. “I created my first set of products in December 2015, and in four month’s time, sold my first batch, launching Jhelum Loves officially,” she says. The stars of this au naturel brand are skin-loving ingredients like eco harvested oils, raw honey, and Bach Flower remedies that make up a bespoke skin and hair-care range.

9. DESERT SPLENDOUR

Shiv Singh Mann, Founder

Shiv Singh Mann had been exporting jojoba oil to Europe and the US for eons, and while the oil was already a rage internationally, he wanted to tap into the Indian market. “We wanted the local Indian
consumer to understand what a wonder product jojoba oil is,” he says. And hence, Desert Splendour was born in 2006. Today, the brand is the only Indian player in the category, solely focusing on
delivering pure, cold-pressed jojoba oil. Currently available in two variants (pure jojoba oil and a lavender-infused version), this multitasker with a purity level of 100 is a customer favourite.

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10. JUST B AU NATUREL

Simrita Singh, Co-Founder

Inspired by her mother’s love for natural skincare, Simrita Singh co-founded the brand with mom to create products that marry beauty with wellness. “Natural ingredients might sound simple, but
to create a formula that’ll perform on your skin is an art—the formulations need to be perfect concentrations of active ingredients so that they can make you truly see and feel the change.” The brand is more than a decade old now, but Simrita refuses to outsource manufacturing, as she feels “mass-produced products lack the essence of healing”. They don’t stock products; instead make them
in small batches, delivering only the freshest concoctions.

11. JUST HERBS

Arush Chopra, Founder

Arush Chopra’s mother, an Ayurveda and naturopathy expert, was the inspiration behind Just Herbs. “She used to make ayurvedic skin remedies in our family-owned garden for her clients. I was in
Singapore at the time, and I’d often get her lotions and potions for friends—which got fantastic feedback!” he shares. This made him take the leap and launch Just Herbs. The brand’s current star product is the just-launched Skin Tint, India’s first crowd-sourced beauty product. “We reached out to over 450 women of various age groups and asked them to join in to create their dream product,” he adds. The result: a herb-enriched skin tint—part-skincare and part-makeup. A total win!

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