A full 10-step routine, a minimalist AM-PM routine, the best combinations of cleanser, toners, serums, peels and masks — there are as many recommendations as there are options. One thing is for certain, skincare is the raging trend here to stay. When it comes to caring for your dermis, “natural,” “clean,” “conscious,” and “sustainable” are the scoring points for brands and for people looking to invest in skincare products.
Homegrown brands from Kolkata such as Dot and Key, Auli and Jugni are making a splash with beauty enthusiasts.
Indian brands are capitalising on locally nurtured ingredients and traditional skincare knowledge to create products that will make your skin and hair happy.
Here are 10 sustainable, natural skincare brands from around the country that you shouldn’t miss out on.
Nat Habit
Handmade, ayurvedic and absolutely fresh — that’s what Nat Habit promises for every product. Started in 2019 by former Apple employee and IIT Kharagpur topper, Swagatika Das, the brand uses ingredients found in Indian kitchens and gardens such as grains, nuts, milk, yoghurt and fresh herbs, to create complete natural products.
In fact, they recommend that you store many of their products such as the hair and foot masks in the refrigerator and use them within weeks. One of their roadblocks before launching a wider-reaching operation in India was figuring out how to keep their products fresh for longer periods of time. What better proof that their products have no chemicals.
Nat Habit has a wide range of products from under-eye roll ons and to instant henna for your hair and everything in between. Among their most popular products of 2021 were the NutriMasks hair masks, the Dasabuti hair oil, and the natural ubtans.
Shop Nat Habit here
Price range: Pocket-friendly
Bubble Farm
Started in 2016, Bubble Farm is a cruelty-free, all-natural skincare brand that believes in making products for all skin types, irrespective of gender. The idea of the brand was created out of the love and effort that Sunitha Venkat’s mother put into making skincare products at home with traditional ingredients. Spearheaded by Venkat, Bubble Farm believes in using plant-based, food-grade cold-pressed oils, natural ingredients and waxes, steam distilled therapeutic-grade essential oils along with floral waters and botanicals.
They have a diverse range of bath and beauty products including scrubs, salts, serums, cleansing balms, shampoo bars, essential oils and even sunscreen. One of their newest launches is the multi-repair cayenne oil that is meant to promote hair growth and to restore hair damage.
Shop Bubble Farm products here
Price range: Mid-range
Pilgrim
Anurag Kedia and Gagandeep Makker started Pilgrim to make high-quality products available to people in India. The PETA and FDA-approved brand sources its raw material from India and abroad including South Korea’s Jeju Island and Bordeaux, France, and has become one of the largest growing skincare brands in India. Their products are sulphate and paraben and 100 per cent vegan.
The website gives you the option to shop by skin type and skin concerns, which helps pick the right product for your needs. Some of their most loved products are the Retinol night cream, volcanic lava ash body scrub and Vitamin C night serum.
Shop Pilgrim here
Price range: Mid-range
ENN
Nandeeta Manchanda’s brand focuses on natural make up and skincare products that show effective results. The idea behind ENN is to create non-toxic, safe products for promoting their use as part of skincare and bath rituals to ensure self-care.
One of their best-selling products is About That Glow is saffron-infused 100 times washed ghee butter which is unique and ensures supple skin. They also have products like serums, scrubs, makeup removers and even toners. ENN also plans to launch a new collection of lipsticks soon.
Shop ENN here
Price range: Mid-range
Ruharoma
Juhi Mohammed’s brainchild, Ruharoma is a skincare brand that combines simplicity with luxury. Their environment-friendly products have a botanical-based formulation and everything is made fresh in small batches. The packaging is low-waste and every order is hand packed and labelled to ensure you get the best quality products.
They are known for their cold-pressed soaps made from plant oils, butter and earth clays, which can be used every day without drying out your skin. They also make a creamy natural deodorant with fragrances of rose and geranium. One of their specialities are the luxurious oils, and the calendula chamomile body oil is the most loved.
Shop Ruharoma here
Price range: Mid-range
RAS
Run by mother-daughter duo Sangeeta and Shubhika Jain, who have a passion for gardening and plants, RAS’s tagline is “Farm To Face Luxury Skincare”. All the products in their range are made using ingredients grown on their own farms in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The brand preaches transparency, sustainability and purity in their vegan products, and keeping with the theme they run a programme where you can shop the empty product bottles back to them, which are then recycled. You get goodies for thinking of the Earth.
Their most appreciated products include the luxurious 24K Gold Radiance Beauty Boosting Face Elixir for brightening and skin repair, and the tinted lip balms.
Shop RAS here
Price range: Mid-range
SoulTree
The ISO 9001-certified brand SoulTree, which was acquired by natural beauty care company Lotus Herbals in September 2020, is the first Indian natural skincare brand accredited by European organisation. Their motto is the “Triple Seal of Truth: Ayurvedic, Organic and Ethical.” They promise sustainably and ethically sourced ingredients from Himalayan farming communities, and a strong Ayurveda-based formulation that works wonders.
Apart from skincare, they also have a plethora of bath and hair care products along with a natural, chemical-free make-up range. Their recently launched Ayurvedic Hemp Range has become increasingly popular with their patrons.
Shop SoulTree here
Price range: Luxury
Purearth
Clean beauty and wellness is one of the foundations of this brand, started in 2012 by former private equity lawyer Kavita Khosa. They believe that skincare is just like food and must be as pure and fresh as possible because it gets absorbed into the bloodstream. They have the Leaping Bunny certificate for being cruelty free and promise ethically sourced, fair trade ingredients.
The Purearth range makes you think of fragrant baths and luxurious massages, with products like Turmeric and Saffron Cold-Pressed Soap and hand-churned Mandarin Body Butter. Their most-shopped products include the Mitti Raw Honey Face Masque and Illumine Supercritical Face Oil. The Kwansha Facial Beauty Coin is also very popular and woks much like a gua sha.
Shop Purearth here
Price Range: Luxury
Pahadi Local
Pahadi Local creates products that contribute vastly to one’s conscious lifestyle. Using simple formulas, they have successfully created luxurious skincare products that are good for both you and the planet. The brand helps empower the Pahadi community and give their customers a slice of the mountains, by sourcing their ingredients from Himalayan locales.
The Pahadi Local range has a selection of oils for your body and hair, along with face mists and masks. Their biggest draw is the Gutti ka tel (Apricot Kernel Oil), and other bestsellers include Lake Sediment Salt Anti Acne Face Wash and Sweet Almond Oil. They also have wellness products such as tea, and the recently launched Himalayan honey.
Shop Pahadi Local here
Price range: Luxury
Love Organically
Deepshikha Deshmukh started this brand when she became a mother as she couldn’t help but think of the quality of the products she was using for her children. This led her to study the art of Ayurveda and create her brand that specialises in all things natural. They believe in creating products that are pure, eco-conscious and right from Mother Earth.
Their range of products sit firmly between both skincare and wellness with bath salts, oils and masks as well as things like a lavender pillow spray to aid sleep and a de-stressing eucalyptus air freshener.
The Saffron Skin Elixir is their best seller and promises soft and supple skin. They also make Kansa face tools like face rollers and massagers.
Shop Love Organically here
Price range: Luxury