Luxury Ayurveda | Is this the year of A-beauty?

With big funding, a proliferation of homegrown and international brands, and growing global acceptance, the Ayurvedic skincare market is poised to hit $21.1 billion in four years

Over a half century ago, an Austrian American named Horst Rechelbacher visited India and was so bowled over by Ayurveda that he founded a hair care company based on the ancient practice — using minerals and herbs such as kukui (candlenut) and ajwain (caraway) to mango, mogra (Indian jasmine) and sea buckthorn, in formulations so potent ‘as to be called prescriptions’. That company, Aveda, founded in 1978, generated sales of $1.1 billion last year.

Yet, despite examples like Aveda and India’s OG Forest Essentials, which launched in 2000, Ayurveda beauty never quite caught on globally. Unlike Korean beauty, aka K-beauty, which took the world by storm in the past decade and is today valued at $100 billion worldwide, A-beauty is valued between $8 and $9 billion, according to research firm Verified Market Research (VMR).

Things are, however, changing. A recent proliferation of Ayurveda brands — at a time when western audiences are paying attention to prevention and wellness — suggests a growing popularity for traditional Indian beauty. Among them are Fable & Mane, Sahajan, Purearth, Subtle Energies, Ranavat, Aavrani, indē wild, Soma Ayurvedic, Ras Oils, and Sova, to name a few. E-commerce company Nykaa recently forayed into the space with the launch of Nyveda, an Ayurveda beauty and wellness brand. Pioneers Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda boast investments from beauty juggernauts such as Estée Lauder and Puig, respectively. And recently, The Ayurveda Experience, a skincare and nutrition brand founded in 2010 by Rishabh Chopra, raised $27 million in a new round of funding backed by, among others, a Singapore-based venture capital firm.

VMR now estimates that Ayurveda’s share of the current $646 billion global beauty and personal care market will reach $21.1 billion by 2028.

Ayurveda isn’t the easiest system of traditional medicine to practise. With treatments tailored to each individual — based on their unique body compositions or doshas (vata, pitta and kapha: energies governed by air, water, fire and earth) — it is often alienating to those unfamiliar with it. Its reputation for potions with unpalatable smells and poor shelf life also stands in its way, as does modern science’s scepticism. That said, the ‘lack of evidence’ claims of Ayurveda’s efficacy are being challenged by some, observes Dr. Ipsita Chatterjee, a Delhi-based Ayurveda beauty and wellness expert, adding “institutions like [Ministry of Ayush’s] Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences have validated this through rigorous clinical trials”.

Over the past five years, Indian brands — which have taken traditional ingredients and repackaged them into easy-to-use formulations with modern skincare technologies — are helping update its wellness promises. “Pure Ayurveda is about medicinal oils; it’s mostly used only for internal medicine,” explains Rajshree Pathy, entrepreneur, art collector and one of Kama Ayurveda’s co-founders, who has since exited the company. “But to keep Ayurveda relevant [for today’s time], it is important to experiment with traditional herbs and combine them with other botanicals to get the result we want. It is necessary to use established extractions and format them differently.” Next month, Coimbatore-based Pathy is launching Qi Ayurveda, a new brand that claims to integrate centuries-old traditions with cutting-edge Swiss technology.

Contemporary branding and entertaining social media marketing have made them more appealing and accessible, too. According to market intelligence agency Mintel, Indian brands account for half of global product launches for hair care and skincare today. “Far from diluting Ayurveda, these brands are pivotal in elevating its global stature by intertwining traditional ingredients with modern advancements,” says Dr. Chatterjee. “However, it is crucial to recognise that amid this wave of enthusiasm, not all brands possess a deep understanding of Ayurvedic principles. This underscores the importance of discernment and education among consumers.”