Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to access exclusive content and expert insights.

subscribe now subscribe cover image
Ria Bhatia profile imageRia Bhatia

The actor, singer, and now entrepreneur brings over two decades of experience in the beauty industry to her newly-launched brand.

Smita Vallurupalli banks on age-old rituals to simplify beauty

The actor, singer, and now entrepreneur brings over two decades of experience in the beauty industry to her newly-launched brand, Old School

Amidst an industrial hub in Hyderabad nestles an exuberant home that almost transports you to a world featuring the many classical Indian art forms and a whole lot of warmth. This home belongs to singer, actor and now an entrepreneur, Smita Vallurupalli. The home—embodying Vallurupalli’s artistic vision come to life—is a reflection of her aesthetic sensibilities, and is filled with art from across the country. The multi-hyphenate has ensured to extend this aesthetic language and traditional wisdom in her recently launched beauty venture, Old School.  

The beauty brand comprises over 30 products, spanning across hair, skin and body care, and are inspired by age-old rituals rooted in South India, something Vallurupalli holds close to her heart. Old School is a labour of love, for Vallurupalli has combined the richness of traditions featuring skin-enriching kitchen ingredients that she grew up witnessing in her household with state-of-the-art equipment to develop textures that are indulgent as well as convenient for today’s consumer. Handpicked ingredients including spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and saffron, fruits like banana and mango, cooking staples like rice, carrot, beetroot, potato and mint, as well as coffee and tamarind make for most, if not all, of each product’s formulation.

The beauty brand comprises over 30 products, spanning across hair, skin and body care, and are inspired by age-old rituals rooted in South India, something Vallurupalli holds close to her heart

The beauty brand comprises over 30 products, spanning across hair, skin and body care, and are inspired by age-old rituals rooted in South India, something Vallurupalli holds close to her heart

While celebrity-owned beauty brands are a dime a dozen, Vallurupalli seems to be cognisant of the fact that a celebrity status isn’t the only marker to propel a brand’s popularity. Hence, she chose ingredient-led, no-frills formulations—backed by tradition and sans any scientific jargon—to helm the blends of Old School products. 

This isn’t the first time Vallurupalli has forayed into the business of beauty; she owns a chain of salons called Bubbles Hair & Beauty, launched over 20 years ago. The 43-year-old takes us through  Old School, from its genesis to the future she envisions for the brand.

Since when has Old School been in the works?

Old School has been a dream project for over seven years now. When my daughter Shivi was four years old, we began picking out items from our home’s kitchen to offer to mothers and babies as return gifts, allowing them to pamper themselves. Soon, many people reached out, giving us the motivation to take our project to the next level.

However, earlier too, I travelled with my father to several beauty, skincare and cosmetics fairs, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of the skincare industry. My innate curiosity drove me to explore, research and work on Old School. 

What motivated you to consider entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship runs in my family’s blood. On my father’s side, we’ve been in business for seven to eight decades, spanning generations; my grandfather had started an automobile business in 1950 and my parents set up retail stores and travel agencies when I was born. So, it felt very natural for me to embrace entrepreneurship. In fact, while my peers were attending school and tuition classes, I would return from school and head to one of our jewellery and watches stores to learn how products were sold. I picked up various business techniques through practical experience—it was a natural transition for me. In retrospect, I believe my venture into music was more of a surprise, a fortunate accident that happened. Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, was a path I was destined to tread, regardless of my other pursuits.

The term ‘old school’, for me, has always been about the importance of having a meaningful story. When we embarked on the journey of creating Old School, everything seemed to fall into place naturally, including the name, says Smita Vallurupalli

The term ‘old school’, for me, has always been about the importance of having a meaningful story. When we embarked on the journey of creating Old School, everything seemed to fall into place naturally, including the name, says Smita Vallurupalli

What sets Old School apart is that it has been tested, tried and loved by over two lakh customers in the last five years, through the services we provide in our salons, reveals Smita Vallurupalli

What sets Old School apart is that it has been tested, tried and loved by over two lakh customers in the last five years, through the services we provide in our salons, reveals Smita Vallurupalli

Why did you begin your entrepreneurial journey with beauty products?

I’ve always had a deep interest in creative pursuits. One of my initial ventures was related to clothing and printing, starting as a hobby, and gradually evolving into something more substantial. Around 2002, I noticed a gap in the market for luxury salons. At the time, there were very few salons that offered a comfortable and upscale experience; most were functional but lacked the element of luxury. Recognising this opportunity, I decided to explore the idea further. Fortunately, my mother, an entrepreneur herself since she was 20, supported and guided me with what would then become my first serious, scalable business—a chain of salons and spas called Bubbles, now operational in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

My ability to spot promising products became evident during this time, and this extended further to skincare and cosmetics, piquing my curiosity about the ingredients and processes behind them. I wanted to understand the science and craftsmanship involved, so I started experimenting in my kitchen. This initial curiosity led to formal learning about formulation, extensive research, and the creation of various formulas. Ultimately, my determination to control the quality and process of product formulation led us to establish our own manufacturing facility.

How would you describe the essence of Old School?

The term ‘old school’, for me, has always been about the importance of having a meaningful story. When we embarked on the journey of creating Old School, everything seemed to fall into place naturally, including the name. During the initial research phase, I pondered over what the brand’s name should convey. It had to evoke memories, nostalgia and the warmth of our grandmothers’ skincare rituals. Those were the days when the skincare products we used were pure and clean, and we wanted the brand to reflect this. The name ‘Old School’ felt like the perfect fit, encapsulating the essence of traditional skincare practices passed down through generations. 

“WHILE DEVELOPING THE BRAND, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT EVERY ASPECT SHOULD BE BEAUTIFUL— THIS INCLUDES NOT ONLY THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTS INSIDE THE BOTTLE, BUT ALSO HOW THE PRODUCTS ARE PRESENTED”

Smita Vallurupalli

Our childhood experiences played a vital role in shaping our values and life lessons, often conveyed through stories. So, while developing the brand, it was important to me, as someone with a creative mindset, that every aspect should be beautiful— this includes not only the quality of the products inside the bottle, which we were confident in, but also how the products are presented, the story behind each one, and the way the ingredients are showcased.

Old School, to me, is a brand filled with vibrancy, made with love, and crafted by hand.

How did you narrow down on the skin, hair and body care products?

The most important aspect of any product is its everyday use, along with the advantages it offers. What sets Old School apart is that it has been tested, tried and loved by over two lakh customers in the last five years, through the services we provide in our salons. Initially, the products were exclusively available through our salons as part of our service kits. The feedback we received from these experiences—what worked, what could be improved, and what had to be retained—played a pivotal role in shaping our brand. It felt like a natural progression for me to start developing our line of products. When clients come in for a service, they expect immediate results and want to leave feeling transformed. To achieve this, we invested a lot of effort in formulating products using clean and green ingredients. It felt like a natural and obvious choice for us to expand into hair, body and face [care].

Why did you decide to ditch chemical actives and put natural ingredients at the front of your products?

For us, Old School represents age-old skincare rituals validated by modern science. It’s not about disregarding modern science, as it has been tested and proven effective. However, we also value the ancient wisdom passed down through generations and believe in staying connected to our roots. I’ve always been of the opinion that our ancestors had naturally beautiful skin because they led lives closely aligned with nature. So, we started by bridging the gap between these two worlds. It’s not that we’ve neglected the modern aspect; instead, we’ve successfully brought the old and the contemporary together.

The Old School factory in Hyderabad

The Old School factory in Hyderabad

The state-of-the-art equipment used to create products

The state-of-the-art equipment used to create products

From ingredient procurement to bottling the product, what’s the process of creating the formulations?

We went through a lot of back and forth during the formulation process. Initially, my instinct was to create formulations using real fruits, herbs, spices and natural ingredients. The idea was to replicate the traditional method where these ingredients would be picked, extracted, cooked and blended into a product. However, when a formulation expert, well-versed in Indian skincare practices, joined us, they suggested an alternative approach. They recommended using extracts of the desired ingredients and mixing them directly. This approach yielded distinct differences in results. The contrast between starting from scratch with whole fruits and herbs, transforming them into liquid form, and using direct extracts of specific activities was striking. Our teams tested both methods, and it became clear that the traditional, painstaking process was favoured.

For instance, for our Potatoes and Saffron Eye Mask, the purest extract we created had a slight tingling effect, causing some initial concern, but it proved highly effective when used as intended. On the other hand, the product containing a small percentage of the same active ingredient in a bottle lacked the tingling sensation and did not deliver the promised overall benefits. Similarly, we worked with tamarind, utilising three different varieties of the fruit to create a product rather than using odourless, white powdered extracts. The contrast in how these formats interacted with the skin was significant. We were determined to uphold our old-school method, despite the additional time and effort that went in. This commitment to preserving traditional techniques is one of the most challenging yet fulfilling aspects. 

What is the source of inspiration for selecting the ingredient mix that goes into each of the products?

When I personally worked on formulations with my team, we delved into a plethora of ingredients like potatoes and tamarind, each carefully selected for their potential to address specific skincare concerns. We’re not just a maintenance brand; we also specialise in  tackling issues while maintaining overall skin health.

During the formulation process, we scrutinised each ingredient, considering their efficacy in addressing particular problems. This led us to experiment with multiple formulations before arriving at the ones that seemed to be most promising. 

For example, while experimenting with tamarind, we were amazed by the results, leading us to include it in our product line-up. Similarly, we explored the many uses of coffee beans, from addressing cellulite to promoting skin radiance. Red sandalwood, with its many benefits, also earned its place in our range. Additionally, we incorporated Indian spices known for their natural properties such as controlling oil production, preventing acne and offering protection against fungal and bacterial issues.

Handpicked ingredients including spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and saffron, fruits like banana and mango, cooking staples like rice, carrot, beetroot, potato and mint, as well as coffee and tamarind make for most of each product’s formulation

Handpicked ingredients including spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and saffron, fruits like banana and mango, cooking staples like rice, carrot, beetroot, potato and mint, as well as coffee and tamarind make for most of each product’s formulation

When I personally worked on formulations with my team, we delved into a plethora of ingredients like potatoes and tamarind, each carefully selected for their potential to address specific skincare concerns, shares Smita Vallurupalli

When I personally worked on formulations with my team, we delved into a plethora of ingredients like potatoes and tamarind, each carefully selected for their potential to address specific skincare concerns, shares Smita Vallurupalli

How will Old School’s products crack into a market that is saturated with science-backed, chemical actives-enriched formulations?

I’ve always believed that even in a saturated market, Old School will always have its own unique space. This is primarily due to the effort that goes into each product, from the procurement of ingredients to the final packaging. Our focus has always been on the actual results delivered by the products, not just on the branding or packaging. 

Who is an Old School consumer, according to you?

Old School is suitable for anyone who embraces a pure, clean, natural lifestyle and desires a distinct skincare experience.It caters to a wide range of individuals, from babies to adults. When asked about our target age group, it’s challenging for me to pinpoint because we’ve carefully curated products with people of all ages in mind. Old School is more than just a skincare brand; it’s a community of individuals who enjoy hearing stories and share a love for the natural and authentic. 

Are there any unresolved consumer pain points that Old School hopes to address? 

I believe that sometimes, we’re drawn to a product because of its attractive packaging, the way it’s presented, or simply because someone recommended it. However, what really makes a product special is when you love it from every aspect—how it looks, how it feels, its scent, and most importantly, the results it delivers. Personally, I struggled to stick with one product that I couldn’t do without, which is what led me to build products that would fill that void.  We’ve confidently launched 32 products and are now preparing to introduce another three very soon.

In most of our products, our active ingredient percentages are quite high, ranging from 55 to 100 per cent—except, the active ingredients are natural, says Smita Vallurupalli

In most of our products, our active ingredient percentages are quite high, ranging from 55 to 100 per cent—except, the active ingredients are natural, says Smita Vallurupalli

During the formulation process, the brand scrutinised each ingredient, considering their efficacy in addressing particular problems,  before arriving at the ones that seemed to be most promising 

During the formulation process, the brand scrutinised each ingredient, considering their efficacy in addressing particular problems, before arriving at the ones that seemed to be most promising 

How does the brand plan to communicate with your consumer who is either burdened by information or has become too comfortable with products laden with active ingredients?

It is crucial for customers to know what’s inside the bottle and what they’re applying on their skin, particularly the active ingredients. In most of our products, our active ingredient percentages are quite high, ranging from 55 to 100 per cent—except, the active ingredients are natural. While we aim to avoid overwhelming customers with excessive information, we prioritise transparency in our formulation process. We provide the relevant information on our website so that customers have access to complete details.

Is there one product that you would highly recommend?

That is a challenging question because of the love and effort we’ve poured into building the range. However, for hair care, I believe a real problem-solver is our 63 Herb Hair Oil. Another product I can't do without is the Red Sandalwood and Saffron Cleansing Powder Face Wash—it is almost like an express clean-up for your face every morning and evening. Lastly, our Kumkumadi Saffron Essentials Face Elixir is a unique take on kumkumadi—something you might not have experienced before.

Also Read: NASO Profumi is set to rewrite the rules of homegrown luxury perfumery

Also Read: For Purearth’s founder Kavita Khosa, ‘clean beauty’ isn’t a mere buzzword

Also Read: Katrina Kaif believes Kay Beauty’s success goes beyond its products


Subscribe for More

Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to access exclusive content and expert insights.

subscribe now