Why it’s about time Ayurveda catered to the new-age beauty consumer

Can Ayurveda’s rich heritage be preserved by making its use more indulgent and unchallenging? Qi Ayurveda is attempting to do just that 

Despite being the homeland of Ayurveda, it seems like a spanking new wave of the practice has precipitated in the last couple of years—not just in India, but across the world. The 3,000-year-old wisdom of Ayurvedic medicine became even more sought after during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, becoming a crucial part of the lives of several beauty and wellness enthusiasts alike.

But, this isn’t the first time the global beauty market has taken note of the benefits of Ayurveda. Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda, was inspired to launch the brand upon visiting India in the 1970s for an Ayurvedic retreat to create ‘botanical’ solutions for improved hair health. Over the years, other indie brands founded by the Indian diaspora such as Pratima Skincare, UMA Oils, Sahajan, Ranavant, Fable & Mane, Prakti Beauty, Shankara Naturals, and Rasasara also favoured the Ayurvedic route while developing their skin and haircare products. Closer home, brands like Forest Essentials, Kama Ayurveda and Purearth have successfully tapped international markets in response to the global fascination with Ayurvedic beauty products.

Today, the cumulative market size of Ayurvedic products in India is estimated at ₹748.5 billion, which is expected to touch a whopping ₹3,207.6 billion by 2032. Internationally, the market is projected to reach $16,018.42 million by 2032. Clearly, Ayurveda is here to stay. However, the conventional ways of Ayurveda seem to be giving consumerism a miss; a 2023 Mintel research reveals that 1 out of 5 Indian consumers find Ayurveda “old-fashioned”. Why is this so, despite its global ‘cool’ factor? “Difficult to understand Ayurveda”, “Unpleasant fragrance” and “Takes time to see results” are some common sentiments that the respondents of the survey put forth.

While some brands are persistently holding on to the age-old mechanisms of Ayurveda, Rajshree Pathy, an Ayurveda enthusiast, industrialist, artist and entrepreneur, is certain that Ayurveda must upgrade in accordance with the times, and thereby, its evolving consumers. With a mission to preserve honest Ayurveda’s existence, Pathy founded Qi (pronounced ‘chi’) Ayurveda, a beauty brand that brings together Ayurveda with modern science for the new-age consumer. In a chat with Pathy, she talks about the need for Ayurveda to evolve and how her nascent brand is spearheading the movement.

Understanding the basics

Pathy’s understanding of how much and what can be contemporised comes from her formative years. “Growing up in Coimbatore, an awareness of Ayurveda practices was natural to me,” begins Pathy. “My mother and aunt were avid users of Ayurvedic medicine and would indulge in weekly massages [using oils prepared with Ayurvedic recipes] and herbal hot water baths containing botanicals like eucalyptus, for instance. In fact, back in the day, even my father and cousin brothers had male therapists visiting home on Sundays for their oil massages,” she adds, explaining how weekends were dedicated to Ayurvedic rituals. “It was a time of relaxation and healing for us all.”

Geographically, Coimbatore—Pathy’s hometown—is  prominent amongst the few regions in India championing the culture of Ayurveda. “Coimbatore is well known for its Ayurveda institutions, like the 120-year-old Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP), and now Vaidyagrama Ayurveda and Swami Dayananda Jayavarthanavelu Ayurvedalaya,” mentions Pathy. The constant exposure to Ayurveda combined with its implementation in day-to-day life established Pathy as an aficionado of the Ayurvedic lifestyle — especially the beauty concoctions unique to Ayurvedic texts. This eventually led her to become one of the founding members of Kama Ayurveda in 2002.

“Kama Ayurveda was built on a mutual understanding between four friends and our collective vision to make people think of Ayurveda as a luxurious brand. Back then, people’s perception of Ayurveda was restricted to medicinal, herbal and foul-smelling products. Kama Ayurveda changed that. We contributed with what we knew best—and I think my exposure to Ayurveda and the fraternity was useful then.” Within a few years of Kama Ayurveda’s launch, Pathy moved away from the brand, as the seed of a futuristic approach towards Ayurveda had been sown in her mind.

Conventional Ayurvedic beauty and its challenges

Owing to the nature of how authentic Ayurveda operates, it simply cannot offer cosmetic elegance, convenience and a pleasurable experience. To transform this character of Ayurvedic beauty products was the starting point for Qi Ayurveda’s inception. “The general perception of Ayurveda is that it is an age-old medicinal healing system, which it is. It continues to treat ailments effectively. However, traditional Ayurvedic remedies consist of dark, dense oils and the intake of prescribed herbal concoctions,” says Pathy, highlighting that modern consumers neither have a comprehensive knowledge of Ayurveda, nor are they very receptive to the traditional means of imbibing it. Perhaps, that is what prompted her to launch her brand with a set of hair care products—hair oils, shampoos and conditioners for different concerns. “What we have created over the past decade are Ayurveda-based daily-use beauty products that aren’t only effective but also retain the potency of the ancient herbs,” she says.  

Catering to the new-age consumer

“I believe the time has come to integrate research in plant-based beauty technology from the west [with Ayurveda] to make the final product more effective, with faster results,” says Pathy. To achieve this, Pathy headed to Switzerland; Swiss beauty is believed to offer both quality and luxury. “Switzerland stands out for its reputation for purity and integrity; its certifications are one of the best in the world. So, I didn’t look elsewhere—I did not want to compromise on quality.” 

Throwing light on Qi Ayurveda’s debut collection, Pathy says, “Not many Ayurveda-based hair care products of high quality are available in the market. With my knowledge of the subject, I know for certain that specific oils exist to address the problems of scalp and hair for all genders—hair loss, dandruff, premature greying, an itchy scalp and so on. I decided that this was our priority first. Next, we will be addressing face care.” Specifying how she integrated modern science into her hair care range, she says, “We identified four of the most potent Ayurvedic hair oils which have proved, over hundreds of years, to assist in the aforementioned concerns. While our oils are pure thailams and come to you directly from the urulis or metal vessels that they are processed in (no carrier oils are added), we developed the shampoos and conditioners with these oils along with Swiss botanical actives to enhance their natural properties.” Meanwhile, the skincare line will feature state-of-the-art Swiss technology without compromising on the essential Ayurvedic ingredients. “We have already formulated our skincare, which will be released over the next 24 months.”

According to Pathy, the key to preserving Ayurveda’s rich heritage is by making it more indulgent and unchallenging in terms of usage. She is also cognisant of the new-age consumer’s shift towards modern chemical actives, and aspires to offer solutions that check these boxes. “The benefits of complementary medicine on our health and wellbeing are more relevant than ever as they counteract the impact of modern lifestyles on our sleep, stress, nutrition, as well as our social, mental and emotional well-being,” says Pathy. “Ayurveda is a proven medical science; its importance will only grow as the awareness of and interest in the practice multiples. However, unless we create products that are easily understood and accessible to today’s generations, this interest will remain within the walls of sanctified institutions practising clinical Ayurveda. Today, consumers are also looking for healthier, sustainable options with faster results. This is where Qi Ayurveda fits in,” she concludes.

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