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

subscribe now subscribe cover image
Rituparna Som profile imageRituparna Som

“If I had to summarise it, it’s honesty and purpose. That’s the path I’m on now” - Deepika Padukone

Is Deepika Padukone’s new brand beauty or self-care?

“We decided to start with skincare because it is not only a ritual, it is an important ritual. About taking moments for yourself, mindfully. It felt authentic to the brand's journey.”

Audrey Lorde, a radical African-American activist, first articulated self-care as an act of self-preservation. Over time, however, self-care as an act of self-preservation has been stripped of its complex meaning. But, particularly as a reaction to 2020, self-care has become a mega buzzword. A tenet to live by. 

We've been cut adrift with loss and grief tearing through us all. Self-care has become the path to connect back to ourselves. Thankfully, it’s no longer about indulging in bottomless buckets of ice cream circa the 1990s and noughties. Instead, it’s about tougher acts—showing up for challenging sessions of therapy or deciding to quit a toxic relationship, professional or personal. Self-care is about putting yourself first in a way that is good for your mind and body in the long term. It’s preached but rarely practised.

One of the easiest ways to get ownership of yourself has been through a routine. And often, it’s been a beauty routine—indulgent, nourishing, comforting. Enter Deepika Padukone, actor, mental health advocate, and now an entrepreneur with her new brand 82º East (named after the longitude that runs India). Getting straight to the point, branding a moisturiser and a sunscreen as ‘self-care’ and not merely beauty is a smart move. The Indian beauty and personal care market is not just competitive but promises unprecedented growth in the next decade. It’s the 8th largest industry globally valued at 15 billion dollars and is expected to double by 2030. Of course, everyone wants a piece of the pie. 

“WE DECIDED TO START WITH SKINCARE BECAUSE IT IS NOT ONLY A RITUAL BUT AN IMPORTANT RITUAL. ABOUT TAKING MOMENTS FOR YOURSELF, MINDFULLY”

Deepika Padukone

Padukone was among the first public figures to speak loudly about her own experiences with depression. And everyone took her seriously. Millennials and Gen Z have been unapologetic about prioritising their mental health, and to have one of India’s leading stars advocate so plainly meant more headlines and changing corporate policies. The National Mental Health Survey of India reported that 3 per cent of India’s youth had experienced a major depressive episode. More have experienced emotional distress with symptoms of anxiety and depression. And these are just numbers from what is reported and talked about. Think of the millions who are undiagnosed. It might seem pithy to label beauty products as acts of self-care. But it’s not quite so simple.

It’s a conservative release—the website lists two products, Ashwagandha Bounce and Patchouli Glow

It’s a conservative release—the website lists two products, Ashwagandha Bounce and Patchouli Glow

The Ashwagandha Bounce is described as a lightweight moisturiser. Ashwagandha is known as a powerful antioxidant, tackling pigmentation and inflammation

The Ashwagandha Bounce is described as a lightweight moisturiser. Ashwagandha is known as a powerful antioxidant, tackling pigmentation and inflammation

Routine has been proven to be very beneficial for major depressive disorders. And a beauty routine is often the easiest way to take care of oneself, whether it’s a shower you’ve somehow managed that day or applying sunscreen to protect yourself. And yes, as Lorde pointed out, these are really acts of self-preservation, a giant ‘fuck you’ to the disordered chemicals in your body and brain. So why shouldn’t an ashwagandha moisturiser and sunscreen qualify as products to enable self-care? 

Padukone explains in our interview with her, “We are a self-care brand, and skincare was the most organic category for us to start with. Because it will be more than that,” she says, without wanting to give away too much. “We decided to start with skincare because it is not only a ritual but an important ritual. About taking moments for yourself, mindfully. It felt authentic to the brand’s journey.” 

Deepika Padukone, actor, mental health advocate, and now an entrepreneur with her new brand 82º East pictured with the brand's co-founder Jigar Shah

Deepika Padukone, actor, mental health advocate, and now an entrepreneur with her new brand 82º East pictured with the brand's co-founder Jigar Shah

The brand has been a closely guarded secret, with NDAs whisked back and forth. It also took more than a couple of years to come about. “Actual on-ground work has been two or more years,” says Padukone. “But there was a lot of back and forth for almost a year before that. Are we ready for it? How do we do it? What should we do? What should the category be?”

Padukone has been an investor in several interesting start-ups before, but 82º East is a first for her as an entrepreneur of her own brand. “Don’t even ask! It’s been the most daunting but also the most enriching. I can’t even find the adjectives to describe what we feel—whether it’s holding the first product or [seeing] the first creative. To see that you have built something from just concept, that emotion of building something or creating something is indescribable. No, wait. It’s inexplicable!” she says. 

It’s a conservative release—the website lists two products, Ashwagandha Bounce and Patchouli Glow. The former is described as a lightweight moisturiser. Ashwagandha is known as a powerful antioxidant, tackling pigmentation and inflammation. Patchouli Glow on the other hand is…interesting. Natural sunscreens are generally considered unsafe, but this one lists Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate in its ingredients, a new generation chemical sunscreen that protects against UVA rays, which is supposed to work well on sensitive skin and is environmentally safe. It also has Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, an organic sunscreen filter, proven to not have any effect on the DNA of a cell (so even if it does get absorbed in the skin, there is no danger). The moisturiser is priced at Rs 2,700 for 50 ml and the sunscreen Rs 1,800 for 30 ml. The latter seems steeper, considering the amount that is required for daily use for the product to be effective. 

Launching a beauty brand today is a complicated process. Honesty, transparency, ethics, sustainability, and diversity are as important as the product’s efficacy. It’s not the 1980s when a celebrity could peddle a hanger, and it would sell out. Instead, celebrities launching a brand are scrutinised and questioned even more so. And in such a competitive business, with so much information that any layperson can double check and question, it’s also a scary step. “I think a firm no [for me for this brand] would be anything inauthentic to who I am,” says Padukone. “If I had to summarise it, it’s honesty and purpose. That’s the path I’m on now. And I’ve been on it for everything I do and say. I do everything with meaning and purpose, even if it’s the smallest act, moving a pencil from point A to point B, I will do it mindfully.”

Patchouli Glow is a natural sunscreen that lists Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate in its ingredients, a new generation chemical sunscreen that protects against UVA rays, which is supposed to work well on sensitive skin and is environmentally safe

Patchouli Glow is a natural sunscreen that lists Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate in its ingredients, a new generation chemical sunscreen that protects against UVA rays, which is supposed to work well on sensitive skin and is environmentally safe

82º East is named after the longitude that runs India. Pictured here: Jigar Shah

82º East is named after the longitude that runs India. Pictured here: Jigar Shah

So, self-care. Would you spend Rs 2,700 on a moisturiser? Granted the brand is asking you to take a moment for yourself first, through a simple act of putting cream on your face. The bright, glowing skin is an afterthought. As psychologist Seerut Chawla posted recently on Instagram, “the difference between pseudo healing and actual healing (‘following every Insta-therapy account’ versus ‘taking adult responsibility’) might be a lot, but it’s the pseudo healing that starts us off on this difficult path. So, if a jar of cream can help you anchor yourself, slather it on. But perhaps make sure that’s not where you get stuck. Even if it is with amazing, glowing skin.

Also Read: Priyanka Chopra Jonas is bridging the gap between her and global dominance at a sublime speed

Also Read: Why are celebrities launching their own beauty brands?

Also Read: Diipa Büller-Khosla on the challenges of launching her skincare line indē wild while pregnant


Subscribe for More

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

subscribe now