10 Indian Beauty Brands You Need On Your Shelf

Today, we’re seeing more and more Indian cultural influence in the beauty space.

The only problem is, historically, there’s been a lack of actual Indian founders at the helm of brands.

Thankfully, things are starting to shift, and a steady flow of South Asian businesspeople have entered the market, with products that are both efficacious and tell the authentic story of their shared heritage.

From a makeup artist focused on filling a void in the market, to sisters imparting beauty wisdom passed down through their families for generations, these founders are inspiring us with their innovative products.

It’s no wonder that Ayurveda and Indian beauty and wellness, in general, have a legion of fans: it’s earned it.

Whilst it would be great to see big retailers encouraging Indian-owned brands more, we can harness our purchasing power and go direct to the source.

Therefore, without any further ado, DESIblitz presents 10 Indian beauty brands you need on your shelf.

Byredo

Ben Gorham – of fashion-fave fragrance, beauty and lifestyle house Byredo – hails from Sweden, and was born to an Indian mother and a Canadian father.

He’s woven his Indian heritage into some of the products by the brand, namely the Chai candle and fragrance Flowerhead which smells very distinctly of Indian jasmine.

He told The Cut: “My mother is Indian, so I travelled there many times from birth, and I have quite vivid smells associated with those trips.”

Natasha Moor Cosmetics

As a makeup artist who has worked throughout Asia and the Middle East, over the years, Natasha Moor constantly found that many of her clients couldn’t find makeup shades to suit their skin tone.

Natasha Moor launched her namesake cosmetics line in 2018, and it can now be found in Sephora stores around Asia, as well as on Amazon and Macys.

A true global citizen, Natasha grew up in Hong Kong, went to college in London, has lived in Dubai, and moved to Los Angeles at the beginning of 2022.

But wherever she goes, Natasha hears from women with skin of colour that they have finally found a lipstick that compliments their shade, thanks to her inclusive line.

Her star makeup product is the Conceal & Conquer Kit.

Natasha adheres to the makeup philosophy that no one needs to hide their entire face with foundation, so the kit includes a colour corrector for dark circles and two concealers, so you can conceal redness, blemishes, and imperfections without completely covering your skin.

The corrector and cream concealer both look like lipsticks making them portable and easy to apply.

Live Tinted

Based in the US, this cult brand is the creation of beauty influencer Deepica Mutyala, who wanted to build a multi-cultural community to discuss all things beauty, after being fed up with not seeing anyone like her included in magazines.

Since then she’s launched her own brand Live Tinted, whose hero product is the Huestick, which utilises the traditional make-up artist trick to hide dark circles using a red-toned colour corrector.

The handy sticks can also be used on lips, eyes and cheeks.

Shaz & Kiks

Sisters Shaz Rajashekar and Kiku Chaudhuri grew up in India watching their grandmothers and aunts create beauty products with natural ingredients from their kitchens and gardens.

These Ayurvedic beauty rituals helped shape who the sisters became as women and their mindset around beauty practices.

In 2020, the pair launched their haircare collection to modernise and share those familial beauty formulas, passed down through the generations, with the Western world.

The result is a collection of plant-based products that focus on the entire ecosystem of hair.

Made from natural, raw ingredients grown on small Indian farms, the products also happen to look and smell unique from other hair products on the market.

Their star beauty product is the Back to Your Roots Scalp-Hair Prewash.

Made with oil-balancing, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients like amla, turmeric, rice bran and orange, the 80% plant-based prewash is available in two formulas: one for fine to medium hair, and one for curly textures.

To use, apply to dry hair before washing to help balance the scalp, nourish the hair follicles, and create a protective seal on your hair to prevent damage, dryness, and frizz.

Mauli Rituals

This luxe ayurvedic brand is the brainchild of Anita and Bittu Kaushal who are immersed in the world of Ayurveda.

Interestingly, Anita studied Ayurveda and Bittu’s father is an ayurvedic doctor.

Mauli is an amalgamation of their passion and traditional ayurvedic principles all wrapped up in beautiful, shelfie-worthy packaging.

Try the Spirited Kapha Body Oil which makes for the ultimate post-shower, pre-work ritual to alleviate that morning sluggish feeling and help energise you for the day ahead.

Kulfi

A veteran beauty industry executive, Priyanka Ganjoo grew tired of never seeing South Asians represented in the space, so she created Kulfi to fill the gap.

The brand launched at the beginning of 2021 with a collection of eyeliners made with aloe vera and vitamin E, making the formulas super creamy for an easy, glide-on application, while still offering exceptional colour payoff.

Giving back is at the centre of the brand, and since mental health conversations are often suppressed in South Asian cultures, Priyanka is committed to partnering with mental health organisations as the brand continues to grow.

The brand’s star makeup product is the Underlined Kajal Eyeliner in Tiger Queen.

A stunning terracotta colour, the shade lends itself to gorgeous Autumn-inspired eye looks.

It also happens to layer beautifully with the other colours in the collection — an intentional design to encourage creativity and self-expression when applying makeup.

Chämpo

Created by Kuldeep Knox who was inspired by her grandmother’s beautiful luscious hair secrets, this Ayurveda-inspired brand is created and produced in the UK.

Chämpo means shampoo in Sanskrit and all you have to do is take the online quiz, work out your dosha and select the products that cater to your hair type.

Simple, effective and super-cool way to add a little Ayurveda to your life.

UMA

When Shrankhla Holecek moved to Beverly Hills from India, she found the misappropriations of Indian rituals and Ayurveda galling.

Fuelled with a sense of wanting to change she harnessed the ingredients grown in her family’s meadow, she created a range of Ayurveda-inspired skincare, based on the properties of beautiful, nourishing oil blends.

Prakti

It’s no surprise if Prakti Beauty founder Pritika Swarup’s face looks familiar.

The internationally-acclaimed model has appeared in campaigns for countless brands way before moving into skincare.

Prakti Swarup recently graduated from Columbia University with a degree in finance and is now pursuing her MBA at Columbia Business School.

With more than enough qualifications under her belt, Prakti launched a luxury skincare line committed to creating quality products through ethical sourcing and manufacturing practices, with recyclable packaging.

Her star product is the Prakti PritiPolish Instant Glow Exfoliator.

When a brand launches with just one product, you know it’s designed to impress, and PritiPolish doesn’t disappoint.

Made with Ayurvedic ingredients like rice powder, pomegranate extract, arnica extract, and vetiver root oil, the face scrub leaves your skin fresh and soft.

The scrub starts as a white powder that you scoop out with the accompanying copper spoon, designed to measure the exact amount you need for one scrub.

Next, mix in water and watch as the powder turns into a gorgeous lilac paste. You can customise your exfoliation level by simply using more or less water.

D.S. & Durga

This US-based brand is part Indian owned by Kavi Ahuja and is the epitome of Brooklyn hipster chic.

Their fragrances are beyond unusual – inspired by everything from death rituals to violin bowmakers.

They even have one called Radio Bombay which is described as: “Transistor radio hewn of sandalwood radiates ragas in the Bandra heat.

“Hot copper tubes warm the soft wood releasing blooms of must, cream, peach, ambrette, coco, cedar distillates.”

For the majority of Indian women, a good beauty regimen is natural and has a legacy component that is mostly Ayurvedic.

Recipes for that perfect face mask or scrub go back generations and can usually be mixed quickly in a bowl with ingredients from the kitchen or local grocery.

Skin goals have remained unchanged over centuries. Good skin is clean and even-toned.

These Indian brands truly offer the best in beauty.