Scroll the Internet for any beauty tips and the floodgates open splashing multiple skincare routines — skincare for normal skin, oily and dry skin, nighttime skin care, Ayurvedic skincare, Korean skincare etc. Add to it recommendations on how many times you need to re-apply sunscreen in a day, or get a glass-skin effect! Then comes the endless chase of getting your hands on the right beauty product that has all the magical ingredients: retinols, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, all sorted.
In an era of long, complex, and multi-step skincare routines that leaves one confused, an intelligent skincare routine is the real luxury—one that works from a.m. to p.m., travels well, survives occasions, and doesn’t falter when the weather decides to play tricks. Bringing simplicity in the Indian skincare market, which is largely “polarised” with either botanical wisdom or advanced clinical formulas, beauty brand INAARA launches with a limited four product line. Carrying the essence of the botanical goodness of Hydrangea from Jeju Island, Lingonberry from Scandinavia, White Ginger from Madagascar to advanced lab-engineered actives, it’s touted as skin care that is “beyond borders, unburdened by complexity, inclusive and one that balances tradition and modernity.”
We speak to co-founder, Amrish Desai, with inputs from brand partner Radhikaraje Gaekwad, Maharani of Baroda on the new launch that is claimed to respect skin’s rhythm.
Q: What’s in the name INAARA?
A: This one is quite personal to me. I had gone through many iterations of possible names, but none of them felt inspired. Finally, it hit me, the three most important people in my life have been and will always be my inspiration for anything I do. My two daughters and my wife. Inaaya, Amaaya, Ruchira. Combining elements from their names, I came up with INAARA. The name also happens to have a beautiful meaning behind it: commonly meaning “illuminating”, “shining”, “radiance”, or “ray of light”. Often associated with brightness and enlightenment, it is a name used across many cultures, an ideology that is core to us.
Q: What made you bring just a 4-product line and not expand into other categories like sunscreen, balms, face masks etc., which are widely used these days?
A: We were very intentional about beginning with four. In a category that constantly expands (sunscreens, masks, mists, boosters, balms) it’s easy to launch breadth before depth. But INAARA was built on clarity, not volume. We wanted to perfect the foundation first: what the skin truly needs every single day. Protection in the morning, restoration at night. The four core formulations are designed to be complete, multi-benefit pillars. They hydrate, support the barrier, defend against environmental stressors, and encourage renewal. Before adding more, we wanted to ensure these essentials could stand on their own. Expansion will always be thoughtful. Never reactive.
Q: Which time-honoured practices are honoured with its creations?
A(Radhika): The practice of botanical wisdom, the ancient understanding that nature offers powerful allies for the skin. Across cultures, from Ayurvedic herbal infusions to Nordic berry extracts, plants have long been trusted for their resilience and vitality. The brand carries this reverence forward. Second, the ritual of simplicity. Many of our grandmothers did not rely on ten steps; they relied on consistency and intention. INAARA embraces that philosophy: fewer products, thoughtfully composed, designed to support the skin rather than overwhelm it. And finally, the tradition of respecting skin’s rhythm. Civilisations have long understood that day and night serve different purposes: protection in daylight, and restoration after dusk. The formulations honour that natural cycle, aligning with the skin’s need to defend, renew, and restore in harmony with time.
Q: We’re living in an age of 10-step skincare routines. How do you break away from that complexity and bring clarity to skincare?
A: In an era defined by product overload, we take the opposite stance: efficacy does not require excess. We design multi-benefit formulations that consolidate hydration, protection, and renewal into fewer, more intelligent steps. Rather than layering complexity onto the skin, we build synergy within the formula itself. Clarity is our luxury where fewer products, higher performance and nothing unnecessary is added to the routine.
Q: The products use Hydrangea, Lingonberry, Sea Buckthorn, White Ginger and several other key ingredients. Tell us in detail how they’re great for skin care?
A: Each of the ingredients was chosen to complement bi-phasic skincare. Our day products are packed with rich antioxidant ingredients chosen to not only provide lasting hydration throughout the day but also protect without overwhelming the skin. Our night products are formulated with skin longevity ingredients selected to deeply hydrate, restore and repair as you sleep. For instance, Hydrangea, sourced from Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea, is a potent, natural skincare ingredient rich in antioxidants (flavonoids) that boosts hydration, improves elasticity, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. It also acts as a soothing agent for sensitive skin, reducing irritation and inflammation, offers anti-photoaging benefits and works to even skin tone.
Lingonberry berries are native to Scandinavia and contain vitamins A, B, and C, as well as polyphenols that act as antioxidants. Antioxidants can help soothe the skin and protect it from oxidative damage caused by sun exposure, toxins, and pollutants. The extract calms inflammation and boosts hydration. It contains high levels of polyphenols and vitamins, which improve skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and help strengthen the skin barrier.
Sea Buckthorn is recently touted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its health benefits, it is also a potent, nutrient-rich skincare ingredient packed with vitamins C and E, which help combat free radical damage, protects the skin from environmental stressors and UV-induced damage, and has essential fatty acids (Omega-3, -6, -7, -9). It deeply moisturises, boosts collagen production, evens skin tone, and reduces inflammation, making it excellent for treating acne, eczema, rosacea, and premature ageing.
White Ginger is sourced from Madagascar. The root extract is a potent, multi-functional skincare ingredient that protects against blue light, UV, and pollution while providing anti-ageing, moisturising, and anti-inflammatory benefits. It boosts radiance, reduces skin redness, and supports cellular autophagy (detoxification).
Burdock Root is sourced from France. Its extract is a potent skin longevity ingredient that improves skin metabolism, stimulates collagen synthesis, and increases hyaluronan levels to visibly reduce wrinkles and regenerate dermal structures. Rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, it also soothes sensitive skin, aids in treating eczema and rosacea, and acts as a natural astringent for acne-prone skin.
Marine Plant Stem Cells are derived from the stems cells of the Sea Holly plant from the coast of France. It provides potent skin longevity, firming, and hydrating benefits. It also stimulates collagen and elastin production, improves skin density and elasticity, and defends against environmental stress with high antioxidant levels.
Q: What kind of rigid routines, cultural labels, and unnecessary complexity do you see in today’s skincare scenario?
A: Today’s skincare often feels prescriptive or hyperbolic. You’re told to double cleanse, tone, essence, serum, ampoule, cream, oil, in a precise order. Miss a step, and it feels like you’ve done something wrong. Adding to the confusion are the so-called all-in-one solutions: brighten, lighten, exfoliate, even skin tone, hydrate….all in one product. We also live in an age of cultural labels in skincare, where trends are often marketed through geography: Korean routine, French pharmacy minimalism, Japanese layering, Ayurvedic rituals etc. While these traditions are valuable, they’re sometimes reduced to labels. Consumers end up choosing a “school” of skincare rather than what truly suits their skin. We believe skin does not recognise borders.
Complexity is further added to skincare as consumers are layering acids over retinoids over vitamin C over peptides, as if more chemistry equals more results. But overloading the skin isn’t sophisticated. It’s stressful. The industry has convinced people that if their routine feels simple, it must be lacking. We disagree by building synergy inside the formula, so you don’t have to engineer it on your bathroom shelf.
Q: What’s that void in India’s skincare and beauty market that you aim to fill?
A: India’s skincare market is vibrant, but it’s also polarised. On one end, you have deeply traditional, ritual-heavy formulations rooted in Ayurveda. On the other hand, highly clinical brands focused almost exclusively on actives, percentages, and dermatological language. What felt missing to us was the space in between: a brand that is globally minded, yet culturally fluid. Also, there is a growing fatigue in the Indian consumer. Too many steps, too many launches, too many claims. The industry often rewards expansion over refinement with multiple products for multiple micro-concerns.
But the modern Indian consumer is evolving. She is well-travelled, well-informed, less interested in ritual for ritual’s sake, and more interested in performance that fits into real life. The brand was built for that shift. We aim to fill the void between heritage and high-performance science, and to offer clarity in a market that often equates abundance with luxury. For us, luxury is restraint, performance is without excess, and skincare is beyond borders, not limited by geography, trend cycles, or rigid systems.
