Interview: Kama Ayurveda Completes 25 Years In Skincare, Announces Gauravi Kumari as Brand Ambassador

Since 2002, Kama Ayurveda has brought hitherto unknown Ayurvedic formulations, passed on in oral traditions or stored in decaying scripts, to the limelight, creating a new generation of homegrown skincare. More than two decades later, they have earned the Butterfly mark, the only Indian brand to get this prestigious recognition for Positive Luxury. Yesterday, they announced Gauravi Kumari as their brand’s ambassador. Outlook Luxe got up close and personal with Vivek Sahni, the Founder of Kama Ayurveda, to understand their journey of a quarter century with a vision of bringing authentic Ayurvedic skincare to the world.

How has Kama Ayurveda evolved to appeal to the modern customer?

I believe that we are still the only authentic classical Ayurvedic brand – be it Kumkumadi, Bhringadi, or Nalpramadi, we have spent the last few years redefining these formulations. We have a whole team on R&D. It is a classical formulation, codified thousands of years ago. Things get lost in oral translation. Things are also written as poems – for instance, the Kumkumadi formulation said your face will look like a full moon! We went back to the original texts to understand the original formulations and made many discoveries. For instance, we realised that classical Kumkumadi has to be processed in goat’s milk and not cow’s milk to make it more effective. Or that the Kashmiri saffron in Kumkumadi has to be picked and sealed instantly to preserve the crocin of it. We found a factory in South India where we do it, but the research took us 2.5 years. In the Kumkumadi that we make, about 600 flowers per bottle are used. The concentration effect is very high. We have gone deeper into Ayurvedic formulation, and we have had the luxury of doing that because we have been around for very long time. We can afford to do all of that, while new brands can not afford to invest as much in research.

How are your latest serums in line with a busy daily routine?

We already had formats like creams and lotions. But we have made them more effective, with about 18 new versions of serums of all these formulations. If you were initially using the oil, now you have the serum to use that is multi-purpose. The base of the serum is also kumkumadi, but a bunch of other ingredients such as peptides have also been added. This way, you can use it under your makeup in the morning, as a base. We have got something for everyone. If you are a 21-year-old and don’t want to use oil on your face, you have the Urjasara, a light cream, Kumkumadi serum or essence, and all of them are clinically tested and trials have been done to prove efficacy.

Take us through Kama Ayurveda’s research process?

We have four full-time doctors doing R&D. We spent about three years going to universities, finding the papers, and figuring this out. For the Kumkumadi oil we went to the actual version, the classical version of it. But we optimised the ingredients – picking the saffron, for instance. It is packed by us immediately in Kashmir. There is someone from our plant overseeing it on the fields. We use Kashmiri saffron as it is the only one that has the maximum efficacy. If we use any other kind, it won’t have the same effect. We harvest it in front of our eyes, as adulteration is huge in this market. Modern science has taught us that if we process it this way, there is a very high concentration of Vitamin A, Vitamin C which are naturally occurring. So then you don’t need to apply another serum, because it has it all naturally.

We apply science in two ways in our production, one in the backend, and the other in the front-end. While backend would be investing in acquiring and processing quality ingredients, for the front-end, we make a silky serum, where the proportion of Kumkumadi is very low. We add essentials to it, all natural, to enhance the formula and make it multi-purpose.

What is your market share in the Ayurvedic segment of the beauty industry at the moment, and what did it take to get there?

That is something I’m not sure at the moment, but I will say this: Authentic Ayurvedic skincare is a segment where we are the only players. When I went to South India, I had never heard of kumkumadi and nalpramadi, and started making our products in 2003, people were very unsure of the names. At this point, they are household names. We are the pioneers for bringing authentic Ayurveda out of the country. We are the first people to do this in the brand-to-consumer way. We actually got into the consumer way.

Is Ayurvedic skincare in the luxury category?

I don’t think it is luxury. Because they’re often high quality to be authentic, if you’re following a classical formulation to a logical degree, the prices are going to be expensive. From a price point of view, it is in a luxury category, but in terms of quality and efficacy, it is a good return on investment. Because of the quality of ingredients.

Has Kama Ayurveda brought a change in your daily life?

All of these things happen simultaneously. Going to a temple, for instance is much more prevalent in the South of the country than up North, owing to a more hybridised culture here. People follow holistic practices, nobody has cold water, for instance, everything they drink has a jadibooti in it. Don’t dream of ice. No juice. As soon as you get up, you drink a glass of water. You definitely start incorporating some practices in your daily life.

So what is a chance encounter that made you discover this world?

We had done a project with the government, and it followed from there.