These are the minds shaping products that work harder, last longer, and actually belong in your routine.
Indian beauty feels electric right now. Not in the overproduced, ad-campaign kind of way, but in the under-the-skin, something’s-changing kind of way. The beauty scene isn’t being driven by whoever can shout the loudest, it’s being shaped by founders who actually listen, know what they’re doing, who understand what works for their consumers and why. It’s not just a shot in the dark, it’s emotional and more thought-led.
It’s in the formulations of makeup products that don’t irritate the skin. The skincare that doesn’t melt on your face the second you step into the sun. The perfumes that smell like memory, not like you’ve been dipped in it. These brands aren’t churning out launches just to fill a grid or your vanity. They’re choosing their battles, perfecting their formulas, and putting out products that stand the test of both weather and attention span.
What’s refreshing is how unhurried it all feels. No wild claims about ‘changing the game.’ No flash-in-the-pan hype drops. Just good, thoughtful beauty that makes sense in our vanity or skincare routine. The kind you keep going back to, finishing bottles and jars without even realising it and in the process, leaving behind all those impulse buys that never made it past week two.
These five names prove that the real story in Indian beauty right now isn’t in the noise, it’s in the staying power of products you actually use up, and the people making them worth every last drop.
Aminu – Some heroes wear a cap
With Aminu, it’s never a one-night stand—it’s a committed relationship your skin actually thanks you for. Prachi and Aman’s years of careful formulation show in every product, but the Vitamin C Body Oil has my whole heart. As someone who loathes sticky moisturisers, this one’s a dream; silky, light, and somehow still deeply nourishing. It’s fixed my dry skin and maybe even my life, leaving me with zero excuses to skip moisturising, no matter the season.
So, I asked Prachi what it really takes to keep a brand this honest.
What do you think Indian skincare consumers still get wrong about ingredient-first beauty?
Prachi: “People often think ‘ingredient-first’ means chasing the most trending molecule of the month, maxing out the percentage, and calling it a day, like a skincare’s version of a trending reel audio. At Aminu, skin isn’t a percentage race, it’s a living organ with a memory. Ingredients work in ecosystems, not isolation. It’s like thinking one superfood will keep you healthy forever without sleep, water, or balance. That’s why most of the resources at Aminu are spent in the lab. Over the years, the team at Aminu has evaluated more than 5,000 molecules and chosen just 200 to work with. Because ingredient-first isn’t about throwing in the loudest active, it’s more about building a formula that makes your skin feel understood.”
How do you decide what not to launch?
Prachi: “The toughest calls we make as founders of Aminu aren’t about what to create, they’re about what to say No to. Every product uses skin’s bandwidth. and that bandwidth is finite. Skin can only handle so many formulas, textures, and actives before it starts pushing back with irritation, breakouts, or just plain fatigue.
It’s easy to make something new because the lab can, or because it would look beautiful in a flat lay. But our job is also to protect the customer from overload and not contribute to it. If we add something to their shelf, it should free up space in their routine, not clutter it.
So we run every idea through a tough filter: Will this product solve a real, specific skin problem better than anything they already own? Does it adapt to different skin moods, climates, and lifestyles? And will it still feel relevant five years from now? If the answer isn’t a confident yes, we don’t make it.”
What makes a product worth keeping around forever?
Prachi: “A forever product isn’t built for a trend cycle, it’s built for a lifetime of skin changes. If it can survive different climates, hormonal swings, stress phases, and still feel like your skin’s safe place and delivers, it’s earned its spot. The day a formula stops earning results or staying relevant to science, it’s out. The ones that stay are the ones that become muscle memory in your routine, the bottle you reach for without thinking. That’s when you know it’s not just a product. It’s essential for skin essential.”
Simply Nam – Products that are sprinkled with ‘Pixie’ dust
Namrata and Hannah make fixes you only realise you need once they’ve quietly moved into your routine. Pixie Dust, their liquid highlighter, did exactly that for me — now I can’t imagine doing my makeup without it. It’s light, buildable, humidity-proof, and gives that perfect luminous glow that just works every single time.
To understand how Simply Nam balances artistry with real-life needs, I spoke to the founders about their journey and challenges.
How do you balance makeup artistry with real-life utility?
Nam: “As a makeup artist, I’ve always believed that beauty should be effortless, empowering, and never intimidating. My years of working with Indian women—across different skin tones, textures, and climates—have shown me that makeup needs to perform both on camera and in everyday life. So with Simply Nam, I ask myself one key question: Would I use this on my bride, and would someone else use it at 8 AM before rushing to work? Every product we create is thoughtfully formulated to do both—something you can quickly apply on a busy morning, and i still feel confident, put together, and beautiful all day.”
What’s something that seemed easy to launch but turned out to be a serious challenge?
Nam: “One thing we underestimated was how complex it is to perfect the undertones of our colour products for Indian skin. At first, it felt like a straightforward process but we soon realized how nuanced Indian skin tones and undertones are. Developing shades that flatter every undertone, work in every climate and still feel elevated and wearable took months of testing, tweaking, and starting over. It pushed us to go deeper into R&D than we initially planned, but the results were worth every step.”
Hanna: “One of the first products we launched was our Makeup Remover Towel and while it may have looked like a simple, fuss-free product, creating it was far from easy. As a beauty brand, people naturally expected us to debut with a makeup product but we chose to launch with a towel instead. I designed the original packaging on Canva myself and managed the entire process with no big team or agency support. Finding the perfect fabric that was gentle yet effective, reusable yet luxurious, took months of trial and error. It may have looked like just a towel, but it laid the foundation for what Simply Nam stands for – practical innovation, thoughtful design, and putting real-life needs first.”
What feeling do you want to leave someone with when they use Simply Nam for the first time?
Nam: “Empowered — but also seen. We want them to feel like this product was made for them— their skin, their routine, their lifestyle. That it fits effortlessly into their day and still adds something special.”
Hanna: “Simply Nam is about embracing your beauty, not masking it. Whether it’s our blush, lip crème, or kajal — we want that first use to feel like a moment of self-recognition, joy, and confidence. Almost like, ‘Finally, someone got it.’”
Juicy Chemistry: A Proof that organic can mean serious skincare
The clean beauty tag might have lost its meaning over time, but Megha has kept Juicy Chemistry grounded by focusing on what matters and their Blood Orange & Rosehip Lip Scrub proves it. It smooths my lips without feeling like sandpaper, and the citrusy scent makes the whole thing feel like a tiny mood lift. My lips are sensitive, and this is one of the few scrubs that leaves them softer without that raw, overdone feeling.
I deep-dived with the founders to closely understand their thought process about the brand:
What does the word “organic” actually mean to you today?
Megha: “The word organic means far more to us today than it did when we first started out over a decade ago. Back then, it was a philosophy we strongly believed in — today, it’s a responsibility we carry with even greater intent.
At Juicy Chemistry, “organic” isn’t just a marketing claim — it’s a full-circle commitment. It’s the rigorous due diligence we carry out on behalf of our customers to ensure that every single ingredient, formulation, storage material, packaging component, and marketing claim is fully traceable, transparent, and validated.
Each product we create proudly carries a certified organic logo — not as a badge of honour, but as a mark of integrity. It signals to the consumer that this product has been thoroughly vetted from soil to shelf, is cruelty-free, sustainably sourced, and verified by competent third-party certifying bodies.”
Was there a moment where you realised this wasn’t just a niche idea anymore?
Megha: “To be honest, when we first started out, we didn’t know any better. We took suppliers at their word when they said something was “natural” or “organic.” But the deeper we dug, the more we realised that there’s so much more beneath the surface — and that “organic” isn’t just about what goes into a product, but how it’s grown, sourced, processed, and packaged.
It was this process of questioning everything — from soil to shelf — that changed everything for us. The more we learned, the more we passed that knowledge on to our customers. And the more we did that, the more their trust grew.
The real turning point — when we knew this wasn’t just a niche idea anymore — came when we saw a direct correlation between the quality of our ingredients and the efficacy our customers experienced. That’s when it clicked: Clean, organic formulations weren’t just a “nice to have” — they were performing.”
When the brand started growing, what was the one thing you refused to compromise on?
Megha: “The one thing we’ve never compromised on — and never will — is ingredient integrity.
Growth often comes with temptations — to scale faster, to cut corners, to use cheaper alternatives, to loosen standards “just a little.” But we’ve always drawn a hard line when it comes to what goes into our formulations. Whether it’s sourcing certified organic ingredients, sticking to cold-pressed extraction methods, or undergoing the exhaustive COSMOS certification process — we’ve held our ground, even when it made operations slower or more expensive.
For us, growth has never been about volume — it’s been about trust. And trust can only be built (and kept) when you stay true to your values, even as the stakes get higher.”
FHair – Haircare that brings out my ‘mane’ character energy
Indian haircare is packed with predictable launches and tired salon jargon, but Florian is changing the script with Fhair. Their range caters to all kinds of hair concerns, but for me, it was the Sensitive Scalp Shampoo that won. It calmed my scalp and left my hair so silky-soft, I’m convinced a feather could’ve slipped right off; no exaggeration.
It got me wondering how Florian makes space for something genuinely new in haircare so I asked him about the thought-process of launching Fhair.
What made you feel there was still space for something new in haircare?
Florian: “Haircare is closely connected to our identity and how we feel about ourselves. I realized that even though there are many products in the market, very few are designed with a genuine understanding of Indian hair textures, climate, and lifestyle. With fhair, I wanted to combine my years of experience in global fashion and beauty with solutions that actually work for us here. It wasn’t just about creating something new; it was about making something relevant, thoughtful, and personal.”
How do you make a product feel luxurious without making it inaccessible?
Florian: “Luxury is a feeling. It’s like how a fragrance lingers, how a formula melts into your hair, and how you feel instantly elevated. At fhair, we choose ingredients and packaging that create that experience. However, we also believe that beauty should empower, not exclude. Our goal is to offer high-quality, sensory experiences at a price that feels reasonable. We want luxury to be part of everyday life, not just a rare treat.”
What’s one haircare myth you wish would finally disappear?
Florian: “The idea that “more product” means “better results.” Using too much can actually weigh your hair down and lead to buildup. At fhair, we think it’s not about the quantity, but about selecting the right formula and using it properly. The right care is about balance, not excess.”
NASO Profumi – Fragrances that sticks through the end of time
Astha’s fragrances for Naso are rooted in memory and mood. With Naso, it’s not about overwhelming the senses; it’s about fragrances that live with you. Each blend sits on the skin like a memory you didn’t realise you were missing until it’s there. The scents evolve through the day, lingering without ever feeling heavy or cloying, holding their own in heat, travel, and everything in between. You keep reaching for that same bottle, noticing how it works just as well on a workday as it does for dinner out.
The stories behind Naso’s intimate fragrances emerged when I understood Astha’s inspirations and brand philosophy.
How does a new fragrance begin for you? What’s the first spark?
Astha: “A new fragrance begins with emotion – a symphony of thoughts, feelings, memories, gestures, nostalgia, desires, and needs. It’s the quiet vibration within you, where peace and elation meet.”
How do you protect the soul of a slow, small-batch brand in an industry obsessed with scale?
Astha: “We create by embracing uniqueness – never the run-of-the-mill, never echoing the familiar notes that saturate the market. Each blend is guided by the emotion it evokes, crafted to heal and to connect. We care deeply for the ingredients we choose, ensuring every element serves both the senses and the soul.”
What’s the first thing you want someone to feel when they wear Naso?
Astha: “With Naso, we want you to feel a sense of belonging—fragrance that carries your personality in its notes, speaking directly to you. It’s about feeling truly yourself, authentic in your skin, illuminated with brightness, elation, and an effortless sensuality.”
Esha Tiwari – Scents that evoke memories
Kastoor doesn’t smell like something you picked up at duty free. It smells like somewhere you’ve been, even if you can’t place it. Esha Tiwari works with raw, natural ingredients, crafting blends that unfold slowly like a memory you don’t want to pause. There’s a tenderness in the way she builds each scent, a refusal to overwhelm. I asked Esha what it means to build a perfume that becomes part of someone’s life.
When you start creating a new fragrance, do you begin with a scent in mind or a feeling you want to evoke?
Esha: “A new fragrance, for me, never begins in the lab. It begins as a feeling I can’t name yet. Can be a memory, a desire, an emotion, even texture. The first spark is always sensory, but not always olfactory. The scent grows out of that moment. I find myself digging into the small, almost invisible cultural micro-moments of India: the way turmeric smells different when it’s ground fresh in a stone mortar, the faint sweetness of incense clinging to the bell brass, the sour edge of mango skin left in the sun. I sit with these fragments until they start to speak to each other, and then I begin to translate that conversation into notes. I’ll carry it for days, sometimes months. Many times it’s emotions first – at every intersection, I ask myself what do I want the wearer to feel with this. And then ingredients are mapped accordingly.”
What’s the hardest compromise you’ve ever had to make while bringing a fragrance to market?
Esha: “For me, it’s about guarding the parts of the process no one sees. Kastoor is very intent first. Intuition first. Community first. And effort first. The hours spent creating the exact note. We do the same with our every release. The detailing is never compromised. It’s more joy than a challenge.
If someone wears your perfume every day for a year, what do you hope it changes for them?
Esha: “It’s an emotion I have spent my whole life navigating and alchemising. Through people, places and moments. With Kastoor, I want that fit to be effortless – collapsing distance, collapsing time, slipping into a feeling like it’s always been yours.”
ALSO READ :
Lavenderoom’s Fragrant Friday: Introducing Kastoor’s Modern Ittars
The Lavenderoom Fragrance Edit: Scented Stories with Naso Profumi
Lavenderoom Beauty Brunch: A Sensory Experience with Dr. Blossom Kochhar
