South Asian Beauty Brands to Watch
South Asian beauty or Indian (I-beauty), as some like to call it, is having a well deserved moment right now in the US (we’ll be referring to South Asian-owned brands founded here in the States). Many of these brands are rooted in Ayurveda — an ancient system of medicine and healing — or associated with the vibrancy and diversity of South Asian culture. Given the increasing prevalence of brands that speak to skin of color and inclusion efforts in the beauty industry, this movement is positioned to become a formidable trend in the coming years (especially since it tends to align with the values of the clean beauty movement). In fact, the global Ayurvedic products market is set to more than triple in growth to reach $14.9 billion by 2026.
What’s interesting, though, is that despite the fact that so many wellness traditions we know and love today have origins in South Asia (think, yoga, turmeric lattes, or oiling our hair), South Asian cultural influence in the beauty sphere hasn’t quite progressed beyond DIY kitchen masks (like those featured by Priyanka Chopra in Vogue) or the incorporation of traditional ingredients such as holy basil, ashwagandha or amla in beauty products. Not to mention there's been a glaring lack of South Asian founders at the helm of brands here.
So, if you’re interested in venturing beyond butter chicken or Bollywood to experience great products with similar roots, here’s a round-up of some game-changing South Asian-owned beauty brands that should be on your radar. Why? Because they’ve demonstrated a triple home-run — putting the spotlight on an underrepresented group in beauty, weaving authentic and personal stories into their brand DNA, and oh, yeah — creating some truly enjoyable products. These brands span across skincare, color cosmetics, and hair care.
As a note: while we are not focusing on ingredients used by these brands or substantiation based on ancient ayurvedic heritage, we want to acknowledge their place in culture and ritual when it comes to beauty and self-care.
It’s nearly impossible to talk about South Asian beauty without recognizing Deepica Mutyala and the success of her brand Live Tinted. The community-first brand with the goal to dismantle colorism recently made headlines for joining the Ulta Beauty family and teaming up with Barbie for a limited-edition collaboration in honor of International Women’s day.
It all started with Mutyala’s red lipstick hack video that went viral in 2015, followed by the creation of a digital community focused on inclusivity and the brand’s hero product, the Huestick – a 4-in-1 color correcting multi-stick used to address discoloration and dark spots under makeup, and as an eyeshadow, blush or lipstick. From the beginning, Mutyala has used her platform as an influencer to ask her community provocative questions around cultural beauty standards and industry inequities, then learned exactly what they wanted – makeup that was simple, multi-functional, and personal.
You might have recently heard of Ranavat making a splash in the beauty scene as the first South Asian-founded Ayurvedic skincare brand to launch at Sephora (it’s about time!). According to founder Michelle Ranavat, the brand is an amalgamation of alchemy and romance; it’s centered around ritual, the act of self-care, and time-honored Ayurvedic ingredients.
With a science/engineering background, Michelle creates meticulously crafted products exemplifying her great attention to detail. One of the brand’s hero products, Radiant Rani Brightening Saffron Serum (which we raved about in our #BTS edition) is a reinterpretation of an Ayurvedic facial oil blend known as kumkumadi tailam. It’s an age-old concoction featuring saffron and other potent herbs/ingredients all used for brightening and other benefits.
And like Deepica, Michelle is very much the public face of the brand. It’s not a rare occurrence to find her giving a skincare/makeup tutorial on Instagram or highlighting misconceptions around women in business. Above all – we’re super impressed by her commitment to quality and staying true to her heritage.
Veteran beauty industry exec Priyanka Ganjoo launched Kulfi Beauty with a goal to increase South Asian representation and cultivate self expression in the beauty space. The brand's first (and currently only) product launch reinvented the classic kajal (eyeliner) look, offering five bold colors that really shine on deeper skin tones. If you’re looking for an ultra-creamy eyeliner with intense color payoff – and more importantly to have fun with your makeup – look no further than Kulfi
Kulfi was also one of the 8 BIWOC-owned brands part of the Sephora Accelerate program in 2021. And with mental health being a core focus of the brand, Ganjoo is committed to partnering with mental health organizations to provide greater access to services and support for the South Asian community. Kudos to Kulfi for having a strong social mission, for making kajal cool again, and for being named after a popular type of South Asian ice-cream.
Shaz & Kiks
While hair slugging is TikTok’s new favorite hair hack (essentially oiling the hair and scalp), Ayurvedic hair care brand Shaz & Kiks is reimagining ancient Indian rituals to give you your healthiest hair. We think it’s fair to say that folks of South Asian descent have experienced the ritual of a good hair/scalp massage with oil. Not only is the sensation heavenly, there can also be exfoliating and conditioning benefits to the practice. Founded by dynamic sister duo Shaz and Kiku, the brand is on a mission to incorporate hair care practices the sisters grew up with and create products formulated with ingredients like moringa oil, shikakai, neem, and multani mitti (fuller’s earth).