Just a few years ago, biohacking belonged to Silicon Valley’s Patagonia-vest-wearing, REM-cycle-tracking lot, far from your bathroom shelf. But longevity has since gone mainstream—red-light panels are now in living rooms, body lotions have magnesium, your neighbour is posting about cold plunges on Reels, and everyone is talking about mitochondrial health like the last show they watched. As protocols for “cellular de-ageing” trend across TikTok and wellness podcasts, the same language has quietly slipped into beauty, with terms like ‘repair’, ‘resilience’, ‘cell energy’, and ‘biological age’ sprinkled generously.
And just like that, skincare has crossed the line from cosmetic to clinical, borrowing ideas from labs, longevity clinics, and biotech startups. The new question isn’t “What should I put on my face?”. It’s “How do I get my cells to behave better?”. Which is how we landed in this moment: the rise of formulas promising to support mitochondria, strengthen repair signals, and teach stressed-out skin how to act young again.
Why Indian skincare brands are moving towards cellular regeneration
Dermatologist Dr Madhuri Agarwal, founder of Yavana Hair and Skin Clinic, says even if the vocabulary feels new, the science is solid. Dr Sagar Gujjar of Skinwood Clinic agrees, “We’ve always treated micro-damage at its source—UV, pollution, inflammation. The physiology came first; the buzzwords came later.”
For Aparna Kakrania, co-founder of BeyondBeyond, this new era of beauty felt like a natural progression. After nearly three decades running her branding and communication studio, Design Dimensions, she noticed how conversations with her friends Sushma Puri and Shweta Jain (later, co-founders of BeyondBeyond) kept going back to their skin. “We were all at that stage where our skin was changing with hormones, life phases, and age,” she says. “Two of us were perimenopausal, one had already been through it, and suddenly the usual products just weren’t enough.”
That realisation sparked a pivot to skincare. They saw a widening gap between what brands promised and what skin biologically required. “Everyone was talking ‘clean’ and ‘actives’,” Kakrania says, “but almost no one was addressing cellular health—the root of how skin truly functions.” The turning point came when the trio discovered the science of NAD+. The IV drips and supplements were already a talking point in longevity circles and WellnessTok. Early research showed it was a fundamental molecule powering repair and regeneration in every living cell. “It clicked instantly,” she says. “If NAD+ could be harnessed topically, it could shift skincare from superficial care to genuine restoration.” With topical NAD+ gaining momentum abroad but absent in India, the founders saw their opening.
Like BeyondBeyond, more Indian brands are interpreting the “cell-first” movement through their own philosophies. Tatha brings plant stem-cell extracts into its centella-powered Detan Serum; Happy Herbs leans into antioxidant-rich stem-cell-inspired blends; and Himalaya Youth Eternity uses edelweiss actives to support repair.
What does the science say about cellular skincare?
Most of the changes you see on your face start long before they appear—in mitochondria, fibroblasts and signalling pathways quietly slow down. A 2024 paper on ‘Bioactive Factors Against Skin Ageing’ found that peptides, antioxidants, and herbal extracts can stabilise mitochondrial health and support skin renewal. Another study in Cosmetics (Choi et al., 2024) showed that copper peptides can revive fibroblast function and encourage more structured collagen repair.
While great in theory, brands tend to jump onto buzzwords without accounting for efficacy. Dr Agarwal cautions that ingredients only “work deeper” if they reach viable cells and activate real pathways. Formula stability and delivery are what make or break these promises. She points to a 2020 paper on ‘Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology’ that showed that most “stem-cell skincare” relies on extracts rather than living cells, which means that these formulas support repair rather than regeneration.
Dr Gujjar affirms, saying ingredients like peptides, retinoids, vitamin C derivatives and growth-factor-based formulas are the category’s most reliable cellular-response drivers. Plant stem-cell extracts, he says, “are protective antioxidants, not human-cell regenerators”.
Also important for brands is to keep in mind India’s unique conditions. Indian skin is subject to a harsher environment than most of the world—relentless UV, humidity, and pollution—which means higher pigment reactivity, more inflammation, and faster barrier erosion. “A perfect European emulsion can fall apart in 42-degree Indian weather,” Kakrania says. She knew that their formulas had to be lightweight, non-comedogenic, and fragrance-free for melanin-rich, humidity-exposed skin. “Indian skin doesn’t have the luxury of gentle environments,” says Prachi Bhandari, co-founder, Aminu. “We’re dealing with UV, humidity, pollution, and constant inflammation. If a formula doesn’t understand that stress biology, it won’t work here.”
What's next in stem cell skincare?
Terms like ‘stem cells’ may dominate marketing and Reels, but the real progress is happening in repair pathways—stabilising mitochondria, reducing inflammation, and strengthening your skin barrier.
For Aminu, the approach is a balance of “energy, communication, and protection”, according to Bhandari. One of their bestsellers is a copper peptide serum, while others contain osmolytes and microbiome-supportive complexes to restore cell function balance. “When communication breaks, skin looks off,” she says. “Peptides and lipids help reboot that conversation—like restoring Wi-Fi to the barrier.”
Kakrania believes the next wave will combine actives that support energy, repair and stress recovery all at once. NAD+ is one such molecule; others are copper peptides and adaptogenic botanicals. Bhandari calls these molecules “cell guardians”—ingredients that help skin operate with more efficiency and less strain.
Pop culture meets petridish
With the similarities in vocabulary, these brands hold a natural appeal for biohackers, but ultimately it’s the same results all users are chasing: healthier, problem-free skin. Rohini Gehani, a Dubai-based biohacker, says, “Cellular health is the difference between products that sit on my skin and products that feel like they speak to it. I want ingredients that help my skin behave younger and calmer.” Among her staples are ZO’s Growth Factor Serum at night for refinement and strength and Medik8’s copper peptide serum in the morning for firmness and calm. “These aren’t trends for me,” she says. “They’ve been part of my long-term ritual.”
The science may be complex, but consumers have access to an incredible range of information now and they demand results that go beyond the spiel. Gehani puts it plainly: “I trust how a product makes my skin behave. I don’t need sci-fi jargon—I need stability, elegance, and results.” This shift sits neatly beside Gen Z’s supplement shelves, adaptogenic coffees, and wearable trackers. #SkinMicrobiome and #BarrierTok have replaced the old glass-skin fantasies with something more grounded in reality. Bhandari sums it up: “Skin has memory. If you create a low-stress environment for 10 months, it shows on your skin. If you shock it for 10 days, that shows too. So yes, cellular skincare matters, not because it is futuristic but because it is respectful.”
