Like any other 24-year-old, Gauravi Kumari, of Jaipur’s erstwhile royal family, is a keen back-of-pack reader. “My biggest challenge has always been managing dry and sensitive skin,” she says. “I avoid products with artificial fragrances or harsh alcohols to prevent irritation, and look for formulations made with natural or natural-origin ingredients that are packaged sustainably.”
Perhaps unlike many others her age, Kumari’s carefully curated skincare routine isn’t derived from whatever skincare trend is crowding her explore page but anchored in the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda. Growing up, homemade ubtans (chickpea, turmeric and rose water) and coconut oil were staples in her home for moisturising and deep conditioning—both essential in the dry desert climate of her hometown, but also “rituals of care and connection passed down through generations”.
“Now, brands like Kama Ayurveda beautifully bridge that legacy with modern formulations, allowing me to honour tradition while adopting convenience,” she says a day before she arrives in Mumbai to unveil the 22-year-old brand’s refreshed flagship as its new ambassador.
True to at least one Gen Z stereotype, Kumari’s new affiliation is rooted in fandom—the Kumkumadi Facial Oil, the Rose Jasmine Face Cleanser, the Pure Rosewater and the Bringadi Hair Oil have been indispensable to her self-care routine, she says. She’s now taken by the new Kumkumadi Soft Cream. “In my experience, Ayurvedic beauty offers a profound connection to nature and time-honoured wisdom that sets it apart from K-beauty, J-beauty and Western brands,” she observes. “It’s about nurturing overall well-being through ingredients that are as pure as they are effective, focusing on balance and harmony.”
You’d think that at 24 (or 18 or 27) one wouldn’t need the magical age-defying powers of kumkumadi thailam—the saffron-based oil that promises the elastic, brighter skin that the 40-plus among us pine for.
“I don’t know what Gen Z wants, honestly. We’re still trying to figure that one out,” says Vivek Sahni, founder of Kama Ayurveda, with an exasperated laugh. “The one thing that we do know is that because of social media, they see and consume a lot of material, especially for colour. But we’ve also realised that for skincare and haircare—which are affected by eating habits, pollution, variations in weather and climate—people tend to be more cautious and stick to things that work. That’s where we come in.”
Sahni remembers the time 22 years ago when Kama Ayurveda—among the first Ayurvedic skincare brands from India—found a market in the 28- to 30-year-old woman who had tried everything else and found them wanting. “Now her kids are 20 years old. And while we have an incredible repeat customer rate—about 70 to 75 per cent—we thought it was time to not just be a mummy’s brand but also be relevant to the families.”
Even as the buzz around A-beauty grows worldwide—evident to Sahni in the enthusiastic response to Kama Ayurveda’s London store in Notting Hill and outpost at Harrods last year—it’s a steep enough challenge to connect this ancient knowledge system with a new generation of users who might think of Ayurveda as nothing more than “kitchen remedies”. Sahni is approaching the Gen Z puzzle through a three-pronged strategy—education, elevation and experience.
First, to get them to step in, the Mumbai flagship store gets a new look courtesy Marie-Anne Oudejans, the interior designer best known for dousing Bar Palladio Jaipur in peacock blue. “The idea was to make a sexy transformation,” she says, “a lively, joyful environment obviously emphasising the history of the Indian roots of Ayurveda while also creating a timeless feeling, an old Indian feeling, with a European touch—to make it something a little bit different, so that it perhaps becomes attractive to a new generation.”
Generous use of wicker, brass handles, hand-painted murals of palm trees and elephants, all accentuated by bold red lines—step inside a Kama Ayurveda store in London or Mumbai, and you’ll be transported to Kerala, the land where Ayurveda originated. The botanicals on the walls might differ but they exude a sense of luxury, each product with a shelf of its own, wholly dedicated to Indian craftsmanship (and entirely Instagrammable).
