This Company Takes a Modern Ayurvedic Approach to Beauty

In her battle with teenage acne, Diipa Büller-Khosla saw her confidence nose dive. She turned to her mother, a practicing Ayurvedic doctor and dermatologist. Her mother’s wisdom helped Büller-Khosla understand her skin health, going beyond superficial solutions.

"After trying countless products to no avail, ultimately what worked for me was a more holistic approach. I changed my diet and began reflecting on the early lessons my mother had instilled in me—to be intentional about my skin and overall wellness," says Büller-Khosla, a beauty and fashion influencer and co-founder of the foundation Post For Change, in an email interview with Treehugger. This was a pivotal point in her life, helping her develop a relationship with skincare and laid the foundation of indē wild. 

"I remember watching my mother in awe as she would make concoctions with ingredients like turmeric, rose water, ashwagandha [an evergreen shrub], and others. As I grew older, I began to not only use those same concoctions myself, but really study them," she says.

She recounts her mother giving head massages with nourishing hair oil while they were growing up in India. "This age-old tradition stimulates the scalp and hair growth while calming the mind, allowing for balance and de-stressing. Such practices have such a special and personal place in my heart, and will forever be part of my daily routines," says Büller-Khosla, who juggled pregnancy while drawing the blueprint for indē wild, launching the label at the peak of the pandemic.

Community Concerns

In an age of complicated beauty rituals, indē wild is focused on simplifying skincare with solutions to tackle the concerns of the South Asian community. The label conducted focus group discussions to gain insight and perspective. This pinpointed underlying concerns such as acne and the resulting scarring and discoloration, hyperpigmentation, and overall skin dullness.

"When I was dealing with acne, the biggest problem was finding products that were made specifically with melanated skin concerns in mind. To add, skincare is very often communicated to consumers using only scientific nomenclature which can be intimidating and confusing," she explains, using these lessons to shape the brand.

Simplifying Skincare

indē wild targets specific melanated skin needs and the team working on the brand includes dermatologists and Ayurvedic practitioners. It launched with only two products—the AM Sunrise Glow Serum and the PM Sunset Restore Serum. "indē wild is a conscious beauty eco-system and so vegan, cruelty free ingredients and processes will remain as product must haves," Büller-Khosla says. 

The formulations, such as the AM Sunrise Glow Serum, combine superfoods ashwagandha and turmeric with actives such as vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. They've termed this combination as "Ayurvedistry," a portmanteau of Ayurvedic superfoods and conscious chemistry. "This fusion of ingredients targets common concerns, with specific focus on melanated skin needs, such as hyperpigmentation, dark spots and acne scarring. They work together to rejuvenate and soothe the skin," Büller-Khosla explains.

Büller-Khosla has made a conscious effort to be transparent. The company uses recycled glass. The website and packaging list the ingredients in a clear, easily understandable way. The brand also avoids touching up images, with a "no Photoshop" policy.

They’re now expanding their roster of products, adding more skincare products and introducing a line of haircare products, too, drawing from the brand's ethos. "The juxtaposition of tradition and modernity is also representative of the indē wild consumer—they appreciate culture and ancient rituals, while breaking barriers in their own right, challenging norms and believing in the power of science," she concludes.

You can see all of indē wild's products here, available in the United States.