Kama Ayurveda, a brand that brought us closer to Ayurveda in beauty, has undergone a significant refresh. With a renewed focus on innovation, sustainability, and customer experience, the brand is poised to take Ayurveda beauty to the next level by connecting with the younger generation and adapting to modernised the idea of beauty. We caught up with Vivek Sahni, founder of Kama Ayurveda to discuss the brand's new chapter, its commitment to Ayurveda, and the exciting developments in store for customers.
 

Take us through the brand refresh and what has gone behind the scenes?

We started Kama Ayurveda about 22 years ago. At that point, India was a completely different country with a different landscape and without any social media. The communication happened directly with consumers through sampling and magazines. Our target audience when we started was about 28, educated, probably working, maybe with a child, and had tried various products because she was educated and well-traveled and had chosen to come to Ayurveda. 22 years later, that woman's child is now almost 18 years old. So, we didn’t want to get stuck in the route of being a ‘grandmother’ brand.  

In India, most people share bathrooms and products on a bathroom shelf are used by everyone, especially hair oil and face cream. We wanted to make it fresher; the idea is to be relevant for their children as well.  

We have everything that was already there, but we have also created new formats for them. For example, in the Kumkumadi range, for example, there's a serum which is lighter which can also be used by someone who does not want to use an oil. And like this, there's a whole range across the brand but powered by the original Kumkumadi, but in different, lighter formats. 

We spent the last four to five years doing intensive R&D to figure out what the original formulation was. To give an example, we use Kashmir saffron in our Kumkumadi so to make sure that it’s only Kashmir saffron, we created a protocol in our supply chain that our people are there in Kashmir collect the saffron which has high level of vitamin A and C. It is literally picked and vacuum packed to keep its potency interacted and then sent to Coimbatore for processing. For processing, we now use goat milk which is the original way of processing it. We are bringing the classic formulations back under the refresh. We have added plant-based peptides and hyaluronic acid to also be on trend with the younger generation which is aware and well-informed.

Is there a specific reason for the brand to consider a refresh?

It was a natural progression. However, it requires intense ideation as to how this refresh should look like and to appeal to our consumers. While it’s coming into shape right now, it worked in multiple levels at the backend which took us a couple of years. We decided to go live with it once we were sure of the look and feel.

What changes will consumers experience under the refresh? 

Consumers will now experience better effectiveness and formulation, new products, and also an immersive in-store experience. There is going to be a better-defined Ayurvedic protocol with Ayurvedic doctors there to consult in our stores. It’s going to be a more immersive Ayurvedic experience. Having an Ayurvedic doctor in stores and a treatment centre worked fairly well for us in the UK stores. So, we have two of these centers in Delhi, which were there but at a small level. Now we are going to roll out these in our larger-format stores. 

Do you think extending a retail store into a wellness experience is now the need of the hour?

When we opened our UK store in 2023, we thought about what the store experience should be like for consumers? We thought, as we were taking Ayurveda out to the world for the first time, consumers should have an immersive Ayurvedic experience for them to understand what Ayurveda is. It happened organically, and we found that once you experience it, you trust it. Most people don't know Ayurveda does not treat the symptoms, it treats the cause and therefore, we want people to have a first-hand experience.

Talk us through the idea of ‘elevated luxury’ that the brand is now focussing on.

First is the physicality of the store experience, the training in the stores, the experience when trying out the products–the word luxury, from our point of view, is the luxury of quality. Luxury, at least for us, does not mean having a fancy floor or furniture or packaging. It's also elevated in terms of the way we make our products.

Is there a reason that the focus is on Kumkumadi right now?

It’s because that's our hero. Kumkumadi and Bringadi are our best sellers, even in the UK.  It already has a cult following, so we decided to expand it by creating different formats to also appeal to the younger generation which might not be familiar with it. 

How Kumkumadi rivals K-beauty?

I’d like to say that it’s time for A-beauty, we are at the cusp of it. The minute it comes into the mainstream, it will be a trend. It’s already happening with Ayurveda with mass brands foraying into the industry proving that there’s a demand for Ayurvedic products and treatments. While there are countless Korean beauty brands in the market making it a trend, Ayurveda is reaching that point.

What are your thoughts on the competition in the Indian beauty industry?

We have to be on our toes to stay relevant to people. It’s a constant endeavour. We constantly come up with new strategies and ideas to move forward. I can't sit back and rely on the success that the brand has achieved so far. And it helps to sustain and appeal to new customers.