bit more prominent in others. It’s a
lovely debate and a great topic of con-
versation in the house.”
Laughs Bedi, “I was a bit worried
that my mother and my wife would be
in the same business, but Forest Es-
sentials is a 24-hour topic at home and
you can’t avoid it. It’s breakfast, lunch
and dinner, so it was inevitable.”MAKING AYURVEDA
COOL
The philosophy of Panchmahabhu-
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what makes Forest Essentials stand
out in a sea of Ayurvedic brands. Their
core pillars revolve around making
Ayurveda accessible, affordable and at-
tractive and have caused a paradigm
shift in consumers’ minds, revamping
HIÀFDFLRXV EXW IRXOVPHOOLQJ IRUPXOD
tions into a sensorial, tactile experi-
ence. “In Ayurveda there are two kinds
of formulations. The classic kind fo-
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or smells like. The second school of
thought, the one we follow, is that of
the Anubhoot formulations. Anubhoot
comes from the word ‘anubhav’, mean-
ing experience, where you don’t change
the basic formula but enhance it. Like
when you make a glass of nimbu pani,
the basic recipe is lime, water, salt and
sugar—that’s your classic formulation.
But if you add a sprig of mint, a dash of
honey and a slice of lemon to it, it be-
comes an Anubhoot formulation,” says
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dense oil, it is strained multiple times
through a muslin cloth. This changes
its texture but doesn’t mess with its
traditional formulation. “We were very
clear on the fact that there should be
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and smell good. We’ve not really
changed anything. We’ve tweaked
things but the philosophy has always
been the same, and that’s why we are
where we are today. We are preventive
instead of curative,” says Bedi.INDIA SHINING
From HanumanÁ\LQJ RQ WKH SDFNDJ
ing of the Sanjeevni Elixir to deliver
anti-ageing herbs to your skin to God-
dess Laxmi, who promises to infuse
divine radiance into your complexion
with saffron and 24-carat gold—themythological mascots on the creams
and lotions are a few of my favourite
things about the brand. “I think this
whole mythology-rich heritage is a big
part of the brand’s DNA. The story of
Hanumanji bringing back the life-
giving Sanjeevni herb to revive Lord
Laxman is inspiring. It’s a fascinat-
ing herb—dry and wrinkled until
you sprinkle some water on it, and
then it blooms. It’s got an amazing
power of rejuvenation and that’s
what rescues your skin in our elix-
ir,” says Kulkarni.
This,QGLDQ LQVSLUDWLRQ ÁRZV EHDXWL
fully throughout the brand’s identity.
While the wealth of Indian heritage is
played to the hilt in their stores with
0XJKDO DUFKLWHFWXUDO LQÁXHQFHV DQG
Raja Ravi Verma-inspired imagery, the
products go the contemporary Indian
route through their clean lines and
pastel and jewel-toned palettes.
“There’s a conscious decision to main-
tain a balance. We’ve tried to blend
opulent, rich Indian colours yet keep
WKHP VOLJKWO\ XQGHUVWDWHG VR WKH\ ÀW
the brand image,” says Chawla.A BRIGHT FUTURE
Words like revival and rebirth are cas-
ually thrown around when it comes to
trends. For Kulkarni, Ayurveda is not
a trend but a way of life. “Ayurveda is
eternal and omniscient. With every-
one wanting to go back to fresh, pure
and natural, it may seem like Ayurve-
da is suddenly cool, but I think it nev-
er went out of style. It’s just a way of
life. It’s how you live—a little bit of
meditation and yoga, kindness and
compassion in the way you treat peo-
ple,” she says. While Kulkarni’s vision
is focused on expanding the current
product portfolio into sensuous attars
and a selection of anti-ageing products
for younger skin, Bedi’s plans are to
conquer the world with Ayurveda, one
continent at a time. “The whole idea
is, and always was, to showcase India
to the world, and we’re going to do it
through Ayurveda. I would love to see
a Forest Essentials store standing on
its own on Champs-Élysées or Fifth
Avenue. It’s just the tip of the ice-
berg,” he says. Ask him where he sees
Forest Essentials in the next 15 years
and he laughs. “Is world domination
too strong a term?”Qbeauty
BOTTLING NATURE
Picture-perfect postcards
from the Lodsi factorySHUTTERSTOCK.COM
http://www.vogue.in VOGUE INDIA JULY 2016 193
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