Karmic Beauty is positioning skin longevity at the centre of a changing Indian skincare conversation. (Img: X)
New Delhi: The beauty conversation is increasingly moving beyond individual ingredients and quick fixes, with consumers showing greater interest in maintaining healthy, resilient skin over the long term. Karmic Beauty, founded by Dr Vaibhav Mittal and Komal Mittal, is positioning its approach around this emerging idea of “skin longevity”.
The brand argues that the growing popularity of actives such as retinol, peptides, ceramides and hyaluronic acid has made consumers more ingredient-aware, but has not necessarily made skincare choices simpler. According to the founders, the next phase of beauty could focus more on how different ingredients work together within a formulation rather than on the popularity of a single “hero” ingredient.
Karmic Beauty says its product philosophy stems from what it sees as a limitation in the conventional concern-based approach to skincare. Instead of creating separate solutions for pigmentation, texture, ageing or sensitivity, the brand says it seeks to formulate products that address multiple aspects of skin health simultaneously.
The founders believe that the presence of a popular active alone does not determine whether a product will perform effectively. Factors such as concentration, stability, delivery mechanism and interaction between ingredients can influence the performance of the final formulation.
Using hyaluronic acid as an example, the brand argues that simply listing an ingredient on a product label does not reveal how effectively it has been incorporated into the formulation.
According to Karmic Beauty, today's beauty consumer is significantly more familiar with skincare ingredients than previous generations. Consumers routinely compare ingredient lists, consult dermatologists and creators, and explore products from Indian and international brands.
However, the founders say this abundance of information can sometimes create confusion rather than clarity. Questions around combining actives, managing sensitivity and deciding which products are genuinely necessary have become increasingly common.
The brand says its interactions with consumers have reinforced the view that people are beginning to look beyond individual ingredients and asking whether a product deserves a long-term place in their routine.
The founders also see a shift towards more streamlined skincare routines, particularly as consumers become wary of layering multiple powerful actives.
Karmic Beauty argues that simplifying a routine should involve eliminating unnecessary steps rather than reducing the scientific thinking behind formulation.
According to the brand, combining too many functions into a single product can also compromise how effectively the individual components work. The emphasis, therefore, is on identifying what the skin actually requires and building a routine around those needs.
The brand says Indian consumers face a distinct combination of environmental factors, including strong ultraviolet exposure, pollution, heat and humidity. These conditions, it argues, make it important for consumers to choose routines based on their individual skin requirements rather than simply replicate trends originating in other markets.
Karmic Beauty also identifies pigmentation, acne, sensitivity, dehydration, premature ageing and hair fall among the concerns it sees frequently among Indian consumers.
While social media has transformed how consumers discover beauty products, Karmic Beauty says it does not allow viral trends to determine its product pipeline.
The founders distinguish between consumer feedback and social media trends. They say recurring consumer problems are more important to product development than short-lived online popularity.
The brand's approach to product development, according to the founders, begins with identifying a genuine consumer need, assessing whether formulation science can address it and then developing a product around the desired outcome.
Karmic Beauty's broader proposition reflects a growing interest in skincare that prioritises consistency and long-term maintenance over repeated corrective interventions. The brand says its concept of skin longevity is centred on supporting the skin's natural functions and resilience rather than constantly attempting to correct visible concerns.
Its founders argue that effective skincare should ultimately be judged not merely by an immediate cosmetic effect but by whether it helps consumers maintain healthy skin over time. The same philosophy extends to the brand's haircare offerings, where it views scalp and hair health as part of a broader biological ecosystem rather than treating individual concerns in isolation.
