Born out of a passion to lead a healthy lifestyle, Alyuva is a Delhi-based startup that makes cosmetic products by using authentic ayurvedic technique and age-old formula. Telling us how it started, Deeptanshu Bansal, co-founder, says, “After my cancer treatment in 2015, I started to question all the products that I used daily and it made me realise that the products we use do more bad than good to our bodies.” This made him seek out safer versions of cleansing products, food, and cosmetics for the body. “I began by investigating what I used daily and then did a detailed research on individual ingredients listed on labels and boxes, and along the way, I discovered shata dhauta ghrita. That was my ‘aha’ moment,” he says.
Initially, Bansal made small batches of creams and soaps at home. “The idea of putting ghee on the skin itself was not easy to digest but then a few people who discovered its benefits, found their skin to be as clear as the skin of a child,” he says. So Bansal, along with his father, decided to get into this full-time and educated people on the benefits of using natural products.
Through Alyuva, they aim to bring back age-old beauty secrets and rituals. “The concept of beauty and cosmetics existed in ancient India too and ghritas (clarified butter or ghee) were an important part of the rituals,” says Bansal adding that since centuries, pure desi cow ghee has been proved to be an essential skin nutrient that replenishes everyday skin to appear healthier and more resilient. “Shata dhauta ghrita is one of the oldest documented body of holistic medical knowledge where cow ghee which is washed 100 times and is used as a technique to improve skin nourishment multi-fold,” he says, adding that this paste that is created towards the end of the process penetrates through all the seven layers of the skin, which is the reason it heals and protects it.
“Each of our handmade product uses traditional methods in its making and adheres to the highest standards of purity, authenticity and quality,” says Bansal adding that the ghee is made from 100 per cent pure A2 milk that comes from healthy and pure breed cows.
Talking about the process, he says that the desi cow ghee is stirred slowly in copper vats with age-old chants, which impart unique properties to the cream to make it even more effective and potent for the skin. The products are a perfect fusion of ancient recipes and modern technology.
However, Bansal says that running a startup is not easy. “Since everything, right from research and development to logistics, is in-house, the process is challenging. The awareness of ‘authentic natural’ products is rather low, so working on the price range and educating people is a huge task.”
They do have new products in the pipeline, ranging from a baby and mother care range to a chapstick that is going to be their star product. “We want to penetrate through society to spread this technique of ayurveda,” says Bansal.
The products are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and their website.
