The explosion of Ayurvedic ingredients in beauty products is at an all-time high, not just in India but across the world, so much so that the global Ayurvedic market is expected to witness a jump of 12 per cent per year, evaluating the market to $16,230 million by 2028 from $7273.3 million in 2021. Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled Ayurveda’s popularity and reach, as everything ‘natural,’ ‘organic’ and ‘Ayurvedic’ had then made a significant comeback. While companies in the Ayurvedic market typically demonstrated an annual growth of up to 20 per cent before the pandemic, they enjoyed a whopping growth of 50-90 per cent between 2020 and 2021 after the pandemic hit the world.
Today, consumers have the power to choose from a buffet of formulations comprising ingredients of every possible category—natural, Ayurvedic, modern actives and their hybrids and many more—and can opt for a bespoke beauty routine. Hence, when brands like 82°E—co-founded by actor Deepika Padukone—amalgamated a traditional herb like ashwagandha with a contemporary active like sodium hyaluronate in its Ashwagandha Bounce Cream, the product instantaneously kindled consumer interest, making it a bestseller in no time. We attempt to find out what makes brands bet on Ashwagandha and the many benefits the herb has to offer.