The beauty industry has never had more information than ever. From retinol and peptides to ceramides, hyaluronic acid and exosomes, consumers today can recognise ingredients, compare formulations and follow expert-led skincare advice with just a few taps. Yet, having more information does not always make choosing the right product easier. In fact, the growing number of beauty launches and increasingly complex routines have created a new question for consumers: what does skin actually need for long-term health?
This is the question at the heart of Karmic Beauty, a beauty brand positioning skin and hair longevity as an alternative to the conventional concern-by-concern approach.
In this exclusive interaction with HT Shop Now, the founders of Karmic Beauty, Dr Vaibhav Mittal and Komal Mittal, discuss the inspiration behind the brand, the changing Indian beauty consumer, its approach to product development, the ingredients and trends it questions, and why it believes the future of beauty could be less about instant correction and more about maintaining healthy, resilient skin and hair for longer.
The questions and answers below have been retained as provided.
Q: What inspired you to start Karmic Beauty, and what gap in the beauty market did you want to address?
Karmic Beauty: Karmic Beauty started with a frustration with how the beauty industry was operating.
Products were increasingly built around a trending ingredient, a visible concern, or a strong claim, but there was little transparency around how much of an ingredient was actually present, where it came from, how the formulation was built, or how the finished product was tested.
More importantly, we felt the category was looking at skin in fragments. Pigmentation meant a brightening active. Texture meant an exfoliant. Fine lines meant retinol. Every concern had its own solution, but very little attention was being given to what the skin was experiencing cumulatively.
Your skin remembers what it goes through. Every day leaves an imprint, while the skin is simultaneously trying to repair, rebuild and maintain itself. Over time, what matters is whether its capacity to recover can keep pace with what it experiences.
That is where our thinking around Skin Longevity began.
We wanted to move the conversation from correcting visible ageing to understanding what helps skin remain resilient and functional for longer. That also changed how we formulate. Rather than building a product around one hero ingredient or one visible concern, we take a multi-pathway approach, using skin-mimetic ingredients that work with the skin’s own biology to support multiple functions at the same time.
That thinking became the foundation for The Lab of Skin Longevity™, where we bring together formulation science, dermatological expertise and emerging longevity research to study how skin changes over time, what affects its ability to recover and how those insights can be translated into finished formulations.
Q: What did you learn about the beauty consumer while building the brand that surprised you the most?
Karmic Beauty: Our consumer is not under-informed. She is over-equipped and under-guided.
Consumers today know their actives. They read ingredient lists, follow dermatologists and science-led creators, compare formulations and use products across Indian, Korean, European and American brands.
What surprised us was that having access to more information did not necessarily give consumers more clarity.
Across 12,000 customer conversations, 10,000 product reviews and 500 DMs, we saw people trying to understand what could be layered, what was causing sensitivity and whether constantly adding products was actually improving their skin.
The category has become very good at teaching consumers how to treat a concern. It has been much less effective at helping them understand how to build a routine that works as a whole.
That is where I think the consumer is evolving. She is no longer looking only for something new. She is beginning to ask whether something deserves a permanent place in her routine.
Q: What does beauty mean to you, and how does that philosophy translate into Karmic Beauty’s products?
Karmic Beauty: For us, we have always believed in natural beauty. Makeup can enhance what you have, but I’ve never believed that beauty is about concealing your natural self. There is a difference between hiding something and taking care of it.
That is really how I look at Karmic Beauty. We are not in the business of covering things up. We want to make products that help you look after what is already yours, so that the skin and hair you have today can remain healthy, strong and beautiful tomorrow.
That thought was central to me when we were developing our Skin and Hair Longevity ranges. Keratin is not new. Every other brand uses it, but for me, the question was never whether we should use keratin. It was whether we could use it in a way that genuinely cared for the hair.
For consumers, I want beauty to be about taking care of what they already have, not hiding it. I want what they do for their skin and hair today to help keep them healthy, strong and beautiful for longer.
Q: How do you decide which products or beauty concerns are worth developing?
Karmic Beauty: We look for a real consumer problem where the existing solutions are not doing enough.
Consumer feedback is one part of that. We look at what people are struggling with, what they are dissatisfied with and where they are having to compromise.
The second part is the opportunity itself. Is this a problem that can be meaningfully addressed through formulation? Is there enough science behind the approach? Can we create something that performs differently or better than what is already available?
And then there is the commercial reality. A product has to make sense within a consumer’s routine and have a reason to exist.
We don’t want to create products simply because there is room for another SKU.
Our decision to enter scalp and haircare came from that same thinking. We saw the scalp as an extension of the skin ecosystem rather than treating haircare as an entirely separate category. That opened up a much broader set of problems we could work on, including dandruff, hair fall, scalp health and hair fibre damage.
The question is always: is there a problem worth solving, and can we solve it properly? We formulate only if the answer is yes!
Q: What goes into the product development process at Karmic Beauty from identifying a consumer need to launching the final product?
Karmic Beauty: We formulate from the ground up. Our formulations are uniquely ours, and we say it with a lot of pride that you will not find anything like that in the market. We don’t take an existing base, add a few fashionable actives and build the marketing claim around them. We first establish what the finished product needs to achieve and then build the formulation around that requirement.
That involves ingredient research, compatibility, concentration, stability, delivery, texture and sensorial performance. Then we iterate.
A formulation can look excellent on paper and still fail once it is actually made. We have had batches that needed to be reformulated because the texture was wrong, the stability wasn’t where we wanted it, or the overall product experience didn’t meet our standard.
Across our development, we have conducted 1,000+ tests and assessments and gone through 100+ formulation iterations. We also test finished products through consumer perception studies, safety testing, laboratory comparisons and in-vivo evaluations where applicable.
For example, our haircare formulations were put through a blind laboratory comparison against leading salon and D2C brands. Participants assessed application, spreadability, wash-off, wet and dry combing and blow-drying, and 9 out of 10 preferred the Karmic Beauty side.
We have also tested pilot batches with over 250 people aged 25–70 across our skin and hair ranges. Participants independently compared the products with premium European and South Korean brands they were familiar with, including La Mer, Olaplex and Kérastase.
These responses reinforce an important part of our thesis: consumers are willing to engage with longevity-led beauty when scientific intent translates into effective products that are sensorially sophisticated and enjoyable to use.
Q: Are there any ingredients or beauty trends that you believe are being overhyped right now? I question the hero-ingredient culture more than any individual ingredient.
Karmic Beauty: The industry has become very good at taking one activity, giving it a compelling story and making it appear to be the solution to a complex concern.
But the performance of a finished product depends on much more than whether that ingredient is present. Its concentration, delivery system, stability and interaction with the rest of the formulation all matter.
Take hyaluronic acid as an example. It is easy to put hyaluronic acid on a label because it is trending and consumers rarely ask what percentage is actually being used. The real work is deciding which molecular weights to use, at what concentration, how they interact with the rest of the formulation, whether they remain stable and, ultimately, how they behave on skin. Our Barrier Glow Serum Mist uses four molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, alongside 28 skin actives, in a serum-in-a-spray format designed to absorb within 9 seconds without leaving the skin oily or sticky.
For us, every ingredient has to justify its place, but we are more conscious about what we choose to leave out. Where an alternative can perform the same function, we avoid volatile silicones. We also consider irritation potential and wastewater impact when making formulation decisions.
The ingredient is only one part of the product. The formulation is what the consumer actually puts on their skin.
Q: What are some of the biggest skincare or beauty concerns you see among Indian consumers today?
Karmic Beauty: Pigmentation, acne, sensitivity, dehydration, premature ageing and hair fall continue to be major concerns. But I also see a new expectation emerging. People want products that feel like they were made for them, not products developed for a different environment and retrofitted to suit them.
Take frizz. Almost everyone deals with it, yet the category still struggles to solve it beyond making hair look temporarily smoother. That tells me consumers are ready for products that address what is actually happening to their hair, rather than simply concealing it.
I see the same shift happening in skincare. Consumers want products that work with their skin’s own biology and enhance what is already there. They don’t want a product that solves one concern by creating another. For example, our Mattifying Hydra All-Day Cream takes on your skin’s own biology, combining a skin memetic 5+2 Ceramide Complex for hydration and barrier support with Noni Stem Cells for acne defence and Tiger Plant Complex for redness relief.
That is why gentleness is as important to us as efficacy. We don’t launch a product until we are confident that it is doing what it is supposed to do without compromising the skin or hair in the process.
Q: Do you think Indian consumers are moving away from complicated beauty routines towards simpler, more targeted routines?
Karmic Beauty: Yes. People want their skincare to be more efficient but simpler does not mean compromising on what the skin needs.
A lot of people are building complicated routines based on partial knowledge from Instagram. They hear that retinol, acids and other actives work, start layering them, and can end up damaging their skin barrier because they don’t understand what their skin actually needs or how those actives work together.
When I created Karmic Beauty, I wanted to simplify the regimen, but simplify does not mean putting five products into one. When you try to make one product do everything, you can compromise the formulation. The science and the resonance between the ingredients cannot be missed.
We can’t overcomplicate skincare, but we also can’t underplay what the skin needs. If your skin needs something, you have to give it that. The goal is to take out the unnecessary steps, not take out the science, while taking care of your skin’s longevity.
Q: Social media has dramatically changed how consumers discover beauty products. How has it influenced Karmic Beauty’s approach to product development and marketing?
Karmic Beauty: Social media has shortened the distance between a consumer and a brand.
Consumers can tell us immediately when something isn’t working, ask detailed questions about formulations and compare us with brands from anywhere in the world. That feedback is extremely valuable.
But social media also creates pressure to respond to whatever is generating attention that week. We deliberately separate those two things.
Consumer feedback informs us. Social media trends do not dictate our formulation pipeline.
We look at recurring problems and patterns rather than isolated viral moments. Retinol is a good example. While social media was heavily focused on promoting retinol, we were developing our Skin Longevity Night Cream with skin-mimetic ingredients including NAD+, Cica Exosomes, Ubiquinone, EvoBiome™ and Wild Yam Extract, taking a multi-pathway approach to overnight skin recovery and supporting the barrier, microbiome and skin resilience rather than relying on one active. In our testing, it was 2.67× more effective than retinol.
It has also changed how we communicate. Beauty science can become very complicated very quickly, so we have to explain it clearly without turning it into a simplistic ingredient claim.
I see social media as a useful feedback and education channel. It should not become the laboratory.
Q: What is one beauty product you personally cannot live without?
Karmic Beauty: If I had to choose my non-negotiables, they would be Karmic Beauty’s Mattifying Hydra All-Day Cream, Longevity Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ and Everbond™ Keratin Repairing Shampoo.
Our Mattifying Hydra All-Day Cream gives 2× hydration through a 5+2 Ceramide Complex without the heavy, oily feel you usually associate with a deeply hydrating cream. It has a crushed-ice texture, a soft matte finish and is silicone-free, oil-free, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic.
Our Longevity Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ with PhotoBiome™ is my other skincare essential. India’s strongest anti-photoageing sunscreen that offers three layers of sun defence, combining physical and next-generation UV filters with PhotoBiome™ to support the skin’s natural UV defence. We introduced PhotoBiome™ to India for the first time, and at the ingredient level, it provides 43% additional photoageing defence compared with standard SPF 50+ PA++++.
For hair, it is the Everbond™ Keratin Repairing Shampoo with Smooth Elixir™. It is designed to work on the hair fibre rather than simply coat the surface, using a multi-pathway approach to complete bond repair across four areas: Bond Support, Protein Replenishment, Moisture Restoration and Lipid Replenishment. It combines Everbond™, 92% pure hydrolysed keratin, organic argan oil and jojoba oil to address each of these pathways.
Q: What does your own skincare or beauty routine look like on a typical day?
Karmic Beauty: It is simple because it has to be. I travel frequently, run multiple businesses and have a family, so I don’t believe a good routine needs to be complicated to be effective.
I use Karmic Beauty’s Skin and Hair Longevity range throughout the day, depending on what my skin, hair and scalp need. For my skin, I focus on maintaining and protecting it during the day and supporting its recovery at night. In the morning, I cleanse with the Hydra Balance Face Cleanser, follow with the Mattifying Hydra All-Day Cream and finish with the Longevity Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++. I also use the Barrier Glow Serum Mist throughout the day whenever my skin needs a refresh. At night, I double cleanse with the Purifying Biphasic Cleansing Oil followed by the Hydra Balance Face Cleanser, then apply the Microencapsulated Repairing Serum followed by the NAD+ Longevity Night Cream.
With my hair, I rotate between the products depending on what it needs. On a typical day, I use the Root Strengthening Shampoo. I use the Keratin Bond Repair Shampoo about twice a week, and the Keratin Crème Conditioner follows after every cleanse. If I’ve had a particularly long day or have been out a lot and exposed to external stressors, I swear by the Keratin Bond Repair Shampoo. It gives my hair strength, structure and shine.
What I like about using Karmic Beauty’s products is that I know exactly why each one exists and what went into developing it. I have been involved in the process from formulation briefs and prototypes through to the finished product, so I am quite particular about what makes it into my routine.
For me, that is what a good routine should be. It should respond to what your skin and hair actually need, without becoming another thing you have to manage.
Q: Is the Indian beauty consumer becoming more informed or simply more influenced by social media?
Karmic Beauty: More informed, without question. But I think the next challenge is moving from information to judgement.
Consumers can now tell you what retinol does, what percentage of niacinamide a product contains and which peptide is being used. That level of ingredient awareness would have been unusual a decade ago.
What they cannot always tell from an ingredient list is whether the finished formulation is well designed.
That requires looking at concentration, delivery, stability, compatibility and the way the ingredients have been combined.
So I see the next stage of consumer education as moving from ingredient literacy to formulation literacy.
That is also where I think brands have a responsibility. We should not use consumer knowledge to make claims sound more scientific than they are. We should help people understand what actually matters when they evaluate a product.
Q: What is one beauty trend you think is all hype and little substance?
Karmic Beauty: It is the obsession with chemical peels and instant-glow peels. Anything that promises to scrub away a layer of skin for an immediate glow sounds attractive, but I don’t think that is what healthy skin or good skincare should be about.
These harsh exfoliating treatments can disrupt the skin barrier in the pursuit of an instant result. You may get that immediate smoothness or glow, but the question I would ask is what your skin looks and feels like tomorrow and whether you have actually done anything good for it in the long term.
I don’t think we should keep treating the skin as something that needs to be stripped, corrected and reset every time we want it to look better. Glow that comes at the expense of your barrier is not a win.
For me, good skincare is about supporting the skin rather than constantly taking something away from it. The result should not just look good immediately. Your skin should be better equipped to function well afterwards too.
