Anusha Dandekar and Gaurav Kumar’s range of cruelty-free and nourishing skin products could not have found a more apt name than BrownSkin Beauty. As the former puts it, they want everyone to feel empowered by their skin colour. Their latest range – Brown Bakery – not only smells like goodies being baked in the oven, it also has the goodness of honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. In a candid chat, Anusha told us about the purpose of her brand.

What was the inspiration behind creating BrownSkin Beauty?
There are two things that inspired me to create BrownSkin Beauty. One is growing up as a brown girl in Australia and needing representation all over the world, and the second was coming to my own country India and realizing that brown is a bad word and it should not be. We wanted to create a skincare brand that would proudly change the way we look at ourselves and our brown skin along with how skin and skincare are viewed in India. Our aim is to see our customers have a beautiful experience where they feel confident about being who they are and feeling great about what they are using on their faces and body.

It’s called BrownSkin Beauty and I don’t think it could be any more different than that. Also, the fact that we are the pioneering change in the beauty industry, where we make everything inclusive. Our packaging is environment-friendly and the prices are affordable because we want you to not only feel good while using them but also whilst buying them. My vision is that one day I don’t have to sit and explain that we all are beautiful. I want everyone to feel empowered by their skin colour.

What are some of the products that you launched the brand with?
We built the range over the pandemic and I think we were on a bit of a spiritual journey as well. I called the first collection Immortal. I am a big fan of The Geeta and I thought that our skin should feel immortal just like our soul. It had the goodness of Aloe Vera and Vitamin C and all the good chemicals. We launched with four products which all became bestsellers. Then we dropped our Play Dough Mask made of red algae. I think skincare routines can get really boring and so, we wanted to come up with something that was fun and good for your skin. The mask is something you can put on your skin for even as little as three minutes! Our next range focuses on taking care of our skin during winters. Brown Bakery is a range of four products and has nourishing ingredients like honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. Indian skin is delicious and that’s what this range is all about.

You are part of an industry where how a person looks is given a lot of importance, but in the past few years, we are seeing people becoming more accepting of what they consider their flaws. Do you see that as a positive change?
I find it a relief. I take a deep breath and say thank you. All of us are just people trying to make it through the day. I think it’s important to humanize everything. Earlier, one could hide behind make-up and editing and now social media has made it so much easier to hide behind filters. But if you want to be filtered all the time, you will stop loving how you look and will run to the phone each time to love that person. I think it’s incredible that people are embracing how they look. I have shared pictures of my skin on social media and I want to tell people that I don’t have perfect skin all the time and it’s okay. All of us want to feel great every day but that starts with everything deep-rooted within us. Eating well, exercising, drinking adequate water, and using good skincare products make you glow from within.

How do you take care of your skin and what do you do when you have a bad hair/skin day?
I am a pretty lazy skincare person! (laughs) The one thing I am hell-bent on is using very little make-up even when I am shooting. I love taking my make-up off using a good make-up cleanser. I wash my face and moisturize head to toe right out of the shower. On a bad hair day, I just stick it up in a bun or a ponytail. I love using detanglers and leave-in conditioner. I always use a heat protector while blow-drying my hair. For my face, sunscreen is essential. It is the best anti-ager. Everyone should wear it, even if you are sitting at home in front of a laptop. Exercise! Even if it means dancing around the house. That little sweat will clear out the toxins!