1. What’s your earliest memory of “beauty”?
I think my earliest memory of beauty would be associated with my mom. As a child, your mom is often your first representation of beauty. My mom was naturally beautiful. While traditional in many ways, my earliest memories of beauty were watching her get ready for cultural events and festivals. She would wear saris, adorn herself with gold jewelry, and pay attention to every detail, presenting herself so beautifully. My mom was a nurse, and I remember sitting on the floor outside the bathroom talking to her as she got ready for work. She was meticulous with her hair and wore just a touch of makeup. She cared for herself in a way that was both thoughtful and natural.
2. What inspired you to launch your brand?
It began when I found my daughter fully covered in my skincare. I was worried about what those ingredients could do to her young, beautiful skin. At the time, I had these beautiful little bottles of products my parents had recently brought back from India that I told her she could use, and it made me think about what was truly “good enough.” If my skincare wasn’t safe for her, it likely wasn’t good enough for me either. If this is what I believed on gut instinct, I needed to spend more time understanding what I wanted in my skincare.
That moment took me on a journey of discovery. What I thought was simply family tradition turned out to be steeped in the science of Ayurveda. My parents are from Kerala, India, the epicenter of Ayurvedic study.
As a former pharmaceutical executive, I sat back and wondered why it took me so long to get here, as I’d always considered myself someone on a wellness journey. I considered that when I shopped for skincare, I looked for results first. At the time, “clean” or “natural” skincare mostly emphasized being non-toxic or better for you, without speaking to effectiveness. I realized I could take this old world science in which I inherently believed and prove its power with modern science. From there, Sahajan was born. We collaborated with two Ayurvedic doctors in India on our initial formulas, and I hired a chemist from GlaxoSmithKline to bring it all together.
3. How have your personal values shaped your brand?
My values have fully shaped the brand. From a beauty perspective, clean beauty, sustainability, and paying homage to my heritage are all essential. As we are founded in Ayurveda, being authentic to the practice, the recipes and the lifestyle are critical—this isn’t about just sprinkling turmeric into a jar; it’s about truly honoring a 5,000-year-old tradition that runs through my lineage.
But my values and their intersection with the brand go deeper.
4. What was your greatest hope for your business when you started out?
I think my greatest hope was that I would build a legacy—that I would build a brand based in Ayurveda that would live beyond me. To be honest, I wanted it to sit on the shelves amongst the greats like Estee Lauder, and to truly create a touch point to Ayurveda.
5. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?
In all truth and honesty? My biggest challenge has been finding incredible partners across the business. My first manufacturing partner was extremely challenging—they tried to take ownership of my formulas and acted out of alignment with our agreement. It was such a disheartening experience because I had done all the vetting, checked references, and had my chemist inspect their facility.
"What’s hard to predict particularly as a new entrepreneur is whether you’ll be someone’s priority or whether they’ll act in alignment and support your business."
I didn’t have that alignment with our first manufacturing partner instead. I had someone who really set back my journey. We managed to launch, in spite of this challenge but it took creativity, sheer resilience and the support of others whose names or titles could push us forward.
Now that we have traction and investors, I feel like I won’t find myself with similar issues but early on, I had to build my own mini advisory board—a friend who was a lawyer, former Pharma contacts, and the former head of YSL Beauty here in Canada and Australia—to create advocacy points when I didn’t have them.
6. What makes your brand different?
The unique point of difference is Ayurveda. Within Ayurveda are these beautiful 5,000-year-old recipes with high-performing, time-tested ingredients. Our unique point of view is that we inherently believe in the power of these ingredients, so we prove them with modern science.
7. How has beauty evolved since you started, and where do you see it heading?
Beauty has changed significantly since I started. In the beginning, I felt like I was early- Forbes called us a pioneer bringing Ayurveda to the beauty world.I could see the trend forming—people were coalescing around Ayurvedic principles, even if they didn’t fully know the term. They were drawn to practices like yoga, meditation, and drinking golden milk lattes, but hadn’t yet fully embraced Ayurveda.
Where it’s evolved, especially from an Ayurvedic perspective, is incredible. Now there’s a whole category for it, with many new brands in the space. Beauty has also become far more inclusive. I see a diverse range of content creators and that the beauty industry and retail stores acknowledge the need to serve a broader, more diverse community.
Interestingly, the majority of our consumer base is actually non-South Asian, though we have a strong South Asian demographic. This to me really speaks to the mass, global appeal of Ayurveda, which has evolved tremendously since we began.
8. What advice would you give to aspiring beauty entrepreneurs looking to create their own brand?
The first piece of advice is to get started! So many indie brands are making a real impact in the beauty world, and the opportunity is there. Secondly, my biggest lesson is to surround yourself with the right people. You’ll need a network that supports you both emotionally and professionally. Like the informal “board” I created with people who could fill specific gaps. The right support is invaluable.
9. How do you navigate the complex relationship between beauty and self-esteem?
It’s challenging from a brand perspective. Our initial tagline was “Beauty is in Your Nature,” because I truly believe everyone is beautiful, and our brand is about enhancing that beauty and helping people feel confident. The best feedback we get is when someone tells us they feel more confident or use less makeup because of our skincare line.
As a beauty founder, I’m aware of how I present myself, and I try to focus less on how I look but rather I strive to embody our brand’s values. It’s a complex, but rewarding balance.
10. What’s a line you love besides your own?
A skincare brand I admire is SkinFix, which is another Canadian company. While so heartening, that’s not why I admire it so much. They took the concept of skin barrier health—something people weren’t talking about much a few years ago—and brought it to the forefront.
I recently heard Amy, the founder, speak at a conference, and I was genuinely impressed. It wasn’t just about marketing; she was deeply invested in the science behind it. They turned this lesser-known concept into a mainstream reality, and that really inspires me.
11. What is your most essential self-care ritual?
Honestly, it’s spending time with my two amazing children. As cheesy as it sounds, sneaking away to be with my family brings me the most joy. Life and business often pull me away from this, so my most cherished self-care ritual is simply hugging my kids.
12. What’s something Canadians in particular need to consider when it comes to skincare?
Protecting the skin barrier is key. Our skin goes through a lot in extreme weather, so nourishing and restoring it is essential. Canadians should also know that Ayurvedic wisdom suggests using warming practices and products that balance and protect the skin, especially in such tough climates.
13. What’s your favorite product from your line?
That’s a tough one! My favourite duo at the moment has to be the Radiance Serum and Nourish Crème Riche—they’re my winter essentials, my power couple for the season ahead. I’m especially thrilled about the Radiance Serum. It’s our top product at Sephora Canada and even ranked in the top 10 serums there this year, which is incredibly exciting!
14. What excites you most about the future of beauty?
I’m inspired by how the beauty world is evolving. There’s a stronger embrace of authenticity and indie brands, and social media has connected us more closely to people’s everyday lives. But the intersection of beauty and wellness excites me the most. We understand that beauty isn’t just skin deep and that beauty is, much like Ayurveda, a connecting of mind, body and spirit. In Ayurveda, we believe that taking care of our beauty is not just an act of self-care but that we are taking care of the temple that house’s the soul.
Does it get better than that?
