BlushBee uses plant-powered ingredients like turmeric root extract in your lipstick

Chennai’s newest beauty brand BlushBee encourages you to learn more about what goes into your make-up with an ‘ingredient library’ on their website. Look out for indigenous herbs like the anti-inflammatory and stress-relieving ashwagandha, rose oil which has emollient properties for moisturizing dry skin and minerals like mica for that iridescent glow.  

“As a consumer, I like brands which are transparent with all the ingredients used in a product and don’t just display partial ingredients that attract customers,” says Chennai-based founder Shobana. A chartered accountant with a passion for clean beauty, she and her corporate professional husband Navaneethan C decided to go down a two-year rabbit hole of research and trials after they had a revelation. “Most of the key ingredients used in clean beauty products are indigenous and trace back to our roots!” Shobana recalls. Plant-powered and cruelty-free, BlushBee joins the likes of a fast-growing list of homegrown beauty labels with a similar ethos including Forest Essentials (New Delhi), Disguise Cosmetics (Mumbai), Daughter Earth (Hyderabad) and asa beauty (Mumbai). Clean ingredients and eco-friendly packaging apart, Shobana adds, “We are on a mission to make clean and safe cosmetics affordable, as well.” 

The first product developed, we are told, was their range of organic lipsticks (expect six shades from Sunset Zone Orange to Mystic Mauve) and with good reason. “A study shows that on an average, a woman using lipstick consumes 2 kg of lipstick in a lifetime — imagine the intake of harsh chemicals,” Shobana gives us something to think about. Also, look out for 20 shades of nail polish, and micellar water with aloe vera extract. Currently, under production is a range of organic kajal and eye shadows slated for release at the end of the year.

INR 225 to INR 699. Available online.