Kamakshi Kumar of beauty brand Mystic Valley offers insights on clean beauty and her love for cruelty-free products

There’s a keen focus on functionality, without adding on too many products.
Mystic Valley Offers
Mystic Valley Offers

Mystic Valley, by husband-wife duo Dhruv and Kamakshi Kumar is slowly but steadily making a stride in the world of homegrown beauty brands to watch out for. The products from the label are rooted in the principles of Ayurveda and belief in organic beauty with a rather scientific bent for research.

Clean Beauty the world over has been getting a rather contentious reputation off late as several skincare exponents the world over are cautioning against falling for several claims. In such a scenario, clean beauty brands that are going to forge ahead are the ones that are built on a lot of research. "Unfortunately, the world we live in is not a perfect world - driven by greed for profit maximisation and hunger for market share by large corporations and the ingredients and brands they market! With the advent of social media and influencers, it has made it even simpler for some brands with large marketing budgets to push their point of view, what I like to call “half-truth" and misguide the trusting consumer by manipulating data derived from tests conducted and twisting it for their own benefit," says Kamakshi Kumar, co-founder of beauty label Mystic Valley. She highlights that for them, the idea of clean beauty is rather different and it is built on the ideas of research and certification. "Clean beauty to us means following certain guidelines while manufacturing and creating products that do not harm the environment, packaged in sustainable packaging." The brand is in the works of releasing ingredient-focused skincare like Vitamin C & E brightening Cleanser, Natural Growth Hair Butter, Multi-Vitamin Overnight Hydrating Mask with Blue Light Protection, and Complexion Calming Serum among others, subject to  Ecocert certifications. 

“We wanted to develop a range that effectively balances the ancient and modern knowledge,” shares Kamakshi as we reached out to her to speak about her label and the products. The label, she adds, was launched after several years of research and development. There’s a keen focus on functionality, without adding on too many products. The co-founder says, “For us, each product needs to be a hero product and that is what differentiates us because we want to offer what’s high on efficacy, else we will not include it in our range.” While Dhruv comes from a family that has manufactured Ayurvedic skin and hair care since 1978, Kamakshi was actively involved in the designing of the brand and formulation of the products.

Dhruv and Kamakshi Kumar
Dhruv and Kamakshi Kumar


Kamakshi tells us that each formulation has been carefully designed keeping in mind the ingredients. There’s a mix of natural ingredients, extracts and actives that one can find in the products. “All our blends of essential oils used in the products have been personally created by Dhruv,” she adds.

She goes on to add that the formulations are tried and tested personally first by them and then the products are distributed within a controlled group of volunteers composed of professionals and friends to determine the use and feel of the product and get feedback. This is then studied and analysed by the R & D department for more modifications if required.

Oil control anti-acne serum and solution for dark circles and age lines
Oil control anti-acne serum and solution for dark circles and age lines

“Few of the finalised products from the range were randomly selected and given to an authorised testing lab, that had dermatologists on the panel and used test volunteers to conduct tests for skin irritation and other such parameters to allow us to claim the products dermatologically tested and approved,” elaborates Kamakshi.

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Check out the brand’s range from the Glycolic Acid-based soap-free face cleanser priced and face serums. Their Moonlight Pearl Magic anti-ageing Cream seems like a hydrating option with Pearl protein, Jojoba Oil and Ferulic Acid - Their Rippling Vitamin C Waves has a 15 per cent total vitamin C and it promises smoother skin with faded unevenness. One must check out their haircare range as well. Most of their packages are recyclable, making them an eco-friendly label to watch out for.

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