Meet Ranavat, the First South Asian-Founded Ayurvedic Skin-Care Brand to Launch at Sephora

While I don’t have specific pigmentation issues, after months of use my skin does seem more even in tone. Plus, the saffron and rose scent unfailingly brings indulgent Indian desserts to me — and that makes me smile. According to cosmetic chemist Lalita Iyer, saffron has been used as a medicinal plant for decades, especially in India. As she says, “Crocus sativus flower extract offers antioxidant and UV protection benefits for the skin.”

Ranavat’s team takes great pains to source pure saffron: the brand’s stock is stored in a safe and is tested before production to ensure that it’s the real deal. This is important because saffron is the world’s most expensive spice, which inevitably means fakes abound. (Just last year, Europol busted an organized crime group in Spain that was trafficking “adulterated saffron” worth over 10 million euros.)

Kiran Mian, M.D. a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, also highlighted one of the formulation’s other skin-brightening ingredients. “Licorice root is known for its anti-pigmentation and anti-inflammatory properties,” she notes. “It’s also the perfect ingredient to lighten dark spots associated with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.” (Both Dr. Mian and Iyer helped Allure evaluate Ranavat’s product lineup.)

I also love Ranavat’s other saffron-rich product: the marmalade-like Flawless Veil Resurfacing Saffron Masque, which gently zaps dead cells without making my skin feel tight or over-exfoliated. Dr. Mian says turmeric in the formula is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant with skin-brightening properties. She added that papaya enzyme, a chemical exfoliant, sloughs off dead skin without friction or irritation.

Flawless Veil Resurfacing Saffron Masque

On some days, I swap my functional cleanser for a more elevated experience and use the brand’s Luminous Ceremony Cream Cleanser, which has a coddling, melty texture. It efficiently dissolves oil and makeup, but it washes off clean without any residue. It even brings a ritualistic vibe to my most mundane beauty act — washing my face — because its fresh rose scent compels me to take deep, meditative breaths while doing so.

Dr. Mian is also a fan. “With sesame seed oil being anti-inflammatory and noncomedogenic, it’s the perfect lipid-rich ingredient to gently cleanse the skin of dirt and oils,” she says. Iyer name-checks the cleanser’s antibacterial and antioxidant Ayurvedic herb manjistha, saying it could help with acne. Plus, Iyer adds that cetearyl alcohol and sorbiton olivate is a well-known emulsifying combination that offers moisturizing and soothing properties.

Luminous Ceremony Cream Cleanser

The Ayurvedic powerhouses really come out to play in Ranavat’s Renewing Bakuchi Crème. Iyer says bakuchi fruit or babchi contains various antioxidants, including bakuchiol, which has been shown to mitigate signs of aging like fine lines. “Triphala (a herbal remedy comprising the fruits haritaki, bibhitaki and amla), offers a combination of brightening, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects,” she explains.