Back To Besan: Reclaiming Ancestral Beauty In A Modern World

Mumbai shelves may be lined with Korean serums and French actives, but back home in South India, beauty once smelled of besan, coconut oil and hibiscus steeped in hot water. For years, I treated those memories as quaint. Then my skin and hair began asking for something older.

Advertisment

As a child, I would lick the back of my hand after my mother smeared it with kadalamaavu (besan) and declare, between giggles, that I was “no different from a pakoda.” Besan baths, hibiscus hair rinses and coconut-oil massages were how care sounded in my house. By my teenage years, glossy L’Oréal and Garnier ads promised escape into 2000s beauty ideals. The ancestral rituals faded into the background. Only recently, nudged by dry lengths and a scalp craving oil, did I return to them. Discovering Nethra Gomatheswaran’s Love, Paati reframed those memories. What once felt domestic and ordinary began to feel like reclamation. 

For this piece, I spent days trying rituals documented in the book and speaking to those translating ancestral care into contemporary brands: Nethra herself, Rajshree Pathy of Kama Ayurveda and Qi Ayurveda, and Elizabeth Isaac of Gunam Beauty. Their perspectives helped situate this revival beyond nostalgia. Why are these conversations happening now? And what shifts when ritual becomes a framework rather than a trend?

From Domestic Routine to Cultural Reset

There was never an instant-fix promise in my mother’s cabinet. Care was cumulative: weekly oiling, coconut-cake body scrubs, rinses that left a scent that lingered through the day. When I revisited besan washes and hibiscus infusions as an adult, the results were steady rather than spectacular. Softer skin. Hair that behaved like itself. “The rituals we documented weren’t about changing how you look,” Nethra told me. “It’s about taking care of yourself.”

Advertisment

That insistence on repetition feels quietly radical in a market obsessed with overnight results. Words like “slow care” and “ritualised routine” appear frequently in brand copy today, but their real meaning lies in consistency. Rajshree Pathy remembers when Ayurveda was dismissed as “smelly oils” associated with rigid therapy. Brands like Kama shifted that perception, making Ayurvedic products desirable and accessible. Today, Ayurvedic brands sit alongside global skincare giants on international shelves.

For Pathy, the resurgence is structural. Climate awareness, ingredient transparency and holistic wellness have reshaped consumer priorities. Regenerative sourcing and simplicity are no longer fringe values. They are cultural currency. Yet scaling ancestral ingredients ethically remains complex. Both Pathy and Nethra raised concerns about accelerated harvesting to meet demand. When ritual becomes a commodity, craft can erode. Some brands lean into small-batch transparency. Others risk aestheticising heritage.

Elizabeth Isaac of Gunam Beauty occupies a middle space. Her mother favoured consistent hair washing and quality products over DIY recipes, but Elizabeth experimented with saffron-infused oils and turmeric remedies as a teenager. Today, Gunam marries those memories with lab testing, preservative safety and reformulation based on customer feedback. Ritual becomes translation, not mimicry.

When Tradition Meets Testing

The idea that “ancestral” equals untested lingers. That is where contemporary brands matter. Qi pairs Ayurvedic actives with Swiss botanicals. Gunam’s Golden Glow Blend modernises haldi doodh. These hybrids attempt to bridge story and science without discarding either.

One recurring thread in my conversations was that these rituals were historically genderless. Oil massages, seasonal regimens and herbal washes were family practices, not women’s secrets. Reclaiming them as inclusive care reframes beauty as holistic wellbeing rather than cosmetic enhancement.

What I’m Keeping

Three things remain with me.

First, ritual works because of attention. Regularity often matters more than rarity.
Second, provenance matters. Reclaiming responsibly means understanding sourcing.
Third, ancestral beauty is regional and adaptable. It is not one monolithic Indian practice.

If Love, Paati gave language to what I grew up with, the founders I spoke to show how that language evolves. Kama and Qi build commercial scaffolding around older knowledge. Gunam filters memory through formulation. Nethra archives the rituals so we can attempt them thoughtfully.

So yes, I still sneak a spoon of unsalted besan batter for my shower. When time permits, I prepare hibiscus rinse instead of shampoo. These rituals now sit beside my retinol and modern serums. Not in opposition, but in conversation.

Self-care, I am learning, can be slow. It can be sensorial. And it can be rooted.

Also Read:

Signs You’ve Finally Grown Out Of Bad Skin Habits

Are We Selling Beauty Or Delivering A Masterclass In Branding?