Tradition in a bottle

Qi Ayurveda, a new beauty brand by Coimbatore-based entrepreneur Rajshree Pathy, presents the centuries-old tradition in a contemporary format

Rajshree Pathy (right) worked with Swiss scientists for over two years to formulate the products. SPECIAL

ARRANGEMENT he dry, summer air is laced with the scent of herbs. Dusk has set in, and we are gathered at a long table at industrialist Rajshree Pathy’s Coimbatore farm house, looking at bottles of her new range of haircare

TYproducts. We open a few to smell the earthy oils, shampoos, and conditioners that Rajshree, cofounder of Kama Ayurveda and the founder of India Design Forum, is soon set to launch.

Called Qi Ayurveda, it all began as an experiment when Rajshree wanted to incorporate the principles of Ayurveda into a contemporary product.

Rajshree recalls how, when she was eight or nine years old, her mother, and aunt would take her to an Ayurvedic practitioner at the very first appearance of a sniffle or runny nose. “He would sit in front of a rickety old wooden desk, and whip up a green concoction as a remedy,” she says.

She remembers how Sundays, for her mother, were oil massage days, during which eucalyptus leaves would be soaked in water for a bath. “Ayurveda has been very much a part of my life,” she says, adding that her brand Qi is an effort to keep “this wonderful tradition alive”.

To start off, Qi Ayurveda has four product ranges for hair, all of which include hair oil, shampoo, and conditioner. They include Restore (Chemparatyadi) which comes infused with hibiscus extracts; Wellness (Chandanadi), formulated with sandalwood oil; Hydrate (Dhurdhurpathradi), which has olive leaf and jujube extracts and Nourish (Bringamaladi), with false daisy extracts. The products come infused with plantbased Swisscertified actives that are delicately fragranced.

It took Rajshree twoandahalf years to get here. The process involved her carrying small bottles of the Ayurvedic oils to the laboratories in the initial stages of the formulation. After several rounds of discussions with laboratories in Switzerland and trials with formulations, she says her team arrived at a product that the contemporary world will find appealing.

The Swiss scientists were curious about the “dark, smelly fluids” she brought. After talks with four such labs, finally, one of them agreed to work with her. But this was not before she offered details on every ingredient in the oils, some of which contain as many as 300 herbs. The oils have been sourced from a small familymanaged unit in Kerala, and she adds that by the end of the year, she also hopes to launch a skincare range.

Qi Ayurveda’s products will soon be available at Good Earth Stores across India, and on www.qiayurveda.com. Priced ₹1,800 onwards.