Think of natural skincare and what do you picture? What comes to my mind is raw hemp—rough, organic, and perfumed with clichéd patchouli. At the other extreme of the skincare product market are chemical-laden concoctions that a surgeon might prescribe.
But if you visit plastic surgeon Dr. Nina Naidu, she will recommend neither type of product, but rather one that achieves the benefits of both while having the disadvantages of neither.
Naidu is the creator of Anokha, a skincare line based on ingredients found in Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda is India’s ancient healing system that uses plants and foodstuffs as its medicine. While the ingredients in Anokha are natural and nourishing, the products are formulated in a way that is acceptable to users of conventional skincare products.
Naidu created Anokha following requests from her patients for post-surgery skin treatments without harsh chemicals. “Many of the medical-grade skincare products are too harsh for patients, especially women of childbearing age, to use,” Naidu said. “Some contain ingredients that are potentially carcinogenic.”
So she inquired of her mother, who grew up in Southeast Asia, and found that the tradition there is to use natural food and botanicals as ingredients to cleanse and treat the skin. For example, milk and yogurt is used as a facial wash, turmeric powder to fight acne, and rose oil as a moisturizer. She began to experiment on herself and her friends and found that these simple ingredients were more effective than many mainstream products.
Nourishing Ingredients
Almond, bamboo, mango, saffron, jasmine, and willow—these are some key ingredients in Anokha products. They are sourced from India and other parts of Southeast Asia, and manufactured in the United States, where Naidu knows she can count on safety standards.
Anokha is not based on Ayurvedic medicine, but the products do use ingredients that are found in Ayurveda. There are, therefore, some similarities between Ayurvedic prescriptions and Naidu’s formulations since they use many of the same ingredients.
Obey the Skin
Products in Naidu’s line are not meant to be seen as a set, but to be used as needed. “I tend not to break down products according to dry, normal, and oily skin,” she said.
“[The] line is meant to be used as needed. It’s easier to stick to a straight regimen, but skin changes with hormones and the weather. Some clients come to me and ask, ‘I’ve been using a product for a long time and now it stopped working.’ It’s not that it stopped working, but the skin changed. Use products that work for you.”
The line is currently distributed online at www.anokhaskincare.com and at Naidu’s Upper East Side store. True to her medical background, she presents on her Web site a detailed explanation of the dermis and how Anokha’s ingredients work with the skin.
Some of Anokha’s products include:
Almond Cleansing Milk
Lotus Flower & Rosewater Toner
Amla Skin Brightening Lotion
Rice & Bamboo Facial Scrub
Red Sandalwood & Neem Clarifying Masque
