For the first time, Indie Beauty Expo will head to Dallas. Co-founded by 15-year esthetician Jillian Wright and professional entrepreneur Nader Naeymi-Rad, the event aims to put the spotlight on independent brand owners in the beauty and wellness industry. Though the event is an opportunity for buyers to learn more about the brands, all beauty lovers are invited to shop the expo on Wednesday, May 10, at Sixty Five Hundred from 5-9pm.
Each week leading up to the event, we’ve put our own spotlight on local brands. For our last indie brand owner, we have Shilpi Jain who created SkinVeda, a customizable all-natural skin care line with products for every skin type.
Why did you start SkinVeda?
SkinVeda grew out of a personal need. Back in 2006, my one-year-old son was suffering from dry, irritated skin. As a trained research and development scientist, I was reluctant to use the recommended petroleum jelly for treatment, so I started doing some research. After a couple of months, I was able to create my first product (Replenishing Serum) using gluten free oat peptides, green tea extract and chamomile aromatic distillates. This serum worked so well on my son’s skin that within a week, his irritation was gone. It inspired me to keep putting my medicinal chemist background to the test, and learn more about Ayurveda medicine, a 5,000-year-old healing practice from India. Ultimately, I wanted to create an ethical brand where less is more, and where you can bridge science and nature without hurting any being.
How did you discover Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a time-tested medicine that works incredibly well to treat cancer and other internal problems. Now used topically in the U.S., it’s gotten some buzz because the results are phenomenal.
My love for Ayurveda started began early. As a young girl born into an East Indian family, herbs such as turmeric, neem, amla, and coconut were common household staples. I had fun mixing things up and applying them on my face. I always knew I wanted to be a cosmetic chemist.
What’s the main idea or core value behind your line?
The main essence of SkinVeda is creating products for people who are leading a stressful life. Be it dark circles under our eyes, acne, aging, wrinkles, cellulite—all these are stress related. You an’t cure these just by putting makeup on.
Can you explain how each of your products cater to a specific skin type?
If you go to my website you’ll see a dosha quiz. Dosha is a principle of Ayurveda that combines our physical and mental health. It directs someone to their customized skincare based on each mind-body type. SkinVeda is all about the science of skin. It’s about you—a customized approach based on the things that you eat and what you really need from your skincare regimen, so it’s not one size fits all.
You’ll be bringing some new things to the Indie Beauty Expo. What can we expect?
I’ve been preparing for the Indie Beauty Expo since last year. We are relaunching our entire brand, adding three new products: the Youth Restoring Abhyanga Face & Body Oil, Saffron-Dhatelo Lip Restoring Balm, and Under Eye Firming & Dark Circles Créme. Our whole line has been made gluten-free. It was already vegan but with all the allergies out there, I decided I wanted it to be user-friendly for everyone. Each product is also multitasking, helping in multiple areas. I wanted to create this line for the fast-paced lives that we all have. We don’t have time to put 10 products on every day.
