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7. Bringing Back The Ancient Aesthetics

History is a rich source of knowledge, particularly Ancient practices across the globe. There is something in it that makes these ancient practices so sticky with people.

Whether it is the fact that it has been passed down from reliable, trustworthy grandparents & relatives or the fact that these practices have been adopted by the masses and the results are proven time and again.

Why do we learn from our past? For many years now, humans have been digging into their past to understand how societies functioned, how systems were built around societies, how ideologies impacted the actions of the societal dwellers, and how actions shaped cultures, governments, and countries. What this does for us is to improve how we are living in the present and allows us to plan.

Today, multiple businesses and brands are flourishing that are based on services emulating the olden practices or products inspired by traditions and cultures. Here are some brilliant examples explained by Swagatika Das, Founder Nat Habit:

What Food Industry has picked up:

In most ancient cultures, multiple food preservation techniques such as Drying, pickling, salting, curing etc were used by early men. They ensure oxidation of fats is slower and make food more resistant to microorganism growth. Today the retail space is filled with snacks such as Paapads and Chips, and Pickled items such as Achaars & pickled cucumber jars. While there are larger brands such as Nilon’s, Mother’s recipe etc, the last 2-3 years have seen many new D2C brands in our country with their range of snacks or pickles.

Accessories inspired by Ancient practices:

Ancient Indian Kitchen stories talk about iron, aluminium, copper and terracotta to be used as utensils in the kitchen to incorporate minerals that are required by our body in small amounts in our meals. Surely, you would have noticed umpteen variations and designs of copper bottles in the market! Another interesting example is the use of wood for everyday utility items such as combs, toothbrushes etc. Kacchi Neem combs have become a rage today and are the top displayed items under Amazon Search term related to ‘Comb’!

Apparel Weaving is back in town:

Weaving threads on a loom operated by hand is back in vogue thanks to the glamorisation of Gandhiji’s Chakra. It is even being promoted by the Indian Government. Every conscious brand lover or patriotic citizen loves to pick up an artisanal heritage handloom textile from homegrown small brands. Second, today multiple small boutique designers work on the Zero waste concept, recycling old pieces of fabrics into pillow covers, bedspreads and designer outfits.

Old Secrets in Beauty and personal care:

Old techniques in Skincare and haircare have been inspirations for many product developers. A great example is, Mud as a facial and cleanser has been traced as far back as ancient Egypt, with clay from the banks of the Nile cited to have been used for skin treatments. Today Mud bath always features in spa menus and Clay has become a common ingredient in facewashes or face packs. Many popular existing retail personal care brands have come out with ‘Natural’, Herbal’, ‘Organic’ ‘Ayurvedic’ variants of their existing products. The Market is also flooded with brands talking about Paraben-free, Sulphates-free etc – proof that today’s consumers are gravitating towards chemical-less products just like the pre-industrial revolution.

Nat Habit was inspired by the ancient Indian practices of Skincare and Haircare. The use of whole ingredients, juices and pulps of fruits & vegetables, spices, and herbs as well as techniques such as slow heat infusion of herbs in oils, steam distilling leaves and flowers and Washing of Ghee multiple times are examples of how we have incorporated the old practices into our products. Ubtan used to be a natural face and body cleanser made out of Milk, curd, Besan, Dals etc. Today, our range of Freshly prepared Ubtans, made every day without chemicals, has become one of our top-selling products! Our signature ‘Hibiscus Dasabuti Hair Oil” has inspired many replicas in the market proving the success of this product.

Whether the ancient practices are termed as ‘Daadi ke Nuske’, ‘Parampara’ or Family Secrets, they are deeply ingrained in Indian culture. They have a positive association with a healthy lifestyle - something everyone wants. And if this is what the consumers want, this is what all brands will strive to bring to them.Whether it is the fact that it has been passed down from reliable, trustworthy grandparents & relatives or the fact that these practices have been adopted by the masses and the results are proven time and again.