‘Build the future of Ayurveda’: Kapiva invests in research and clinical trials for ‘tangible evidence’ of efficacy

Kapiva is an Ayurvedic wellness brand that got its start in 2016 developing health supplements. The company started producing topical skin and hair care products about six months ago in response to consumer demand.

“As we started growing, we got more consistent feedback from our customers wanting topical products. I think its because they now think of skin or hair health as part of a regime. So, now they want both [supplements and topical products,”​ founder of Kapiva, Ameve Sharma, told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.​

The company has been quick to introduce its new topical range. Sharma said it has launched eight to 10 new products in the past few months.

Ayurvedic-inspired beauty is nothing new in the industry now. Just last September, Spanish luxury beauty and perfume major Puig announced the acquisition of Kama Ayurveda.

However, Sharma believes it is making a difference in the Ayurvedic wellness and beauty space with its investment into research and development (R&D).

“There is already a large Ayurvedic topical market, personal care market out there. How do we take it a step forward? The same way we've done for the rest of our portfolio – with science. That’s the opportunity we saw.”​

R&D is the firm’s second-largest investment behind consumer education.

“We want to bring Ayurveda into the 21^st​ century and build the future of Ayurveda. Today we see it presented as a traditional system, but not everyone is talking about it from a scientific perspective. We want to tie it back to scientific reasoning.”​

For instance, the company researched the Ayurvedic technique that is used to process ghee and discovered that it helps to break down the particles, allowing it to penetrate deeply into the skin.

“Not only are we investing into R&D, but we’re also investing significantly into things like double-blind placebo trials. I think to take it to the next generation and into the future, it’s really important to have tangible evidence behind the products.”​

Sharma told us that the firm was gearing up for its Series C funding round in the next few weeks.

Kapiva’s foray into topical beauty products has been a fruitful exercise and a major growth driver for the firm.

“Skin and hair are definitely two of our fastest growing areas, and our second-largest category now. It’s definitely a big focus. Our sort of focus till now was traditionally like I said, on ingestible. But now topicals are becoming a large part,” ​said Sharma.

The company has about 25 to 30 products in the development pipeline. It is focused on developing products that can solve the major concerns among consumers, such as hair loss and pigmentation.

Sharma told us the brand will be ready to launch more products soon. “There’s more coming in the next four to five months, we are quite excited with all that is coming.”​