Ingredients.

01

चंदन

Chandan Powder

Santalum album — sandalwood heartwood

The heartwood of the sandalwood tree, aged and then ground to a pale, fine flour. Its scent is the first thing you notice when the lid comes off — dry, sweet, and slow to leave.

Chandan has been the standard cooling ingredient of Indian skincare for centuries, and it earns it: on hot, flushed, irritated-feeling skin it settles things down within minutes. The fine milling means it polishes without scratching, so it suits faces that can't take a harsh scrub.

Cools and calms on contact.

02

मुलतानी माती

Multani Mati

Fuller's earth — sedimentary clay from Multan

A soft mineral clay, ochre-grey and silky between the fingers, named for the region it was first traded from. It is the ingredient that makes the paste behave like a paste.

Multani mati is absorbent — it draws up surface oil and loosens what has settled in the pores, which is why oily and combination skin responds to it fastest. It also lends the mix its cooling weight; you feel it tighten slightly as it sets.

Because it can take things a little too far, this blend keeps it balanced against softer, gentler powders rather than letting clay run the show.

Draws up surface oil.

03

आंबेहळद

Ambehalad

Curcuma amada — mango ginger

A rhizome that looks like turmeric and smells, unmistakably, of raw green mango. It is milder than culinary haldi and does not stain the way it does.

Ambehalad is the traditional choice for skin that looks marked, uneven or recently unhappy — it helps soften the appearance of dark patches over time. It brings a light, cool, almost fruity note to the paste that lifts the earthiness of the clay.

Softens the look of marks.

04

नागरमोथा

Nagarmotha

Cyperus rotundus — nut grass

The small dark tuber of a stubborn riverbank grass, dried until it turns woody and faintly smoky. Perfumers know it well; it is one of the oldest aromatic roots in the subcontinent.

Nagarmotha is used in ubtans for congested, sluggish-looking skin — it helps clarify and refresh a surface that has gone dull and thick. Its astringency works with the clay rather than against it, tightening the feel of the skin without stripping.

And it gives the finished mix its deep base note: earth, smoke, and something like wet stone.

Clarifies congested skin.

05

कडुलिंब

Kadulimb

Azadirachta indica — neem

Neem leaf, dried in shade and powdered — bitter, green, and instantly recognisable to anyone who grew up near the tree. The name itself means “the bitter lime.”

Kadulimb is the ingredient every Indian household reaches for when skin turns blemish-prone or irritable. On the face it helps keep the surface clean and settled, which suits skin that breaks out around the chin and jaw.

It is potent, so it sits here in a small proportion — enough to do its work, not enough to dry you out.

Settles blemish-prone skin.

06

अनंतमूळ

Anant Mool Powder

Hemidesmus indicus — Indian sarsaparilla

A slender climbing root with a sweet, vanilla-like smell that surprises most people the first time. Its name means “the endless root,” for the way it runs underground.

Anant mool has long been used for skin that looks tired, dull or unevenly toned, and it is one of the gentlest things in this jar. It cools without the tightness of clay, so it keeps the blend comfortable for sensitive and dry faces.

Evens dull-looking tone.

07

दारुहळद

Daruhalad

Berberis aristata — tree turmeric

The inner bark and root of a Himalayan barberry shrub, ground to a vivid yellow powder. Despite the name it is not turmeric at all — only the colour is shared.

Daruhalad is the traditional brightener: it helps skin look clearer and more awake, particularly where the tone has gone flat. It has a mild astringency that pairs well with the neem and nagarmotha in blemish-prone skin.

Left on too long it can tint fair skin faintly gold, which is the honest reason we ask you to rinse at ten minutes.

Brightens the look of skin.

08

वाळा

Vala

Chrysopogon zizanioides — vetiver root, khus

The tangled root of khus grass, the same one woven into window screens that are wetted to cool a room in summer. Dried and milled, it holds that green, rooty, rain-on-dust smell.

Vala is cooling in the most literal sense — it is what makes the paste feel a few degrees kinder on skin that has been out in the sun. It calms the look of redness and heat and leaves the surface feeling settled rather than tight.

Its scent is the reason the jar smells like the beginning of the monsoon.

Cooling, grounding, faintly green.

09

गुलाब

Gulab Powder

Rosa damascena — dried rose petals

Damask rose petals, dried whole and then broken down — the pale pink flecks visible in the powder are these. They are the only ingredient here you could identify with your eyes closed.

Gulab softens the whole blend, both in feel and in scent, and keeps the clay from reading harsh on drier skin. It leaves skin feeling supple and lightly scented once the paste is rinsed away — no perfume required.

Mix the ubtan with rose water instead of plain water and you double this effect.

Softens and gently scents.

10

आवळा

Aavla Powder

Phyllanthus emblica — amla, Indian gooseberry

The dried, powdered fruit of the amla tree — sour enough raw to make your eyes water, and one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C. In powder form it is buff-coloured and faintly tart to the nose.

Aavla brings a bright, fresh finish to the wash — skin looks clearer and feels firmer immediately after rinsing. Its natural acidity gives the blend a light clarifying edge without any added acid.

It is the ingredient responsible for the slightly tightened, wide-awake feeling ten minutes after you towel off.

A firm-feeling, fresh finish.

11

कचोरा

Kachora

Curcuma zedoaria — zedoary, white turmeric

A pale rhizome of the turmeric family, camphor-scented and far more bitter than the haldi used in cooking. Sliced and dried, it turns chalky white.

Kachora is the ingredient for rough, tired-looking texture — it helps smooth a surface that has gone dull and uneven, without the sting of a harsh scrub.

It carries a cool, faintly medicinal note that sits underneath the sandalwood and rose in the finished blend.

Smooths rough, tired texture.

12

बावची

Bavachi

Psoralea corylifolia — babchi

The small dark seed of a legume that grows across the Indian plains, warm and slightly peppery when ground.

Bavachi has long been used in traditional preparations for skin that looks patchy or uneven, and it supports the general evenness the blend is aiming for.

It is used sparingly here and is always rinsed off — this is a wash, not a leave-on treatment, and babchi should never be left on skin going into sunlight.

Supports an even-looking surface.