Across India’s beauty landscape, a quieter shift is underway – one that is moving consumers away from synthetic excess and closer to ingredients, origins, and rituals they can trust.
For years, shelves were dominated by chemical-heavy formulations and trend-driven marketing. But today, consumers are becoming more mindful of what they put on their skin, looking more closely at ingredients, sourcing, and long-term wellness.
As a result, Ayurveda is once again finding relevance in modern beauty conversations — not just as tradition, but as a more conscious and balanced approach to self-care.
Among the new generation of brands emerging in this space is Chengavi, a premium Ayurvedic personal care brand founded by 22-year-old entrepreneur Jagathi Reddy.
Launched in May 2025 after nearly four years of research and development, Chengavi has already crossed ₹1 crore in revenue within its first year of operations.
Long before Chengavi became a brand on shelves, it existed as memory in a small village in Andhra Pradesh, in the quiet rhythm of home remedies, herbs, and generational wisdom passed hand to hand.
Inspired by Childhood Memories
Jagathi Reddy grew up in Kodumur, near Kurnool, surrounded by farms, herbs, animals, and traditional ways of living. Some of her earliest memories were of watching her grandmother prepare herbal remedies in the kitchen using ingredients gathered from nearby fields and local markets.
“I grew up seeing my grandmother make remedies using simple herbs and oils at home,” Jagathi says. “Those experiences stayed with me for years, even after I began studying business and exploring the beauty industry more seriously.”
Those memories resurfaced strongly during the COVID-19 lockdown. Jagathi began thinking about whether traditional Ayurvedic knowledge could be reintroduced in a way that felt relevant to modern consumers; without losing its authenticity.
That thought eventually became the foundation for Chengavi.
Where Ayurveda Met Modern Research
While Jagathi had the vision for the brand, she knew scientific expertise would play an equally important role in building credibility and long-term trust.
That is when Dr. Vishnu Prasanth Vinukonda joined the journey as co-founder. A biotechnologist with over 15 years of research experience, Dr. Vishnu also comes from a 250-year lineage of Ayurvedic practitioners.
“My grandfather and generations before him practiced Ayurveda,” Dr. Vishnu says. “For me, it was never just a field of study. It was part of everyday life growing up.”
Together, the founders set out to create formulations that respected classical Ayurvedic principles while also meeting modern expectations around safety, stability, texture, and usability.
The intention was clear: preserve the integrity of Ayurveda, while shaping it into something modern consumers could trust, use, and return to.
Four Years of Research Before Launch
Although Chengavi officially launched in 2025, the groundwork began much earlier in 2021.
With an initial investment of nearly ₹15–20 lakh, the founders spent close to four years focused primarily on research, formulation development, sourcing, and testing. A large part of the investment went into understanding raw materials, building small-batch formulations, and refining product performance.
One of the biggest challenges was sourcing authentic Ayurvedic ingredients with consistent quality.
“At one point, we realised sourcing itself was becoming one of the hardest parts of the process,” Dr. Vishnu explains. “Good quality Ayurvedic herbs are not always easy to standardise.”
To solve this, the founders began working closely with regional farmers and smaller suppliers who followed more traditional cultivation methods. The team also introduced internal quality checks and batch-level evaluations before production.
Another major focus was formulation minimalism.
Instead of creating products filled with unnecessary additives, Chengavi chose to follow a more balanced “less is more” philosophy inspired by classical Ayurveda. The idea was to use fewer ingredients, but ensure every ingredient served a meaningful purpose within the formulation.
Achieving stability and consistency with simpler formulations, however, required repeated testing and refinement over several years.
Building Chengavi from the Ground Up
Today, Chengavi offers 24 formulations across skincare, haircare, bath and body, and men’s grooming categories.
Unlike many early-stage beauty brands that outsource production entirely, Chengavi chose to establish its own manufacturing setup from the beginning. All formulations are developed through in-house research and manufactured under AYUSH GMP guidelines.
For the founders, maintaining control over production was an important decision.
“We wanted to be closely involved in every stage, from sourcing ingredients to final formulation,” Jagathi says. “That level of involvement helped us maintain consistency and stay aligned with the philosophy we started with.”
The brand currently follows a hybrid retail model.
Its products are available through Chengavi’s own website, marketplaces such as Amazon, Myntra, and Smytten, as well as 28 offline retail locations across South India through Apollo Group’s multi-brand beauty stores in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kerala.
For a young brand, Chengavi has built something that takes many years to establish – research depth, manufacturing control, and meaningful retail presence.
THE MEANING BEHIND THE NAME
The name Chengavi combines two words rooted in southern Indian languages.
“Chennu” signifies beauty and radiance, while “Kaavi” evokes the sacred saffron hue of sunrise and sunset.
Together, they reflect the natural rhythm of daily self-care, rooted in balance, mindfulness, and quiet restoration through morning and evening rituals.
The brand’s logo, inspired by the Manjishta leaf and sacred yantra geometry, embodies Ayurveda’s healing wisdom and its deeper spiritual symbolism.
Early Growth and Industry Recognition
Since launching commercially in May 2025, Chengavi has crossed ₹1 crore in revenue within its first year.
For the upcoming financial year, the founders are targeting ₹4–5 crore in revenue while also expanding into a dedicated Ayurvedic haircare range that will include shampoos, conditioners, serums, and hair masks.
Early recognition within the beauty and wellness industry
Chengavi’s clay face mask was nominated at the Grazia Indie Beauty Awards 2025. Founder Jagathi Reddy was recognised with the COA Award presented by actor Parineeti Chopra, and also received the Nari Shakti Award for Emerging Businesswoman of the Year.
In addition, Chengavi represented Indian Ayurveda at the 3rd International AYUSH Conference and Exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
For the founders, these milestones are encouraging, but the larger vision remains long-term.
“Ayurveda is part of India’s heritage,” Jagathi says. “We want to take that wisdom to more people in a way that feels authentic, thoughtful, and relevant to today’s world.”
Bringing Ayurveda Back Into Everyday Life
At a time when consumers are moving toward slower and more mindful forms of self-care, Chengavi is weaving Ayurveda back into everyday routines, guided by timeless wisdom and supported by modern research.
Built on generational knowledge, scientific collaboration, and years of disciplined product development, Chengavi represents a new wave of Indian beauty brands that are trying to balance heritage with modern expectations.
What began in a kitchen in Kodumur, shaped by memory and sharpened by research, is now finding its place on shelves, in homes, and in a wider conversation around what modern Ayurveda can become.
