Ayurvedic Skincare Made Simple: Five Ingredients to Know

You've probably met a few Ayurvedic ingredients already. Licorice gave the chewy black lolly its name, and saffron is that precious jar at the back of the spice rack. Amla and manjistha might be new to you.

Here's a quick look at five favourites (saffron, amla, manjistha, neem and licorice): their traditional role, and what science can and can't tell us so far.

Ayurveda in a nutshell

Ayurveda is India's traditional system of medicine, and it treats skin as personal. It starts with your constitution, described through three doshas: vata (wind), pitta (fire) and kapha (water and earth). Herbs, oils and daily rituals are then chosen to bring things back into balance.

The Charaka Samhita, one of Ayurveda's foundational texts, names ten varnya, or "promoting complexion", herbs, including licorice and manjistha. We use varnya to mean radiance and clarity, not changing anyone's natural skin colour. As Healthline notes, the term carries a long history of colourism, and that deserves to be named.

Saffron: the spice-rack treasure

Saffron is the dried stigma of the saffron crocus, picked by hand one flower at a time. Its golden colour comes from a pigment called crocin. In Ayurveda, it's the star of Saffron Oil, a classical facial oil in which saffron and other herbs are slowly cooked into sesame oil.

The research is promising but small. In one study, 20 volunteers used a saffron and avocado oil cream for 12 weeks and their skin elasticity measures improved, though hydration didn't change. For the full story, read our deep dive on saffron for skin and Saffron Oil.

Amla: the gooseberry with a twist

Amla, Phyllanthus emblica, is the Indian gooseberry. It's one of the three fruits in Triphala and takes centre stage in the Charaka Samhita's chapter on rasayana, or rejuvenation.

It contains vitamin C along with ellagic and gallic acids. In lab studies on skin cells, amla extract increased procollagen, the precursor to collagen, and helped protect cells after UVB exposure.

In one small human trial, 20 women applied a 0.1% amla gel to half their face for 84 days, and that side showed measurable changes in elasticity and skin tone. The twist: the extract came from amla branches, not the fruit.

Manjistha: the red dye root

Rubia cordifolia, or Indian madder, has a bright red root long used to dye cloth. Much of that colour comes from a compound called alizarin.

It's one of Charaka's ten varnya herbs, traditionally used for the complexion. A 2022 review found more than 100 compounds, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects reported in research, but most studies are preclinical and safety data from people are lacking. For now, manjistha is best appreciated for its long traditional use.

Neem: the "village pharmacy"

Neem (Azadirachta indica) is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts dated between 1500 and 400 BCE. People often call it the village pharmacy, because its bark, leaves, flowers, seeds and oil are all put to use.

Research counts more than 300 compounds in neem, with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity reported. The catch: rigorous human trials are scarce.

Safety first: please don't skip

Never take neem oil by mouth. Swallowing neem oil has caused the deaths of several children, and taking neem leaf or oil internally is advised against during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Some people have developed allergic contact dermatitis from neem oil on skin, so always patch test first.

Licorice: the sweet stick

Yashtimadhu means "sweet stick": the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Ayurveda describes it as cooling, Charaka lists it as madhuka in the varnya group for complexion, and it turns up in Saffron Oil recipes too.

Most skin research centres on glabridin, a compound found in the root. In lab studies, it inhibits tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in making pigment, and shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. It's tricky to work with, though, as it doesn't dissolve well in water.

Three quick tips for choosing well

Read the full ingredient list, as a vague term like "neem extract" doesn't tell you much. Patch test anything new, natural or not. And keep skincare on your skin: heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury have been found in some products marketed as Ayurvedic, so be especially careful with oral supplements.

If you'd like to meet these herbs in a modern routine, our Saffron Brightening Serum brings all five together in a sesame seed oil base with rosehip and jojoba oil. Our Brightening Cleanser pairs saffron, manjistha and licorice root with Indian sarsaparilla (sariva) and bakuchi, and our Saffron Brightening Gel combines licorice and saffron with aloe in a lightweight gel. Discover more at Bare Nectar.

About the author

Nancy

Bare Nectar was born from a deeply personal journey. As a pharmacist, cancer researcher, and mother, I struggled to find skincare I truly trusted for my daughter and myself—products that were gentle, thoughtfully formulated, and free from unnecessary ingredients. That search led me back to my South Asian roots, where generations before us embraced the wisdom of Ayurveda, using nature's botanicals to nourish and protect the skin long before modern skincare existed.