Zareen Khan On Building Happy Hippie As A Simple, Affordable, Need-Based Brand: "Let's Just Go With Rainbow" She talks like a consumer, one with "very, very sensitive skin," overwhelmed by 10-step routines and pricey bottles that promise the world.

Bollywood actress Zareen Khan recently launched her skin and haircare brand 'Happy Hippie', and as she describes her brand, she says she doesn't lean on industry jargon. She talks like a consumer, one with "very, very sensitive skin," overwhelmed by 10-step routines and pricey bottles that promise the world. "This is something that has actually erupted from, you know, personal need," she says. "I also want to take care of my skin, but I've got very, very sensitive skin."

Speaking about the initial spark, which she says arrived two years ago when ads and influencers pushed her to buy more and more products, and her skin pushed back., "I used to get a lot by seeing all these ads, bought them, and skin reacted up," she recalls. That frustration shaped her founding thesis: "keep it simple, effective, and accessible." "It will just simplify this whole idea of taking care of yourself in, you know, a simple and effective manner, one product which takes care of multiple concerns - one product, basic, simple, cost-effective, and works great for the skin and hair."

From celebrity face to hands-on founder

Zareen anticipated the skepticism that comes with celebrity brands. She says, "A lot of people have this perception that, oh, actress, she's just gonna give it her name and she's still gonna be promoting." Reality? "I was a pain, I wanted to get samples. I have been testing samples on my own self for almost two years now. Okay, what does this ingredient do? No, switch this with that?" She was equally exacting about the aesthetics of the products. "Because the name is happy hippie. I did not want, like, a dull packaging… Then I'm like, okay, you know what? Let's just go with rainbow."

A middle-class lens on pricing and access

The Veer actress' pricing philosophy is rooted in her own upbringing. "I come from a middle-class family. There were times when I wanted to buy something, but I could not afford it. So I would never forget that time." For her, affordability is not positioning, it's purpose. "It's in a way, my way of giving them back, something that I created from myself, and now I want to share it with them, not by drilling a hole in their pocket - making it affordable and accessible to the majority of them."

Ayurveda, genetics, and India's 'gold mine'

Being blunt about the imported beauty trends, the actress says: "We are in a monkey see monkey do kind of era, you just see an influencer, and people just run in the market." Formulations must fit genetics and climate, she argues. Further speaking about the crazy Korean products craze in India, she says, "It might suit people in Korea; their genetics are different. Our genetics are different." India, she insists, is rich in time-tested wisdom and ingredients. "Our India is a gold mine, we come from the land of Ayurveda, our skincare market can just boom if we look inside rather than looking outside."

Zareen Khan's big picture plan

Khan wants Happy Hippie to be everywhere and still feel like a friend on your dresser. "My big picture dream is to make it a household name, taking it to international markets. Right now, we have skin and hair. I also want to expand it into the body, so it's going to be a complete personal care."