I am frequently asked about this brand and its one of the extremely few Made in India brands that I test.
Overview
What makes the brand stand-out are these 3 factors:
- Only use ECOCERT Organic Ingredients
- Have their own manufacturing unit
- Produce a range of products from haircare, facecare and bodycare. The used to make some babycare products but not anymore
What is ECOCERT?
ECOCERT is essentially a certificate that is given to cosmetics that meet a criteria. The benefit of this certification is you can rest assured that these ingredients are of great quality. There is no doubt that ECOCERT cosmetics have these in common:
- Contain Organic Ingredients
- Are superior in quality
- Have a shorter shelf-life
- Are more expensive
Click here to go to the ECOCERT website
WHAT DO I THINK OF Juicy Chemistry AND ITS PRODUCTS?
Quality Assurance
The biggest issue that any consumer has with Made in India cosmetics (including myself) is do I trust what goes in?
With Juicy Chemistry, I 100% trust what they write on their label for two reasons.
First, the ECOCERT labelling can only be used if so permitted by a French regulated body (here is link). There is external regulation.
Second, the Founders of the brand (husband + wife) own their own manufacturing unit. This makes a BIG impact because they understand QUALITY CONTROL in manufacturing and this reassures me.
Carbon footprint…
As Juicy Chemistry import most of their ingredients from outside India I am always concerned about their carbon footprint and personally I constantly struggle with this Q. How good are brands for the environment?
Are Juicy Chemistry like Forest Essentials or Kama Ayurveda?
No.
Both Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda are registered Ayurvedic brands and are regulated in India as Ayurvedic brands. The most obvious distinction comes on the labelling. For example, Forest Essentials declare some % of their ingredients. No such requirement is made of Juicy Chemistry.
For me, the 2nd important distinction is that Ayurvedic formulations for skincare have broadly been around for thousands of years and they work. You may disagree with me and that’s fine. But I am a cosmetic formulator and Ayurvedic formulations take more time to work but they product results
Juicy Chemistry is relying on the quality of ingredients for results and not the composition of formulations.
On the other hand, Juicy Chemistry produces a ridiculous number of SKUs from hair dye, hair masks to lip serums and dusting powders. You name it and Juicy Chemistry are likely to make it.
The second important distinction is Ayurvedic skincare follow certain rules in preparation of products that are different to regular manufacturing.
SKU sizes suggest Juicy Chemistry products are cheap
For the quality of ingredients used, Juicy Chemistry can be cheap. Especially their face oils.
BUT, they are not uniformly cheap: the Lip conditioning serum is just Rs 450/tube but you’ll easily go through at least 3 a month to see desired results. That’s about Rs 1,350+
Similarly, their eye serum is 15% more expensive than Forest Essentials
As a beauty insider I can tell you that the margin on these smaller units is through the roof. This allows brands to constantly run promotions and give the consumer the impression that they are getting a great deal.
And the most common Q: are Juicy Chemistry as good as Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda?
This question in itself is unfair because it is comparing apples with oranges.
I can only really comment on skincare (and not their new skin actives) and I’ll be honest with you, except their face oils I don’t think there is a single product that I would like to repurchase. The only face oil that I like is the Kakadu Plum one because it smells so nice. Do I really think its doing anything for my skin? Possibly, if you are under 35, but it is just not potent enough for 35+ to see results.
The products I absolutely dislike are numerous, but anything with shea butter and their soaps are not great.
You see my basic problem with this brand is that either (i) they don’t know how to make better products – but you can buy that type of talent, so not sure about this or (ii) they don’t think there is demand for exceptional products based on quality of ingredients.
And that essentially sums up my main issue with a lot of Made in India brands – they assume consumers don’t want to pay for products that are well-formulated, researched and actually benefit consumers. Its infuriating.
To sum up, Juicy Chemistry might and are very likely to make better products than Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda at some point – but today’s not that day.