I’m so excited to bring you this conversation with Dr. Pratima Raichur, founder of Pratima Skincare - a true pioneer in bringing Ayurveda into the world of modern beauty.
I first discovered Pratima Skincare a couple of years ago, at a time when my skin felt completely out of sync. Hormonal acne, persistent irritation, the kind that no quick fix could touch. What drew me in immediately was the purity. Ingredients you could recognize, even eat. No long lists of synthetics. Just plants, oils, and time-tested wisdom, thoughtfully combined and tailored to your constitution through the Ayurvedic lens of doshas.
Dr. Pratima Raichur is the founder of Pratima Skincare and a true pioneer in bringing Ayurveda into modern beauty. Trained as an Ayurvedic physician, chemist, and botanist, she opened one of New York City’s first Ayurvedic skincare practices in the late 1970s, at a time when natural skincare was virtually unknown, and has spent over five decades building a body of work that feels both ancient and timely.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to consult with her in person. She observes with a sharp, unhurried clarity: skin, yes, but also posture, energy, the subtler cues of how you move through the world. In her philosophy, the skin is never just a surface to treat. It’s the body’s largest organ, absorbing what we place on it and reflecting everything happening beneath, physically, emotionally, energetically. What you feed your skin and what you feed your body are never separate questions.
And now, as we transition into spring, it feels like the perfect moment to revisit that relationship. To clear, to lighten, to reset. Not just in what we put on our skin, but in how we think about nourishment altogether.
Tell us about your journey into Ayurveda and skincare
My path in Ayurveda began when I was a young girl in India, apprenticing with a respected Ayurvedic physician who happened to be a neighbor of mine. I didn’t know then that I had just stumbled into a lifelong calling to understand the intimate connection between body, mind, and spirit. My studies in science, chemistry, and botany, combined with years of Ayurvedic study to become an Ayurvedic physician, gave me a foundation to bridge ancient wisdom with modern scientific understandings. When I moved to New York City in the late 1970s, I brought this knowledge to a new audience, creating one of the first Ayurvedic skincare practices in the United States, opening one of New York City’s first certified “Green” eco-friendly spas in Soho, NY, offering bespoke Ayurvedic Consultations, and developing my own line of Ayurvedic skincare formulations at a time when natural skincare was virtually unknown.
Now in my eighties, I continue to practice, teach, and formulate with the same dedication I have had for more than fifty years. I believe that beauty and well-being arise from the totality of balance and harmony rather than quick external fixes, and I see skincare as an intimate practice that nourishes both skin and spirit. My book, Absolute Beauty, and my decades of hands-on work reflect my enduring mission: to help people experience the intelligence of nature in their everyday lives and cultivate radiant health from the inside out.
What does Ayurvedic skincare offer that conventional routines miss?
It depends on what we mean by “modern.” Today there are many more natural and even Ayurvedic skincare lines available, which I’m very happy to see. When I began making Ayurvedic skincare products in New York City in the 1980s, I was truly a lone voice in a forest of chemical-laden options. My life’s purpose has been to spread awareness of Ayurveda through skincare, so it’s gratifying to see this shift toward more holistic approaches.
I can really only speak to my own work, but what gives my formulas their power is that each one is rooted in the intelligence of Ayurveda. Ayurveda understands that every person has a unique mind–body constitution, or dosha, and that balance is created by working with those natural tendencies. My formulations are designed with these principles in mind, incorporating ingredients and properties that help restore balance not only to the skin, but also to the mind and overall well-being. Some formulas support individual doshas, while others are tridoshic and bring balance more universally.
Another important aspect is that the ingredients are treated as nourishment for the skin. They are minimally processed so the intelligence of nature remains intact. When the skin receives ingredients it can recognize as “food,” it can actually digest and utilize that nutrition. The texture, touch, and absorption of the products matter, and the aromas offer aromatherapeutic benefits as well, so the experience becomes a sensory tuning of skin, mind, and spirit.
For many people, the journey goes even deeper through Ayurvedic consultations. In addition to external nourishment through skincare, we address internal nutrition, lifestyle, stress, and herbal supplements, which I often describe as concentrated nutrition that can be difficult to obtain through diet alone. Ayurveda recognizes that everything is interconnected, so skincare becomes part of a larger process of restoring balance and health.
Even though many wonderful brands are now building on the lineage of Ayurvedic skincare, I still feel my approach offers something unique. At 86, I continue to feel called to serve people in this way.
How do you actually structure a daily Ayurvedic skincare routine?
When I developed my approach to Ayurvedic skincare, I began by looking at what the body itself naturally does in order to survive, and, when things are working well, to truly thrive. I found that three fundamental processes support a thriving life: proper cleansing, optimal nourishment, and balanced hydration. In simple terms, we could think of it as Cleanse, Feed, and Hydrate.
The first step is cleansing, but Ayurvedic cleansing is quite different from the conventional idea of washing the skin. In nature, cleansing is part of a cycle. It removes what is no longer needed, but it also replenishes. Many mainstream cleansers focus primarily on stripping away dirt, oil, and congestion. Over time, that kind of cleansing can actually deplete the skin and weaken its natural resilience. My herbal cleansers were designed to mirror nature’s cycle by cleansing and replenishing at the same time.
They come in the form of dry herbal powders that are activated with water just before use, so each application is freshly prepared. The finely ground herbal grains gently polish away dull surface cells, while natural enzymatic activity supports exfoliation. At the same time, the herb-infused water becomes almost like a tea for the skin, allowing the skin to drink in replenishing plant nutrients.
The second step is nourishment. Just as the body needs good food, the skin needs nutrients it can truly recognize and absorb. I developed my Face Essential Oils with a density similar to that of the skin itself so that they can easily integrate with the skin’s own structure. In this way, the oils not only nourish the surface but can support the deeper levels of the skin where many imbalances begin.
The third step is hydration and protection. My moisturizers act as a breathable, hydrating barrier that seals in the nourishment of the Face Essential Oils while helping protect the skin from environmental depletion. I often describe it as helping to “keep the glass of water full,” maintaining the hydration that allows the skin to function at its best.
Of course, my line also offers many specialized treatments for specific skin imbalances. But at its heart, this simple three-step routine, cleanse, nourish, and hydrate, follows the wisdom of nature and supports the skin in maintaining its natural balance and vitality.
“Seasonal adaptation is a central principle of Ayurveda. By adjusting our routines to reflect both the rhythms of nature and the needs of our individual doshas, we allow the skin to stay in harmony with the environment rather than working against it.”
What shifts happen in the body as we transition from winter to spring, and how should we adapt our skincare?
As we move from winter into spring, we see a beautiful reflection of what is happening in nature. The snow and ice begin to melt, washing and cleansing the Earth, and as the planet tilts closer toward the sun, there is more available energy to support new growth. In Ayurveda we understand that seasonal transitions bring a shift in frequency, and spring carries the frequency of elevation and emergence, much like a seed that has been quietly gestating beneath the soil suddenly pushes upward and breaks through the surface.
Our bodies and our skin respond to these seasonal frequencies, and the change is experienced through the lens of our individual doshas.
For Vata, which naturally carries the qualities of coolness, lightness, dryness, and movement, the skin tends to be more delicate and porous. Spring’s incoming warmth and natural increase in moisture can actually help bring balance to Vata skin by adding a bit more grounding weight and hydration. Often the season itself provides some of this balancing effect. As winter ends, Vata types may begin transitioning away from their richest winter products toward slightly lighter formulations, lighter in texture, though still supportive and nourishing. Ingredients that remain gently warming and circulation-promoting, such as sesame, geranium, lavender, jasmine, vetiver, lemon, and sweet orange, continue to support balance.
Pitta skin types tend to have medium-density skin and a natural baseline of heat that can range from healthy warmth to visible inflammation. As spring progresses, warmth begins to build in the environment and eventually leads into the high heat of summer. For this reason, already inflamed Pitta skin benefits from getting a head start on increasing the use of extra cooling and anti-inflammatory ingredients during the spring months. Formulations that feature herbs and botanicals such as brahmi, neem, coconut, sandalwood, and rose can be especially helpful. Cooling and hydrating the skin becomes increasingly important, because as environmental heat rises throughout spring and summer, that accumulated warmth can gradually burn off the skin’s moisture levels.
Kapha skin is the most dense in structure and naturally carries the qualities of coolness, heaviness, and moisture. Kapha often experiences the most imbalance toward the later part of winter, when heaviness and congestion may accumulate. As spring arrives, nature’s rising energy begins to stimulate movement and can help relieve some of that stagnation. Kapha types benefit from skincare that gently warms and stimulates the skin while helping to digest excess oil or congestion. Ingredients such as lemon, eucalyptus, neem, and ginger can be particularly supportive during this seasonal transition.
Seasonal adaptation is a central principle of Ayurveda. By adjusting skincare routines to reflect both the rhythms of nature and the needs of our individual doshas, we allow the skin to stay in harmony with the environment rather than working against it.
What are the most common imbalances you see during the spring season?
During winter, many people experience a natural buildup of stagnation and congestion in the body. The late winter season tends to be heavier, colder, and more inward, and those qualities can allow certain accumulations to settle in the system, no matter what your primary dosha. As spring arrives and the environment becomes lighter, warmer, and more dynamic, those stored accumulations begin to move. For many people, that transition can show up as seasonal allergies or increased sensitivity.
If those accumulations are not gradually cleared, the rising heat of late spring and summer can intensify them further, sometimes leading to inflammation, not only on the skin but throughout the entire mind–body system.
Nature offers a wonderful reminder of what to do during this time of year. All around us we see melting snow, flowing water, and the cleansing rains of spring. The Earth itself is washing away what has built up over the winter in order to make space for new life.
I often suggest that people follow nature’s lead. Spring is a time for gentle cleansing and renewal, both externally and internally. It may mean adjusting skincare routines, having a seasonal detoxification, clearing out physical spaces like drawers and closets, or even journaling to release thoughts and patterns that are no longer serving us. When we create space in this way, we support the body’s natural rhythms and make room for the new growth that spring is inviting into our lives.
Thank you to Dr. Pratima for so generously sharing her wisdom here. Pratima Skincare has kindly offered a discount code for readers of this newsletter: use code RESET at pratimaskincare.com before April 31st, 2026.