Why You Should Choose Natural Skincare: Reason 4: Ancient and Traditional Practices

Each of our natural skin care products at Azuri is inspired and informed by the traditional practices of Ayurveda and ancient African skincare. Both of these practices have existed for centuries and have been developed based on the available plant botanicals from those areas.

Ayurveda is one of the earliest known forms of medicine and body care in the world. Some studies and research show Ayurveda to be at least 3,000 years old. Ayurveda is rooted in the idea that all illnesses or problems originate from an imbalance in the body. There are three types of health types, or doshas, that Ayurveda talks about: pitta, vata, and kapha. These doshas are tied to the elements: wind, water, earth, fire, and space. Pitta is tied to fire, vata is tied to wind, and kapha is tied to earth and water. Ayurveda’s philosophy is to treat the cause of common illnesses and problems by the rebalancing of these doshas and elements rather treating the symptoms, which is typical of Western medicine. In Ayurvedic skincare, the idea is the same – rebalancing the skin’s qualities so it functions healthily.

Traditional African skincare has also been around for centuries. Local African skincare practices were developed based on the local plant botanicals. Africa is typically split into three biological communities: the subtropical desert, tropical savanna, and tropical forest. Each provide a rich ecological environment full of beautiful and powerful plants that can provide incredible benefits to the skin and body. For example, Shea butter is native to North and West Africa and is an incredibly effective, popular and the best moisturizer for oily skin. However, the prevalent moisturizer in East Africa is Nilotica butter. Some studies show that Nilotica butter is a more effective moisturizer than Shea butter but both are popular and (effective). The collection of these botanicals is done through native farming practices or wild harvesting. These practices protect and preserve the earth’s resources while still taking advantage of their (powerful benefits).

Azuri seeks to use the knowledge of ancient practices of both India’s Ayurveda and Africa to create modern, luxury organic skincare. We also seek to support the folks native to this area who discovered how to harvest and sustainably grow these botanicals that we benefit from today. All of our ingredients used in our natural skin care products are wild-harvested and directly support local women’s empowerment and livelihood.