Natural Selection

Ayca’s pure, natural products are a result of age-old recipes passed down through generations

- Arushi Sinha

MOTHERS KNOW BEST—local beauty brand Ayca will undoubtedly vouch for this. Owing its conception to a nourishing body cream developed by co-founder Mallyeka Watsa’s great-grandmother to ensure her daughters didn’t develop stretch marks during their pregnancies, the formulation has passed down from generation to generation like a prized heirloom, reserved exclusively for friends and family. That is until Watsa decided to found Ayca with her long-time colleague and friend, Himani Singh.

Much like that very first body cream—made with beeswax, essential oils, and water distilled on site and infused with a blend of bark and flowers—Ayca focuses on natural ingredients and traditional recipes to create a range of holistic beauty products. There are incredibly lightweight moisturising Aloe Vera Gels in jasmine, tea tree, rose and bergamot, lemongrass, and turmeric; shower gels with nourishing coconut oil as a base; a rose face scrub that uses sandalwood powder for potent exfoliation; and hydrating body lotions with jojoba oil and wheatgerm as base ingredients. It comes as no surprise then that the products are also free of chemicals and preservatives.