Rachna Banerjee recently launched her skincare brand Rachna Care. The brand boasts exclusivity for being made of homely natural products useful for those with sensitive skin. It offers a wide range of products, including a natural glow face wash, a natural saffron aloe vera gel to remove acne, slow down ageing and offer glowing skin, and a natural pain relief oil, among others. On the sidelines of the launch, The Telegraph caught up with the Didi No. 1 host for a conversation about beauty.
What is beauty to you?
My definition of beauty is that you have to be a very good-hearted person and always happy from the inside. Be a good human being.
You have come across so many women on Didi No. 1 and heard their stories. Has your work as the show anchor helped shape your perception of beauty?
Having spoken to them in the last 13 years, I have felt that one needs to feel for others. If one wants to change oneself from within and if one wants to become exceptional, one definitely needs to feel for others and empathise with them for their sorrows.
Your products are for both men and women. But men’s skin is generally a bit coarse.
They shave, their skin is coarse and rough, and the main thing is that they never use anything on their skin. If they start using my product, they will definitely benefit from them.
How do you instil in women the confidence to step outside the home without an iota of make-up?
It depends from person to person. I’m not a very make-up-obsessed person. Maybe just because I have been putting on make-up for so many years that now I do not feel like having make-up on all the time. I’m not comfortable with it. A lipstick or a kajal will do enough for me. If you use the aloe vera gel, it’ll give the skin a tightening effect accompanied by a glow. If you use light lipstick or a kajal after using that gel, you won’t need any make-up.
Let us know about your personal skincare routine.
I generally do not use outside products much. I use home-based products, and the ingredients I have used in my products are natural, apart from being skin-friendly. If you use such a product where you do not need to cover up anything and if you are able to come out of your house, glowing all the time, you would not need any make-up. Just put on lipstick, and that’s it.
Is there anyone from your childhood who may have been an inspiration behind this brand?
When I grew up, there was no cream or serum in the market! I saw my mom using all these home products. She still uses the cream of milk and musur dal paste. It is my mother from whom I have learnt homely natural products are much better.
You have priced your products quite reasonably. How do they prove themselves better than the rest in the market?
My products are for varied classes of people. My products come in different sizes and packs. They are pocket-friendly, apart from being skin friendly. I have used rice flour, daal, turmeric, neem, tulsi and jojoba oil, among others in my products. All these are skin-friendly products. There will be no irritation or eruption on your skin.
Have you used every product personally before releasing it in the market? How long has the process taken?
It has taken around 1.5 years. My team kept on experimenting and showing me the products; we kept on changing them, and finally, we have come out with this range of products.
What motivated you to actually start this brand?
I have been in such a business where I have always been with people, especially women. I never thought of opening a restaurant or a cafe or a gym. I wanted to do something like a wellness product or a range of saris. Something women can relate to.
Any preservation rule for your products?
Since we have used Ayurvedic and homely products, there is no expiry date. People can use these products for at least six-seven months.
Any make-up tips that you would like to give to beginners…
Clean your face when you return home after a day’s work. If you are not working and are at home all day, you should clean your face properly before putting on a night cream. And then when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you have to do after taking a shower is use a sunscreen lotion. And then when it dries out, you put on a cream and then you step out!
Picture: Rashbehari Das
