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Hey crew! 👋🏽 Welcome back to the weekly newsletter of Thrivency, your trusted destination to discover culturally aligned wellness professionals, resources, and information.
ICYMI: Last week I sent out our monthly roundup of local wellness events. Check out the curated list of 30 gatherings happening now through January here!
This week, I’m so excited to dive into the very first edition of Origins of Wellness, a brand new content series providing a historical deep dive into today’s hottest wellness trends.
🍵 Have you ever been curious how matcha became the hottest drink of 2025?
👣 Wondered why some people are “grounding” on their lunch breaks at work?
👀 Maybe you’re just a nosy person like me?
I totally get it. Whether these trends come up in casual conversation or you see them while scrolling on Instagram, it’s not often that you get the full story of where these meaningful practices actually come from.
The focus of this week’s newsletter: Ayurvedic beauty—you may have seen this phrase on the label of a popular skincare or haircare brand. But what does it actually mean?
Area of origin: India 🇮🇳
Date of origin: Estimated first recordings 3,000 to 5,000 years ago
Original use: According to The Ayurvedic Institute, Ayurveda translates to “the science of life” in Sanskrit. It’s an ancient healing science that upholds health as a dynamic balance between body, mind, and consciousness.
The practice centers on three fundamental energies called doshas—vata (movement), pitta (metabolism), and kapha (structure): combining these five elements to create each person’s unique constitution: Space 🌬, Air 💨, Fire 🔥, Water💧, and Earth 🌎.
Vasant Lad believes that each energy comes with its own lifestyle principles that will result in optimal health. Also, certain herbs and natural ingredients like ashwagandha, turmeric, and tulsi are believed to have medicinal uses according to ancient Ayurvedic teachings. The unique mix of practices and lifestyle habits completely depend on each individual’s constitution.
Basically, Ayurveda has a LONG, rich history of robust protocols used for wellness, prevention, and disease management.
But what does all of this have to do with the beauty industry? I’m so glad you asked!
Aleenah Ansari of Joysauce shares that Aryuveda’s popularity within the beauty realm is a hybrid approach of ancient Ayurvedic teachings mixed with modern clinical studies about the efficacy of natural ingredients like moringa or amla oil. A common claim that you’ll see from brands selling Ayurvedic products is that their unique blend of ingredients help reduce inflammation, resulting in clearer skin and strengthened hair. But as we know, wellness practices aren’t limited to what you can buy off a shelf. Even the practice of tongue scraping has Ayurvedic origins and helps promote oral health.
However, not all brands are getting it quite right. In a profile by Allure Magazine, Ananta Ripa Ajmera says that some beauty, skincare, and spa products and services are being labeled as Ayurvedic, but actually contain ingredients that contradict best practices. She added “For a product [or service] to be considered truly Ayurvedic certified in India, it has to go through a verification process for its quality by an autonomous body called the Quality Council of India (QCI)…”
Like many of today’s wellness trends, we start to stray away from the original principles of a practice once it becomes commodified and westernized. The good news? There are tons of South Asian entrepreneurs, like Fable & Mane founders Akash & Niki Mehta, drawing on family history and ancestral wisdom to make their mark in the beauty space.
And remember, Ayurvedic wisdom says that every person has their own unique ratio of each dosha, so your skincare or haircare needs will be different than someone else’s.
That’s your history lesson for today! What do you think - would you consider exploring Ayurvedic beauty? Maybe you already have and you didn’t even know it.
Which wellness trend should I research next?
The Season’s Secret to Radiant Skin is 20% Off!
As the holidays approach and the year winds down, I’ve been craving simplicity—rituals that keep me grounded, radiant, and nourished from within. Cold weather and full schedules can leave skin dull or dehydrated, but this season my glow has stayed strong thanks to Pique’s Radiant Skin Duo. It’s an effortless inside-out ritual that supports skin, energy, and overall wellbeing.
Sun Goddess Matcha is my calming morning start—ceremonial-grade, rich in EGCG, and incredible for firming, brightening, and supporting gut balance.
B·T Fountain, my afternoon reset, is a clean beauty electrolyte powered by clinically proven ceramides that hydrate at a cellular level, reduce redness, and visibly plump skin—without sugar or fillers.
Together, they strengthen the skin barrier, support collagen, and deliver deep hydration for a glow that lasts. Clean, pure, and travel-friendly, it’s the easiest ritual to bring into the new year feeling luminous and renewed.
See you right back here next week for our final newsletter of December! A heads up that the next newsletter will hit your inbox one day late, because next Thursday falls on Christmas day.
Talk to y’all on the 26th!
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