Soma Ayurvedic Cofounder Pragathi Guruprasad's Must Haves

Jul 03, 2023

Published on 8/21/2023 at 5:45 PM

From its bestselling Jasmine Body Oil to the editor-loved Vitamin C serum, Soma Ayurvedic's beauty products are a luxurious take on the ancient Indian practice. "Ayurveda is something that's been a part of my family forever — my mom and my grandma are Ayurvedic experts," cofounder Pragathi Guruprasad tells POPSUGAR. As such, these daily rituals have been part of her lifestyle for as long as she can remember, from oil pulling and hair oiling to the type of drink she sips on in the morning (either a turmeric latte, cumin tea, or warm lemon water). Her practice also extends to beauty, which is why she decided to join the brand with cofounder Arjun Sampath.

The company prides itself on effective formulations with ingredients that are derived and harvested from India. First, it started with mindful skin and body-care products. "Our saffron in our Anti Aging Cream is from Kashmir, our jasmine in our Jasmin Body Oil is from Madurai, and the sandalwood in our perfume oil is from Mysuru," she says. "We work hard to make sure that the ingredients are in their purest forms, which is why they're so efficacious."

Then, customers got a whiff of the products' scents, even garnering a few celebrity fans. "When you get validation from A-listers like Adriana Lima, Mindy Kaling, or Kathy Hilton, it feels so good that your thesis was correct and that you're moving in the right direction," Guruprasad says. It was this, and the success of the Jasmine Body Oil, that convinced her and Sampath to venture into fragrance. "There are so many ingredients that are native to India that are used in extremely popular perfumes like sandalwood, vetiver, and oud," she says. The brand is launching two new fragrances in the fall.

Like she does with her beauty and wellness routine, Guruprasad integrates her roots through her personal style as well. "Something I've always incorporated since day one is the Indo-Western trend," she says, which is when Indian fabrics, textiles, and styles are adapted into more Western silhouettes and designs. Guruprasad often wears the brand Maison Tai, created by designer and stylist Sandeep Tupili, on red carpets, which exemplifies this trend beautifully and sustainably. "I do not feel more beautiful than I do when I'm in a Kanjivaram silk sari."

When she's not working on her Ayurvedic brand, Guruprasad prioritizes her health and wellness by spending time outdoors. "I love hiking. I spend a lot of time by the beach, I play beach volleyball, I've been playing pickleball now that it's all a rage," she says. Ahead, Guruprasad shares her current must-have products, including the editor-backed Oura ring and her favorite perfume oil.

"Every girl loves eyeliner, and the Epic Ink Vegan Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($10) from NYX Cosmetics is the one that I've been using since I started wearing eyeliner, which was maybe when I was 10 or 12 years old," Guruprasad says, adding how she loves that its flexible felt brush tip allows her to create both a thick bold wing and a thin line. The formula is long-lasting, smudge-proof, and waterproof, which Guruprasad can attest to during her performances on stage.

She appreciates that the eyeliner is easily accessible at a variety of retailers, so she can stock up whenever she needs to. "It's also at such a great price point for how good of a product it is," she says. It comes in black and brown.

Pro Tip: Guruprasad's secret to perfecting her eyeliner is practicing. "What I've found helpful is starting with the wing on both sides and then do the rest of my eyeliner," she says.

Guruprasad utilizes her Oura Ring ($499) to track her sleep habits. "Not only do you just understand if you slept well, but if you didn't sleep well, it goes into so much more detail," she says. Guruprasad appreciates how the Oura ring can provide insights and information about how to better her daily life. She also points out the body-temperature feature that's great for tracking your period. "I'm clearly just like obsessed with stats, but it really helps cut down on certain things or add certain things to just make sure that you're doing the best possible job for your body," she says.

Another thing that Guruprasad loves about the Oura ring is how stylish it is, especially since it can easily blend with her heirloom jewelry. "I think it's a great statement piece, and I'm a big jewelry girl and my family's always been really into jewelry. I love that it really stands out and it's a thick gold piece; it actually works so well with the other pieces that I wear regularly."

Pro Tip: One of our editors reviewed the Oura ring and says, "It's important to not let the data interfere with how you actually feel. For example, if you wake up feeling refreshed, but it says you have a lower sleep score, don't get discouraged that you won't have enough energy throughout the day."

Guruprasad's mornings start with a workout, followed by a shower and the rest of her beauty routine. One thing she never skips? The Soma Ayurvedic Old Delhi Oudh Perfume Oil ($60). It's a dark, woody, and intoxicating scent that has become her signature fragrance. "I never considered myself a woody, spicy fragrance girl at all until I got hooked to this one," she says. It has top notes of pink pepper, lemon, and bergamot; middle notes of cedar, galbanum, and mandarin; and base notes of sandalwood, oud, and musk.

Guruprasad notes that perfume oils are native to India, and this specific formulation's oud note is derived from agarwood from Assam, India. This and the other natural ingredients go through a steam distillation process that extracts the fragrance in its purest form, for a concentrated, long-lasting scent.

"What's so unique about this is that not everybody smells the same. It blends in with the oils in your body, and each person gets kind of a scent that's unique to them," she says. Comparing it to aromatherapy, Guruprasad says this fragrance reminds her of home and has a sense of familiarity.

Pro Tip: "I like to put it on my pulse points. I also like to do my wrist and the inside of my arms," Guruprasad says.

Guruprasad heads to bed with her Luna Classic Cooling Cotton Weighted Blanket ($68, originally $76) right after a 10- to 15-minute meditation. "It is literally the best feeling. It feels like a giant hug. The weighted blanket has truly changed my life, and it gives me much better sleep. It feels comfortable and safe in so many ways."

The weighted blanket is made from breathable cotton that provides a cooling feel, so it doesn't feel stuffy, either. "In the summer, I'll usually just have that on and I'll sleep with it throughout the night. In the winter, when it's colder, that's always like my first layer, and then I'll have a comforter on top," Guruprasad says.

Pro Tip: She points out that this weighted blanket has beads that are evenly distributed and stitched into certain pockets of the blanket, so you don't have to worry about the laundry messing up the weight of the beads when washing.

Guruprasad doesn't just qualify the Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag ($38) as a travel essential but pretty much an everyday must. "If I am going out for a bunch of meetings, it's in my work bag. If I am actually going on a trip and flying somewhere, it's with me." Her essentials are always on hand with this belt bag, and it can fit everything she needs in its spacious compartments, including her lip balm, perfume, hand sanitizer, passport and IDs, wallet, and more. "I'll usually wear it as a crossbody or around my waist," she says.

It's made from a water-repellent fabric, and it's designed to stay put no matter how much you move. The bestselling belt bag comes in a ton of different colors and prints as well. You can read our in-depth review of the Everywhere Belt Bag here.

Pro Tip: Besides the 1L size, the belt bag also comes in a larger 2L size: the Everywhere Belt Bag Large ($48).