Indian festivals, spices and traditions inspire Western cosmetics

According to the New York Times,India is captivating the mainstream cosmetics industry this year.

From high-end brands creating makeup shades based on the country’s bright colors to skin- and hair-care lines capitalizing on Ayurveda, when it comes to beauty, inside and out, the industry is increasingly turning to the world’s second-most-populous country.

France’s Clarins,just introduced a line of cosmetics “Enchanted” inspired by Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. The collection includes lip glosses with the names Pink Jaipur and Nude Delhi, and four products for eyes: shadows in violet and a coppery brown, and an update of kajal, the intensely pigmented traditional Indian eyeliner.

Chanel’s limited-edition Bombay Express de Chanel cosmetic line was designed for Karl Lagerfeld’s pre-fall 2012 collection, the Paris-Bombay Métiers d’Art show, which was strongly influenced by opulent Indian fabrics and embellishments. To complement the clothes, Peter Philips, Chanel’s creative director of makeup, designed four products, including a gold nail shade called Diwali, after the  festival of lights, and a golden powder named Route des Indes de Chanel.

The new six-piece Thakoon for Nars nail collection is a result of Thakoon Panichgul’s spring-summer 2012 line, which was inspired by the country and is heavy on gold accenting and bold colors, named in Hindi after popular Indian spices or medicinal plants, such as Amchoor (powdered dried raw mango).