Plenaire Founder, Namrata Nayyar Kamdar

In a vociferous beauty industry obsessed with flawless faces, miracle ingredients and an endless parade of products promising to turn back time, Namrata Nayyar Kamdar, Founder of Plenaire, is challenging the status quo.

Plenaire, the UK-born, India-made skincare brand isn’t interested in adding to the beauty world’s noise; instead, it champions a more thoughtful approach to skincare, one rooted in ingredient transparency, science-backed formulations, sustainability and emotional wellbeing.

With over 18 years of experience across global consumer and beauty businesses, including Unilever and Lakmé, Namrata Nayyar Kamdar knows the industry from the inside. Yet, it was her deeply personal experiences with burnout, postnatal depression and hormonal imbalance that prompted her to question conventional beauty narratives and rethink what skincare should truly stand for. The result was Plenaire, a brand built on the belief that skincare should nurture the skin without making people feel inadequate about themselves.

Now launching in India, Plenaire brings its distinctive philosophy to a market increasingly seeking effective formulations, greater transparency and more conscious beauty choices. Inspired by the French expression en plein air, meaning “in the open air”, the brand embraces an uncomplicated, feel-good approach to skincare. Its modular system is designed to simplify routines without compromising on efficacy, encouraging consumers to choose considered essentials rather than get caught up in complicated, multi-step regimens.

Designed in the UK and made in India with Indian skin and climatic conditions in mind, Plenaire caters to both men and women. The brand is vegan, cruelty-free, carbon neutral and a certified B Corporation, reflecting its commitment to more responsible business practices. At its heart is a philosophy that places skin health, inclusivity and emotional wellbeing on equal footing.

For Namrata Kamdar, Plenaire is more than a skincare venture; it is an opportunity to challenge an industry that too often equates beauty with correction and perfection. Her vision is refreshingly direct: effective skincare should inspire confidence, not insecurity. And in a world saturated with beauty promises, she believes that transparency, thoughtful science and a little more kindness might just be the ultimate beauty revolution.

In fact, she wants to challenge pre-conceived beauty and skincare notions. And what makes her particularly compelling is her candour. Whether she is questioning the overuse of the term ‘clean beauty’, calling out sustainability that exists merely as a marketing badge, or challenging an industry that makes women feel they constantly need fixing, Namrata Nayyar Kamdar doesn’t sugar-coat her opinions.

What makes Namrata Nayyar Kamdar stand out is that she isn’t content with simply replacing one beauty trend with another. She questions the very machinery that creates them. Ten-step routines? More products don’t necessarily mean better skin. Clean beauty? Natural doesn’t automatically mean safe, nor does synthetic automatically mean harmful. Sustainability? A recyclable carton cannot magically cancel out a business model that encourages endless consumption. These aren’t convenient sound bites designed to make a founder look progressive; they reflect a larger argument for greater accountability, evidence and restraint.

As a certified B Corporation, Plenaire places responsibility alongside its commercial ambitions, while its skincare philosophy champions sensitive, melanin-rich skin and a more considered approach to everyday routines. Namrata Nayyar Kamdar’s vision is also distinctly cross-cultural: drawing on her experience across India, the UK and Europe, she is building a brand that combines British design sensibilities with formulations made in India for Indian skin and climatic conditions.

She believes Indian consumers are becoming increasingly informed, discerning and unwilling to accept marketing promises without substance. And she wants Indian beauty to do more than follow global conversations; she believes it can help shape them.

In an exclusive interview with Sumita Chakraborty, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, TheGlitz, Namrata Nayyar Kamdar, Founder, Plenaire, opens up about her personal journey, how and why she founded Plenaire, its launch in India, the uncomfortable truths behind clean beauty, the gap between sustainability claims and genuine accountability, and why the future of skincare must be as much about emotional wellbeing as it is about efficacy.

Expect an unusually candid conversation with a Founder who believes that beauty’s next big revolution may not be about adding more… but having the courage to question what we have been sold all along.

Over To Plenaire Founder, Namrata Nayyar Kamdar

The Woman Behind the Brand: Namrata Kamdar’s Journey – With over 18 years of global wellness experience, your journey towards founding Plenaire was shaped by deeply personal experiences, including burnout, postnatal depression and hormonal imbalance. How did these challenges transform your relationship with skincare and inspire you to create a brand that places emotional wellbeing alongside skin health?

I spent 17 years building a career in consumer products, working across some of the world’s most recognised beauty brands. I understood the industry from the inside: the science, the innovation, the marketing, and the extraordinary machinery that shapes how women think about themselves.

What I hadn’t quite anticipated was how profoundly my own relationship with beauty would change.

Motherhood, postnatal depression, hormonal shifts and the relentless demands of a career all arrived with their own lessons. There were periods when life felt rather more complicated than any skincare routine could possibly address. And the last thing I needed was another product suggesting I ought to be a better, younger or more perfected version of myself.

I began questioning something fundamental. Why had beauty become yet another arena in which women were expected to perform? Why did caring for ourselves so often begin with the assumption that something needed fixing?

Plenaire emerged from those questions.

I wanted to create skincare that was thoughtful, effective and genuinely pleasurable to use, but without the anxiety and elaborate rituals that so often accompany beauty today.

Of course, skincare cannot resolve the larger complexities of our emotional lives. But the small rituals we create around caring for ourselves can be quietly restorative.

Sometimes the most radical thing a beauty brand can do is send a message of self care.

Beauty Beyond the Surface: The Mind–Skin Connection – Plenaire champions the idea that skincare should nurture both skin and emotional wellbeing. In an industry often driven by flawless-skin ideals and endless product launches, how do you see the relationship between mental wellness, self-care and healthy skin evolving?

The relationship between skin and emotional wellbeing is far more direct than we once acknowledged. Stress can influence inflammatory responses, disrupt the skin barrier and exacerbate conditions such as rosacea, acne and eczema. Equally, the way we feel about our skin can have a profound impact on confidence and emotional wellbeing.

It’s a complicated relationship, and one that deserves considerably more nuance than the beauty industry has traditionally offered- a narrative of quick fixes or problem solution.

For decades, we’ve marketed skincare through a language of inadequacy. Pores are problems. Lines are imperfections. Ageing is something to be resisted, preferably with considerable urgency.

I find that narrative both dystopian and dated- completely out of step with how women actually want to live.

There’s also a curious contradiction in the modern wellness movement. What began as an invitation to care for ourselves has sometimes become another elaborate exercise in self-improvement. We now have ten-step skincare routines, complicated ingredient schedules and endless advice about everything we’re supposedly doing wrong.

At Plenaire, we’re interested in a gentler proposition.

Healthy skin isn’t necessarily flawless skin. And self-care shouldn’t require an advanced degree in cosmetic chemistry. Your skincare routine should not feel like a homework assignment.

I think the next evolution of beauty will be less about transformation and more about reassurance. Less correction, more care.

French Inspiration, British Design, Indian Sensibility – Inspired by the French expression en plein air, meaning “in the open air”, Plenaire is designed in the UK and made in India with Indian skin and climatic conditions in mind. How have these diverse influences shaped the brand’s identity, formulations and approach to the Indian beauty consumer?

Plenaire has been built with international experiences, taking the best of the west and creating a proposition that fits with India- UK born, now made for Indian skin.

The name comes from the French expression en plein air, which evokes openness, light and a certain freedom of spirit. I loved the idea of translating that sensibility into skincare: something uncomplicated, optimistic and quietly beautiful.

The British influence is perhaps most apparent in our design philosophy. There’s a restraint to Plenaire, an appreciation for minimal formulation, considered aesthetics and products that earn their place on your bathroom shelf.

India brings another dimension entirely.

I began my beauty career in India, working on brands such as Lakmé, and returning to this market has been fascinating. The Indian consumer today is exceptionally informed, ambitious and increasingly discerning. She navigates global beauty trends with ease, but also understands that her skin, environment and lifestyle present their own particular considerations.

Climate is certainly relevant. Heat, humidity, pollution and frequent cleansing can all influence how skin behaves. But I think it’s important not to reduce Indian skin to a single category. There is enormous diversity in skin tones, sensitivities and individual needs.

Plenaire is designed for sensitive , melanin rich skin.

Our approach is to formulate with that diversity in mind, placing particular emphasis on skin compatibility, barrier health, elegant textures and everyday usability.

I don’t believe Indian consumers need a different standard of beauty or efficacy. They deserve the same thoughtful formulation and product experience as anyone else in the world.

And increasingly, they know it.

Less Is More: Rethinking the Skincare Routine – Plenaire uses a modular skincare system designed to simplify routines without compromising efficacy. At a time when consumers are overwhelmed by multi-step regimens, ingredient trends and conflicting beauty advice, how does your approach help people build a routine that genuinely works for their individual needs?

I sometimes think we’ve managed to make washing one’s face unnecessarily complicated.

The modern skincare consumer is extraordinarily well informed, which is wonderful. But information and understanding aren’t always the same thing. Knowing the names of twenty active ingredients doesn’t necessarily mean knowing which three your skin actually needs.

Having worked in product innovation for much of my career, I have enormous respect for cosmetic science. I also know that more ingredients, more products and more steps do not automatically translate into better outcomes.

In fact, particularly for sensitive skin, the opposite can sometimes be true.

Plenaire’s modular philosophy is built around giving people the freedom to construct a routine that makes sense for their skin, rather than asking them to subscribe to an elaborate system.

We think of our products as considered classics: beautifully formulated essentials that work independently but also complement one another.

A cleanser should cleanse exceptionally well. A moisturiser should support the skin barrier. A treatment should have a clear purpose.

But simplicity is surprisingly difficult to achieve. It requires discipline in formulation, clarity in product development and, perhaps most importantly, the willingness not to launch something simply because the market has invented another category.

I’d rather someone owned three Plenaire products they genuinely loved than ten they felt obliged to use.

That may be an unusual premise for a beauty brand, but it is one we stand behind.

Clean Beauty Meets Science: Beyond the Buzzwords – Terms such as clean, natural and science-backed are everywhere in beauty today. How does Plenaire define clean beauty, and what goes into ensuring that its formulations balance efficacy, safety and transparency without relying on marketing jargon?

I have a slightly complicated relationship with the term clean beauty.

I understand why it emerged. Consumers were asking perfectly reasonable questions about ingredients, transparency, environmental responsibility and the values of the companies they were supporting.

Those are important conversations.

But somewhere along the way, clean beauty became a rather convenient marketing vocabulary. We began dividing ingredients into simplistic categories of good and bad, natural and synthetic, clean and dirty.

Cosmetic science is considerably more nuanced than that.

An ingredient’s safety depends on its concentration, formulation, exposure and intended use. Natural doesn’t automatically mean safer, just as synthetic doesn’t automatically mean harmful.

At Plenaire, clean beauty is about thoughtful ingredient selection, formulation integrity, product performance and transparency. We believe science should lead the marketing, rather than the other way around.

Plenaire products are developed with a particular focus on skin compatibility and tolerance, including dermatological testing across diverse skin tones. But we don’t believe in making exaggerated promises or frightening consumers away from perfectly safe ingredients.

Plenaire is vegan, Leaping Bunny certified and a certified B Corporation, commitments that reflect a broader philosophy of responsibility.

Ultimately, consumers should look for credible testing, clear product claims and brands willing to explain not just what they put into their formulations, but why.

Trust is built through evidence and consistency, not through an ever-expanding list of ingredients a brand proudly claims to have excluded.

Sustainability with Substance: The B Corp Commitment – Plenaire is vegan, cruelty-free, carbon neutral and a certified B Corporation. How do these commitments translate into everyday business decisions, from ingredient sourcing and manufacturing to packaging and the brand’s wider environmental footprint? How do you ensure sustainability remains measurable rather than merely aspirational?

Sustainability is one of those words that has become so widely used that it risks losing its meaning.

Almost every brand today has a sustainability story. The more interesting question is whether those commitments actually influence the decisions a business makes when nobody is watching.

For Plenaire, becoming a certified B Corporation in 2023 was an important milestone, not because we wanted another logo on our packaging, but because it introduced an external framework of accountability.

It asks us to consider how we operate as a business, from governance and employee practices to environmental responsibility, supplier relationships and our wider impact.

These considerations influence everyday decisions around ingredient sourcing, manufacturing partners, packaging, waste and the resources we consume.

Our vegan and cruelty-free commitments are part of that philosophy, as is our approach to carbon neutrality. But I think it’s important to distinguish between making a commitment and claiming to have solved a problem.

No consumer goods business operates without an environmental footprint. Manufacturing requires energy, packaging consumes resources and products need to be transported.

The responsibility lies in understanding those impacts, measuring what we can, making informed improvements and being transparent about the work that remains.

I also believe there’s an important conversation to be had about consumption itself.

We can’t endlessly encourage people to buy more products and then suggest that a recyclable carton somehow resolves the contradiction.

For us, sustainability is as much about restraint as it is about innovation. Making fewer, better products that people genuinely want to use and finish is a meaningful part of that philosophy.

It’s not always the most fashionable message in beauty, but I suspect it’s one we’ll be hearing considerably more of.

India’s Beauty Moment: What’s Next for Plenaire? – India’s skincare market is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with consumers seeking personalised solutions, ingredient transparency and products suited to local climates. As Plenaire enters India, what opportunities and challenges do you anticipate, and what would you like the brand to change about the way Indian consumers experience skincare?

The Indian beauty market is at a fascinating inflection point.

When I worked on Lakmé early in my career, the industry was operating in a very different environment. Beauty aspirations were evolving, but access to information, global brands and sophisticated formulations was considerably more limited.

My work on Dove later coincided with becoming a mother myself, and that was another important turning point. Motherhood changed my understanding of skin and sensitivity, but it also made me think about the many transitions women experience throughout their lives. Adolescence, pregnancy and menopause can all bring profound changes to our skin and its sensitivities. Much of what I learned during those years has been woven into creating Plenaire.

Today, the Indian consumer is among the most engaged and curious in the world. She understands ingredients, follows international trends and expects performance. But she’s also increasingly questioning whether every new trend deserves a place in her routine.

I think this creates an interesting opportunity for brands that can offer a clear point of view rather than simply more choice.

The challenge, of course, is that India is an extraordinarily competitive market. Consumers have more options than ever before, and building genuine trust takes time. As a founder, I think that’s healthy. A beautiful product or compelling story may earn someone’s attention, but only performance and consistency will earn you a place in their daily life.

Plenaire isn’t trying to be everything to everyone.

We’re building around sensitive skin, barrier health and a more considered approach to everyday skincare. We see a real opportunity to occupy the space between clinical credibility and emotional desirability.

Because effectiveness matters enormously, but so does the experience of using a product. The texture, the sensorial pleasure, the packaging, the little moment of calm in an otherwise rather frantic day.

We also believe India has an opportunity to move beyond following global beauty conversations and begin shaping them.

Having worked across India, Europe and the UK, I don’t see these markets as separate worlds anymore. Consumers are increasingly connected, but they still appreciate brands with a distinctive identity and a genuine understanding of their needs.

For Plenaire, India isn’t simply another market.

It’s an opportunity to bring together everything I’ve learned over the past two decades and, perhaps more interestingly, everything I’ve had to unlearn.

Working in a large company and being a founder are dramatically different experiences. Corporate life teaches you an enormous amount, but it doesn’t necessarily prepare you to be an entrepreneur. In fact, I’m not sure corporate types always make the best founders!

I always felt a little like a misfit in the corporate world. I was probably more inclined to question things than simply go along with them. And I’ve discovered that I’m much more comfortable in my own skin as a founder.

Large companies are often very good at identifying and following trends. Founders have the freedom to reflect on culture, question conventional wisdom and, if they’re lucky, create compelling product ideas that answer real unmet needs with speed, and hopefully create products that shareholder value in a different way.

Available at : https://plenaire.in/ & amazon.in

TheGlitz Take

Let’s call out the elephant in the beauty room: an industry that sells us self-love while making billions by convincing us we’re never quite good enough. Too many pores? Buy this. A wrinkle? Try that. Ageing? Heaven forbid! And if one more product promises miraculous transformation while brandishing the words clean, natural and sustainable without meaningful transparency, perhaps it’s time we start questioning it.

Namrata Nayyar Kamdar, Founder of Plenaire, is refreshingly unwilling to play along. Her message challenges the very foundations of beauty marketing: natural isn’t automatically safer, synthetic isn’t automatically sinister, ten steps don’t necessarily make for better skin, and a recyclable package doesn’t absolve a brand of its environmental responsibilities. Now, that’s the kind of straight talk this industry desperately needs.

What makes Namrata Nayyar Kamdar’s perspective compelling is that she knows the business from the inside. Having spent years working with major consumer brands, she understands how trends are manufactured, desires are cultivated and marketing narratives are sold. Yet, instead of merely creating another brand competing for space on an already overcrowded bathroom shelf, she is questioning whether consumers need so much of what the industry keeps asking them to buy. Her advocacy of thoughtful formulations, ingredient transparency and emotional wellbeing feels particularly relevant in an age when skincare routines can become another exhausting exercise in perfectionism.

But here’s where the conversation needs to get even more interesting. Calling out beauty’s excesses is one thing; proving that your own brand operates differently is another. Sustainability must be measurable, clean beauty must mean more than clever copywriting, and claims of efficacy must be backed by credible evidence. Certifications and conscious packaging are meaningful steps, but no brand should be above scrutiny… including one that challenges the status quo. Accountability cannot be a trend reserved for everyone else.

And perhaps that is the most important part of Namrata Nayyar Kamdar’s philosophy: the willingness to question, rather than simply sell. Her emphasis on sensitive, melanin-rich skin and formulations made in India for Indian skin and climate also speaks to a market that deserves thoughtful innovation, not just imported ideals repackaged for local consumers.

TheGlitz verdict? The future of beauty shouldn’t be about frightening women into buying another serum or persuading them that every natural sign of being human needs correcting. It should be about informed choices, honest claims, effective products and the freedom to feel comfortable in one’s own skin. If Namrata Kamdar and Plenaire can consistently deliver on that promise, they won’t merely be challenging beauty’s old rules; they’ll be helping rewrite them.