Mumbai Entrepreneur Slams 'Colonial Rebranding' Of Indian Traditions; 'Dadi's Nuskhas For Rs 1200...'

Aarti Sheth Cooper, co-founder of a Mumbai-based branding firm, has criticised the global wellness industry for exporting Indian ingredients, bottling and branding them overseas and then reintroducing them into Indian markets at exorbitant prices.

In a strongly worded LinkedIn post, she called out the global wellness industry for what she terms the “colonial rebranding” of Indian health traditions.

Cooper criticised how traditional Indian remedies, long ignored or dismissed at home, are being repackaged by Western brands and reintroduced into Indian markets at premium pricing.

"What your dadi called a nuskha…is now sitting on a luxury wellness shelf for Rs 1,200," she wrote. 'We exported the ingredients from India. The West exported them back… bottled, branded, and priced 25x higher. And it’s been going on for too long."

Cooper highlighted specific examples that have become symbols of this pattern. Turmeric milk, or haldi doodh, a remedy for generations of Indians, is now sold as "golden milk" at Starbucks, she pointed out.

"So, Rs 20 a cup becomes Rs 500 in a cafe," she added.

Likewise, amla juice, a staple immunity booster in many Indian households, now finds itself on the shelves of luxury wellness stores abroad as an "antioxidant super shot," retailing at a price that, by Cooper’s estimation, is 20 times higher.

"Rs 40 becomes Rs 800," she said, referring to the sharp markup seen at premium health food outlets such as Erewhon.

Her critique extended to Ayurvedic staples like ashwagandha, neem paste, shatavari and makhana, which are increasingly being marketed abroad as modern wellness solutions. These include products like stress-relief gummies and detox teas, often sold without any acknowledgment of their Indian origins.

"Even ashwagandha, what your grandparents called a tonic, is now repackaged as trendy stress-relief gummies at Goop for Rs 1,200," she said.

Cooper lamented the irony that these ancient practices, once disregarded as "backward" by sections of Indian society, are now celebrated only after receiving Western validation.

"For decades, we've dismissed our own traditions as backward. Mocked the nuskhas. And now, we clap when it comes back with foreign branding," she wrote. 'It’s sad and shameful, but now that has to change."

Calling the issue a cultural and identity crisis, Cooper outlined that the trend reflects more than just smart marketing. It exposes a deeper problem of cultural amnesia and lack of self-worth.

"Because this is not just about colonial rebranding meeting Indian cultural amnesia. It's time we stop waiting for approval and start shaping our own legacy," she urged.

Her post ends on a cautionary note, warning that continued dependence on external validation may come at the cost of cultural ownership.

"If we don't, someone else will…and then our identity won't feel like ours anymore. Just something to think about," she added. 

The post highlights how traditional Indian remedies are being repackaged and sold back at high prices. It also questions why their value is only recognised after being marketed by Western brands.