Tanvi Shah needs no introduction. From crooning the hit number Fanaa from the movie Yuva (2004) to winning a Grammy for writing the Spanish lyrics of the song Jai Ho (which she shared with AR Rahman and Gulzar) and even collaborating with multiple international artistes, she has come a long way in the music industry. The versatile singer, however, is on a break now – ask her why and she says proudly, “I have been working on developing my own skincare line, under the brand name, Tansha Studios, for the past one year. Music is a big part of my life, but being a celebrity can put you in really stressful situations at times and I used to suffer from anxiety issues and panic attacks from time to time. To counter that, I had been focusing on wellness of body, spirit and mind and these products are a result of that. I want to help people dealing with similar situations – I want to heal them,” she adds.
Necessity is the mother of invention
Last year, after a doctor prescribed the use of steroids for her perspiration problems, Tanvi told herself – enough is enough. It was time to take matters into her own hands. She was determined to find a safe and organic solution to help fight body odour. “I started doing a lot of research. I went through books, articles on the internet and even sought help from friends who worked in labs,” she says. After failing the first three times, she struck gold the third time. That is how her bestselling product, the Pit Pod (a natural, organic deodorant) was born. “I used a formulation of avocado butter, mango butter and essential oils. I was pleasantly surprised to observe that the consistency was perfect and that the fragrance lingered for long. I also noticed that regular application made the skin lighter and even moisturised it well. After that, I asked my friends to use it and give me feedback. They came back to me saying it gave them good results and I was ecstatic! That is when I decided to make it available to the larger public,” she points out.
‘Holistic healing and well-being’
After the success of the Pit Pod (it has been sold out several times already), she also developed a bath oil using vitamin E, wheat germ, jojoba, apricot, lavender and other essential oils as key ingredients. The USP of her skincare line is that it is not only chemical-free (free of harmful parabens and minerals like aluminium), but focuses on holistic healing and well-being. “The products not only make your skin or body feel good but also relax the mind. Essential oils are known to have healing properties. It gives me utmost joy when a customer reaches out to me saying that my products have helped them fight negativity and transformed them in some way. This what keeps me going,” adds the singer who whose next project will be a collaboration with Egyptian musician Hisham Kharma.
