Kumkumadi: the Saffron Face Oil of Ayurveda

Kumkumadi (kumkumadi tailam, also spelled thailam or taila) is a classical ayurvedic face oil. The name points to its main ingredient: kumkuma is Sanskrit for saffron, and adi means “and the rest”, so “saffron and others”. Taila means oil. Literally, “an oil of saffron and other herbs”.

It is not an oil pressed from saffron, nor saffron flowers steeped in sesame oil. Kumkumadi is made according to the rules of ayurvedic pharmacy: the herbs are cooked in oil together with milk and a decoction for many hours, until the water evaporates and the herbs’ active substances pass into the fat. The result is a thick, golden-red oil that smells of sandalwood and saffron.

In India kumkumadi is one of the best-known facial care products, sold both by ayurvedic pharmacies and by cosmetics brands. A few drops are massaged into the face in the evening, as part of a regular skincare routine rather than a one-off mask.

Ingredient lists vary between editions and manufacturers, from a dozen or so herbs to around thirty. The core is the same everywhere.

Herbs:

• Saffron (kumkuma). The main ingredient and the most expensive one: because of it, real kumkumadi is never cheap.
• Red sandalwood (rakta chandana). Traditionally cooling; gives the oil its color and scent.
• Manjistha — Indian madder. One of ayurveda’s key plants for the skin; it tints the oil red.
• Licorice (yashtimadhu). Traditionally softens and soothes the skin.
• Laksha — lac, the natural resin of the lac insect, long used in India as a dye.
• Daruharidra — Indian barberry, literally “tree turmeric”: its root and wood are yellow.
• Banyan shoots, lotus, vetiver (ushira), padmaka — cooling plants that ayurveda often adds to skin remedies.

Base:

• Sesame oil. The classical base of ayurvedic oils. Its properties, and how it differs from coconut oil, are covered in Oils for ayurvedic massage.
• Milk. In the Ashtanga Hridaya formula it is goat’s milk, twice the volume of the oil. It softens the oil and, traditionally, makes it suitable for the face.
• Water and herbal decoction. These evaporate completely during cooking.

Making genuine kumkumadi at home is hard: it takes rare herbs, exact proportions and long cooking. A homemade oil with a pinch of saffron is a pleasant skincare product, but it is a different thing, and calling it kumkumadi would not be accurate.

Ayurveda chooses care by opposite qualities, and kumkumadi is easy to look at the same way. The three types are explained in detail in The three doshas: vata, pitta, kapha.

• Pitta. Sensitive skin that flushes easily and reacts quickly to the sun. Saffron, sandalwood, manjistha and lotus are considered cooling in ayurveda, which is why the oil is traditionally chosen for exactly this skin. More in Pitta dosha.
• Vata. Thin, dry skin that flakes, especially in the cold. The sesame base and milk nourish it well; the oil can be left on overnight.
• Kapha. Thick, oily skin with enlarged pores. One or two drops every other day are enough, ideally for a short time and then washed off.

Your constitution type is a guide, not a rule. Choose by how your skin is behaving right now: in summer dry skin can act oily, and in winter the other way round.

Even a natural oil may not suit you. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends testing a new product on the inside of your elbow or forearm: apply a coin-sized amount twice a day for 7–10 days. If you get redness, itching, swelling or a rash, the product is not for you.

Put kumkumadi aside:

• if you are allergic to saffron, sesame or milk;
• on damaged skin — cuts, burns, including sunburn;
• on inflamed breakouts — don’t apply the oil there; see a dermatologist first;
• straight after peels and cosmetic procedures — until your practitioner says it is fine.

External care with oils is a large part of ayurveda. Ayurvedashala is a school of ayurveda in India, and on its two-week ayurvedic massage course in Kerala students train their hands in head, face and foot massage and learn to prepare oils — after which every herb on a kumkumadi bottle becomes a familiar one.