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Built for Indian conditions

A baby’s skin doesn’t change. What it goes through does.

Baby skincare built for
Indian conditions.

Heat, humidity, mineral-heavy water and everyday environmental exposure shaped every Tenderma formulation from the first specification — not as an adaptation afterwards.

  • Dermatology-led formulation
  • Standardised Ayurvedic botanicals
  • Every ingredient explained
Illustration: two parents, one in slate and one in green, with their baby held between them and the gold point on the child’s chest
The Tender Embrace

Two kinds of knowledge, closing around one child.

Dermatology tells us what an infant’s skin can tolerate. Ayurveda tells us what generations here have already learned. Tenderma is what happens where the two meet — and the child rests on that seam.

SCIENCE AYURVEDA
+Tap the slate curve, the green curve, or the child
The slate is the science

Dermatology-led formulation, every ingredient declared, and every claim labelled with the evidence behind it.

The specification — concentrations, pH targets, exclusions, preservative system — was fixed in writing before our manufacturer made a single sample. Round one came back with perfume in three products, BHT in the oil and the wrong Withania species; all of it was rejected in writing, with reasons. The full formulations then went in front of a practising paediatric dermatologist.

What dermatology-led means here →
The green is the Ayurveda

Standardised botanicals with a long history in Indian homes, used at levels we can stand behind.

A botanical name on a label is not evidence of anything. We specify the species, the plant part, the extraction method and a marker level — azadirachtin for neem, glabridin for liquorice. And where the two disciplines disagree, dermatology wins: we lightened the massage oil’s base — sunflower and jojoba blended with the traditional coconut and sesame — so a daily Abhyanga sits less heavily on the skin in May.

What enriched by Ayurveda has to mean →
The gold is your baby

Held at the point where the two meet. Everything else in this brand exists to keep them there.

The seam is not decoration. In the mark itself the gold point rests on the curve where the two halves meet, and it is never cut by it. Every formulation decision on this site was settled by asking which side of that seam it fell on — and what it would cost the child if we got it wrong.

Why we started →

Two kinds of knowledge and one child between them. Tap any of the three to see what each one actually commits us to.

Five products. One complete system.

Cleansing, daily hydration, the massage ritual, nappy-area protection, and a richer cream for the areas that need more. Each works on its own; they are designed to work together.

+Tap a bottle — what it is for, and what we gave up to make it

Five products, and every one of them involved giving something up. Tap a bottle to see what it is, and what is inside that one.

Three ways to start

Pick the path that fits where you are.

Every parent comes to skincare differently. Choose what feels right — you can always switch paths later.

September cohort · Try before the December launch

Join the September cohort and try the products before anyone else. Here is exactly what that does and does not include.

What you are reservingA place in the September invite cohort — not a product order, not a pre-order. Nothing is paid at any stage, and reserving commits you to nothing.
What the cohort getsA selection of samples to try from October — which ones depends on what you told us — a note from Karthik and Janani, and a direct line to us for feedback.
Changing your mindWrite to cohorts@tenderma-india.com and we will pass your place on. Products cannot be swapped during the invite phase.
The December launchPublic and open to everyone. The cohort is only about trying the products early. Places are limited and taken in order.

Any of the three paths joins the same list. Questions? cohorts@tenderma-india.com.

An open carton with sample packs of the wash, lotion, oil and soothing cream standing in it, and a folded note leaning on the front
The samples chosen for you, and a note, from October.
Built for Indian conditions

Four moments that changed the formulation.

Tenderma did not begin as a general baby range later adjusted for India. Each of these is a moment parents here described to us — and the specification decision it forced.

The humid afternoon

Sweat gathers in the neck fold and behind the knees, and by evening the skin is angry. A heavy, occlusive cream makes it worse.

What we didLighter textures, specified to absorb rather than sit — and occlusion used only where it earns its place.

The two minutes after the bath

Bathing removes some of the lipids that hold water in, and mineral-heavy water makes a cleanser harder to rinse clean.

What we didA sulfate-free surfactant system with a chelating agent, specified to rinse clean in hard water.

Room to balcony and back

Air-conditioned dryness, then heat and city air a minute later. Skin that copes with one often struggles with the swing.

What we didHumectants and osmolytes that hold water through the change, rather than a film that only works in one of the two.

The daily oil massage

Oil before the bath, daily bathing and long hours in nappies are the norm here, not the exception.

What we didFormats written around those routines — including saying when to skip them.
The Tenderma Principles

Seven things we hold ourselves to.

Written down before launch, so you can hold us to every one of them. Tap any principle to read why.

01 We will not use sulfates, parabens, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, or harsh alcohols. +
These are formulation choices we made for Tenderma, not a verdict on every product that uses them. These are non-negotiable exclusions.
02 We give every Ayurvedic botanical a defined role and specification. +
A botanical name on a label tells you very little. We specify the species, the plant part and a declared marker level, and we ask our manufacturer to confirm it — not sprinkled in for label appeal. Every botanical must have a defined role, an appropriate specification and a documented reason for inclusion.
03 We formulate around the conditions Indian babies experience. +
A baby’s skin in 82% Mumbai humidity is not the same context as a baby’s skin in 30% Leh dryness. We design for the environment, not the average.
04 We will not sell individual products as if they work in isolation. +
Baby skincare is a system. Every product we ship is designed to work with every other product we ship. We build routines, not one-offs.
05 We will not claim anything we can’t cite. +
We distinguish between published research, supplier evidence and what we establish through our own finished-product assessments — and we say which is which.
06 We will not hide what’s in the bottle. +
Full INCI lists published on every product page. For each key ingredient: what it does, what it replaces, and the evidence source behind the claim. No “proprietary blend” theatre — transparent in function, protected in formulation.
07 We will not compromise on either product quality or unit economics. +
A brand that can’t sustain itself can’t protect your baby’s skin for the next ten years. We build with intent — balancing uncompromising formulation with sustainable pricing.
Ingredient Breakdown
Products →
Launching December 2026. Reserve before public launch.
Invites roll out by September · invite-only members get samples from October with a personal note from the founders · public launch December 2026.
Reserve your spot
Questions about your invite or cohort? Write to cohorts@tenderma-india.com

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