Deepika Nagasamy’s recently-launched moisturiser, Malli Malli is rooted in heritage but refined by science

In a country where every new skincare launch promises to be cleaner, greener, and more “traditional” than the last one, it is fair to wonder whether India needs another brand championing native ingredients? For Deepika Nagasamy, who recently launched her skincare brand Dipsy, the answer did not come from trend forecasts or branding decks. It came from something more personal — a childhood nickname, and an everyday kitchen conversation. Having been part of the legendary Dindigul Thalapakatti food empire, a Tamil Nadu-born biriyani brand with outlets in India and abroad , Deepika has always understood the power of ingredients grown on home soil. “Ingredients and food that’s native to the soil we live in are something I knew very well,” she says. “So I wondered, why can’t I do this with skincare?”

The name Dipsy finds its roots in Deepika’s nickname. “I wanted a name that speaks to me,”  she says, clad in an ensemble that reflects her tradition-meets-contemporary expression as well as the deep purple hue of her brand design. “I’m someone who loves experimenting with my culture and making it my own. I wanted the brand to mirror that.” 

The brand’s debut product is called Malli Malli, an everyday moisturiser. For Deepika, an Andhraite settled in Tamil Nadu now, the name felt symbolic with cultural intersections. “Malli in Telegu means coriander, which inspired the formula journey, and it also translates to Jasmine in Tamil, so it felt like a clever wordplay for the product.” Choosing a moisturiser as the debut product for the brand was a strategic choice, “I didn’t have the expertise in doing a sunscreen, and moisturiser felt like something that works day and night.” 

The formulation journey, Deepika shares, was quite a struggle. “There were batches that grew mould, tests were formula that changed colour, and attempts that ended with odd smells after a few days.”  Malli Malli is crafted using Indian-origin ingredients, sourced from different regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh featuring mango butter, kokum butter, neroli, and coriander. “We source them from regions of India where they grow naturally; those ideal conditions yield ingredients that are more potent and effective.” Even though it promises to uphold Indian traditional ingredients, the product is also backed by science. “We have tried to balance it both where it is more modern as well as rooted in Indian tradition,” she adds.

Next in line for Dipsy is a line-up of vanity-shelf staples, starting with a cleanser, followed by a sunscreen and toner.

Malli Malli is priced at ₹1,999, and available on their website dipsy.store