Fragrance house

Forest Essentials

Forest Essentials was founded in 2000 by Mira Kulkarni. It began with handmade Ayurvedic soaps and candles before expanding into skincare and haircare. The brand’s identity combines Ayurveda with modern aesthetics, emphasizing purity, freshness, efficacy, sensorial experience, and pleasure of use. Kulkarni shaped its creative and conceptual direction by adapting traditional Ayurvedic formulations into products designed for contemporary use and presentation. The Estée Lauder Companies acquired a minority equity interest in July 2008. On March 5, 2026, Estée Lauder announced an agreement to acquire Forest Essentials’ remaining shares, subject to regulatory approvals and expected to close in the second half of 2026. The announcement said the brand’s Ayurvedic DNA and Indian heritage would be preserved, with Kulkarni continuing to oversee it. Its fragrance offering is organized around an Intense Perfumes collection featuring single-note flowers, though the evidence does not establish one fragrance as a broadly recognized signature or bestseller.