Bottling Secrets to Movie Star Skin

Were you a heavy blooder?’ asks Dinyar Workingboxwala, Mumbai’s most experienced beauty therapist and author of many beauty books. He is visiting Delhi for the launch of Beauty by Bee, his skincare range co-founded with jewelery designer Queenie Singh. As he pinches and pecks at my skin, he accurately guessed I had an unsolved cavity and was feeling particularly anxious that day. What surprised me most was not only that he knew about my heavy periods (I had grade IV endometriosis), but also that the question was done in the past tense, which means he could also tell Was that I no longer bleed a lot (post-hysterectomy).

Their meticulous observational skills, holistic approach and science-based protocols make them stand apart in today’s very binary beauty landscape, with procedures, injections and science-based activations at one end increasingly divided, and sold on the basis of fear. Having ‘clean’ stuff, on another. It’s no surprise that he’s loved among his extremely loyal customers because he looks to the real, root cause of bad skin.

growing pains

The 71-year-old workingboxwala himself is not unaware of the pain of bad skin. At the age of just 11, he suffered from severe cystic acne. “I had bumps not only on my face but also on my back, chest, and thighs,” he says. “I suffered so much humiliation in my early years that even today I shy away from the camera.” To clean their skin, they were told to use 501 detergent soap and a pure acid toner to clean their face, eating only boiled food, while some doctors also said that masturbation was serious. The reason behind acne was At the age of 25, frustrated by his condition, Workingboxwala decided to educate himself. This was followed by a two and a half year course at Wilfred College of Cosmetology, New York. It took him a year and a half to get his acne under control.

Later, she signed up for several courses that built her credentials as an aesthetic therapist, including an INFA (International Federation of Estheticians) course, the gold standard for beauty professionals across the world. She set up her clinic in the early 70s and has since become a loyal follower of her clients who come to her from generation to generation, including Bollywood actors like Shakeela, Mumtaz, Padmini Kolhapure and Twinkle Khanna. Even Mickey Contractor was one of his students before becoming one of the most famous makeup artists in the country.

Queenie Singh | photo credit: special arrangement

energy exchange

Workingboxwala’s customers flock to him not only for his beauty treatments but also for his comfortable appearance and ‘healing hands’, a phrase that has become synonymous with his facials. “Ever since I started visiting his clinic in 1986, he has helped my skin clear up completely; “Even today, strangers come to me with compliments,” says Sunita Bafna, a housewife in Mumbai.

Sharmila Bharwani, a sub-broker in Mumbai who has been meeting her for over three decades, echoes similar sentiments. “He helped clear my skin after my acne got worse at age 17.” But after menopause, old acne scars began to re-emerge due to reduced obesity, and she once again visited them regularly. “Over the past two years, I’ve had weekly facials that have completely restructured my face, leaving it looking toned, smooth, and sculpted.”

“I don’t have fancy names for my facials,” says the 70-year-old beauty expert. Each treatment is pre-formulated keeping in mind the skin condition of the client. It starts with a thorough cleansing, then therapeutic grade ampoules with ingredients like fruit stem cells or silk proteins, followed by a massage and mask. “The skin changes shape depending on the season, stress levels, and even the time of month,” he says. Facials, which cost the most at Rs 7,000, are the primary focus of her clinic.

Beauty bye bye | photo credit: special arrangement

The Gentle Way To Skin Care

What I love most about him is that he has no agenda, he doesn’t care who you are – you may have money or status, but when you are at his clinic you have to wait in line like others Queenie Singh says. The clinic is the exact opposite of today’s glass-and-chrome salons. It’s a modest, one-bedroom apartment, which is also her home, in Lamington Road, Mumbai, run by her. and have a single assistant who is only there to put on and remove the face mask. “Their values ​​don’t exist in today’s world,” she adds.

While they decided to go it alone in the midst of it all, WorkingBoxwala is finally releasing their beauty secrets to the market, benefiting people beyond their client list. While he can’t bottle up his subtle observations, he has bottled up the formulas he’s been working on for 50 years with his new skincare range — Beauty By Be. The products are vegan, cruelty free, gluten free and contain natural ingredients along with modern formulations. They are also approved by the FDA. My personal favorite is the Melt-Away Gel-to-Milk Cleanser (Rs 1,249) which emulsifies as soon as you touch it with water or Ultralight Halo Face Oil (Rs 3,799) infused with saffron, marula and meadowfoam seed oils .

But beyond skincare and expert facials, I appreciate what it stands for. Especially in today’s beauty landscape where invasive procedures are increasingly marketed to younger audiences, he shows us that there is indeed a gentler way to be beautiful.

Written by Vasudha Rai Glowing: Indian foods, dishes and rituals for beauty inside and out and blog atvbeauty.co.