People talk about exfoliation like it’s a war. Scrub till it burns, peel till it shines. As if glowing skin is some kind of punishment. We have been brainwashed by the idea that clean means stripped. Which is nonsense. Ayurveda had it figured out centuries ago: cleansing was always about respect, not attack.
The Principle of Mardana
There is this principle called mardana. It literally means gentle friction. Not harsh, not tearing the skin apart with those harmful microbeads. Just slow, thoughtful movement like polishing brass, not sanding a wall. That’s the spirit behind what we call “gentle exfoliation,” and weirdly enough, that’s what lactic acid does too. Yeah, that same ingredient you will find in half the serums at beauty stores. It’s made from fermented milk sugar, and it melts away dead cells without hurting the living ones. Kind of like how Ayurveda uses ubtan pastes or milk cleansing with light massage. You get that baby-soft glow without losing your barrier.
If you want to know the truth, the whole skincare industry forgot what skin actually is, an organ that breathes, not plastic wrap to polish. Lactic acid, used right, feels closer to Ayurveda than most of those “Ayurvedic” scrubs being sold with glittery packaging and fake sandalwood scent. It’s like the science world accidentally circled back to what the ancients already knew.
Cleansing as a Tender Ritual
When Ayurveda talks about daily cleansing, it’s a ritual that is slow, tender, and kind. Especially if you are a Vata or Pitta type. The old texts tell you to use milk, a bit of oil, maybe some rose or turmeric. You move your hands in small circles, gently. The goal isn’t to “remove dirt”, it’s to wake the skin. Lactic acid, if you will, accomplishes the same result. It silently breaks down the glue that bonds dead cells together, so your skin can breathe once more.
We would sometimes blend goat milk with herbs such as sandalwood and manjistha for lepa. Now, we infuse that same wisdom into creamy soaps or lotions. The medium shifted, but the purpose didn’t. Goat milk still soothes the skin, moisturizes the dry, and restores that quiet radiance.
The Importance of Timing
Then there is the timing. Ayurveda recommends bathing before sunrise, at Brahma Muhurta. Well, I will not lie, I have taken that off, perhaps twice, during my whole life. The air was still, the world was silent, and my skin simply imbibed all. There are also moonlight baths like Chandramasi Snan. Goat milk with rose under the moonlight sounds like therapy. These weren’t spa rituals; they were ways to reset your nervous system.
We believed “modernization” meant bottled convenience, but in reality, what we have done is overcomplicate a very simple truth: your skin wants gentleness. Goat milk, lactic acid, and even avocado oil are not trends. They are modern echoes of ancient logic. You can pour them into bars of soap or silky cleansers; it doesn’t matter. What matters is how you treat your skin while you use them.
Maybe we don’t need ten-step routines. Maybe we just need to stop attacking our skin and start listening to it again.
