India Hicks Talks Launching a Beauty Line and Low Maintenance Skin Care
There are few lives lived as vibrantly, or resumes as stacked, than those of India Hicks. The granddaughter of a countess and the last viceroy of India (hence her name) she grew up in London and was bridesmaid when her godfather, Prince Charles, married Princess Diana. Hicks went on to study photography in Boston, work as a model in NYC and develop numerous fragrances for Crabtree & Evelyn. Oh, and she hosted Bravo’s Top Design, too. Having called the Bahamas home for the last 20 years, when she decided to launch the India Hicks beauty line of lotions, body washes, oils and the like—an extension of her lifestyle brand—she culled influences from both her British roots and her island life. Curious to know all about the brand and how Hicks herself approaches beauty, we sat down with her for a chat. Here’s the scoop.
Two key fragrances in the collection are English Rose and Wild Spiderlily. Tell us about those.
India Hicks: The English Rose isn’t what you’d expect—it’s moon grass, warm rain, and rose and peony petals. My father created a beautiful public garden in England and he thought my sister and I were going to get engaged there. We didn’t, so I dedicated a fragrance it.
A wild spiderlily is a very clean, white flower that grows out of the sand in the Bahamas. It needs very little care, attention or watering. For me it was indicative of the message of the company, which is understated and low key.
What’s your favorite product in the line?
We’ve have this Extraordinary Oil ($58, indiahicks.com) that I love. It’s got avocado, sweet almond and olive oils, and you can use it anywhere. I travel constantly so I put it all over my face when I get on a long flight and my skin feels amazing when I get off. It’s also great for the ends of the hair, the cuticles and the elbows.
The packaging has gold beetles on it. Where did that idea come from?
Beetles are always welcome visitors in my home. They come in very calmly and are such gentle creatures. I’ve always felt like they’ve brought so much love and luck and happiness to my life, so for me, the beetle is a good luck symbol.
What’s your approach to beauty?
It’s very minimal. My mother has incredible skin and does nothing, so I grew up using just soap and water and not doing an awful lot. Because I’m in the sun so much and I have very dry skin, I’m constantly moisturizing and using sunscreen. And I’m always on the go, so like products that can do multiple things.
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