Holi 2023: Where to get natural, vegan and eco-friendly colours in India? + How to make them at home

March 4th, 2023

Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated with great fervour in India. But, have you been giving this festival a miss lately due to the skin and hair damage you end up with? Synthetic gulaal or holi colour powder made with artificial ingredients is harsh and often causes skin irritation, rashes and rough hair. Thus, there is a growing demand for holi colour powders that are non-toxic, gentle, environment-friendly and vegan.

From colours made with recycled flowers to edible edible kitchen ingredients, Vegan First has curated a list of natural, eco-friendly and plant-based gulaal that you can get for your Holi 2023 celebrations. 

1. Phool 

Phool, a brand known for recycling temple flowers into agarbatti or incense sticks, is reviving the traditional techniques of gulaal-making by using flowers mixed with natural ingredients.

Ingredients: Flowers with ingredients like turmeric, beetroot, henna

Available in: Green, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Purple colours

Price: Box of 4 colours, 100g each at Rs 485; Individual colours, 200 G at Rs 240 

How to Buy: From Phool (phool.co) and online marketplaces like Amazon

2. Abeer Natural Holi Colours 

These non-toxic, natural colour powders are handcrafted by BHIL tribes of Rajasthan using materials traditionally available in their village—much as the gulaal their ancestors used for Holi. These colours are also 100% edible, making them safe for young kids and animals.

Ingredients: Flowers, vegetables, herbs, seeds, turmeric 

Available in: Pink, Green, Orange & Yellow, in packs of 100g each

Price: 400g at Rs 998

How to Buy: Monks Bouffe (monksbouffe.com), online marketplaces like Amazon.in, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/), Brown Living (brown living.in)

3. Vegetal Lustrous Natural Holi Colours Herbal Gulal

These eco-friendly colour powders or gulaal are made from herbal ingredients, giving you a non-toxic, safe and easy to wash off holi experience. 

Ingredients: Leaves, fruits, barks, flowers, herbs and essential oils

Available in: Red, Pink, Green, Yellow and Blue colours in a family pack

Price: Rs 320 for 400g

How to Buy: From Vegetal India (shop.vegetalindia.com) and online marketplaces like Amazon, eco-friendly stores in your city.

4. Scrapshala

This gulaal is an attempt to revive the tradition of using natural colours made from everyday ingredients. It is made by local artisans in Varanasi. 

Ingredients: Vegetables, flowers, herbs

Available in: Yellow, Pink, Green and Blue colours in packs of 120g each

Price: Rs 695 for 480g

How to Buy: Online marketplaces like Amazon.in, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/), Brown Living (brown living.in)

5. Nirmalaya Organic Gulaal 

Organic Gulaal made from dried flowers and other natural ingredients by an all-women workforce. The powders are smooth in texture, available in many shades and filled with natural aromas. 

Ingredients: Dried flower petals, permitted food colours, corn starch, natural ingredients like turmeric, neem, and palash. 

Available in: 6 colours: Orange, Pink, Green, Yellow, Blue, Red 

Price: Holi box of 4 colours, 100g each, at Rs 499, Individual colours at Rs 125

How to Buy & website: NIrmalaya (nirmalaya.com), online marketplaces like Amazon.in, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/)

6. My Pooja Box 

Their holi colours have been made using 100% organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Turmeric, sandalwood, berries, hibiscus, fruits and vegetables.

Available in: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Pink, Purple colours in 50g, 100g and 200g packs

Price: Rs 75 for 50g

How to Buy: From My Pooja Box (mypoojabox.in), online marketplaces like Amazon, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/), Brown Living (brown living.in)

7. Antarkranti Natural Holi Gulaal

Manufactured by Antarkranti, an organisation that provides livelihood and rehabilitation to released prisoners, this product is finely filtered to give a very smooth powder. 

Ingredients: Tesu Flower, Rose Petals, Marigold, Sandalwood, Maize Starch, Food Colour

Available in: Orange, Yellow, Red, Green and Blue colours, in packs of 50-100g each

Price: Starts at Rs 699 for 300g

How to Buy: Earth Inspired (earthinspired.in, online marketplaces like Amazon.in, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/), Brown Living (brown living.in)

8. ORGANIC INDIA Herbal Colour Holi Gulaal

Organic India is known for their quality and promise. The herbal natural holi colour powders by them are made using organic ingredients and hence, extra safe by all. 

Ingredients: Flowers, vegetables, seeds, peels, starch powder, natural fragrance

Available in: Red, Pink, Yellow, Green colours in 75g packs

Price: Rs 380 for 300g of all 4 colours 

How to Buy: Organic India (https://organicindia.com/), online marketplaces like Amazon.in, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/)

9. Nat Habit Gulaal

Nat Habit celebrates natural ingredients in all their products. The holi colour powders are handmade with flowers, leaves and fruits and are safe for the entire family, including kids. 

Ingredients: Flowers, leaves, fruits,  herbs and cornstarch

Available in: Red, Yellow, Pink, Green Colours in 50g packs

Price: Rs 180 for 2 packs of 50g each

How to Buy: Nat Habita (nathabit.in), online marketplaces like Amazon, Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/)

10. Gulco

These colour powders are made with all natural ingredients and enhanced by essential oils, so you won’t just experience beautiful colours, but also enjoy the fragrance.

Ingredients: Flowers, essential oils, cornstarch

Available in: Pink, Mauve, Blue, Pink, Light Green, Dark Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple, 

Price: Rs 285 for 1 pack of 120g or Rs 855 for 3 packs of 120g each

How to Buy: Online marketplaces like Amala Earth (https://amala.earth/)

Easy ways to make plant-based holi colours at home

If you cannot procure any of these, here are some simple and quick ways to make your own vegan holi colour powders or gulaal from ingredients you have in your kitchen. 

Yellow: Mix gram flour with turmeric in the ratio of 1:2 to get yellow colour power. 

Red: Add a little lemon juice to the turmeric before mixing it into the gram flour. The turmeric will turn red as lime is acidic. Then add it to the gram flour. Dry in a ventilated room without sunlight, as the sun will bleach it. Another method for red holi powder is to dry red hibiscus flowers till crisp, grind into a powder and mixed with an equal quantity of rice flour.      

Pink: You can follow the same method as the red powder made with lime juice, but just add lesser lime juice. You could also use pink hibiscus flowers to produce pink gulaal.

Green: Henna mixed with rice powder will give you a nice green colour. 

So, make your own holi colours or get them from the list above to have an eco-friendly and vegan holi celebration with colours that are safe for you and the planet. Happy Holi!