Preeti Luthra spent years in software before she started making her own vitamin C serum in her kitchen — not as a business idea, but as a weekend hobby. A Russian dermatologist friend changed that. After trying Preeti's formula, she told her it was the best vitamin C she'd ever used and asked why it wasn't in the world. That one serum became Pure & Cimple — and it's worth 30 minutes of your time.
A Skin Change at 45 — and a Gap Nobody Had Filled
Around age 45, Preeti's skin suddenly changed. She developed rosacea for the first time, and the moisturizer she'd been using for nearly a decade started causing flare-ups. When she went looking for answers, she found herself caught between two extremes: drugstore anti-aging products that weren't working, and physician-channel products with $300–$400 price tags per bottle. She wanted a third option — ingredients clinically proven to address the real changes happening in midlife skin, in formulas that skin at that stage could actually tolerate, at a price that made sense.
That gap, combined with her years of kitchen chemistry, became the foundation of Pure & Cimple. The C in the name is a direct nod to that original vitamin C serum. She thought it would be one product and she'd be done. Her dermatologist's customers had other ideas.
Biomimetics Meets Ayurveda
Pure & Cimple sits at the intersection of two philosophies that shaped Preeti differently. Growing up in India, Ayurvedic principles — oils, botanical ingredients, caring for the body holistically — were simply part of daily life. Biomimetics came later, through her technology background: it starts by looking at what skin naturally does, then takes inspiration from that to build formulas that support rather than override those processes.
The Sukharinu Nutritive Oil is a good example of how they converge. It contains bakuchiol — a plant-based ingredient from bakuchi, used in Ayurveda for centuries for its role in addressing the appearance of fine lines and uneven pigmentation — alongside CoQ10, an antioxidant the body produces naturally that plays a key role in cellular energy. As we age, CoQ10 depletes and replenishes less readily. Applied topically, it helps skin cells energize and function more efficiently. One product, two traditions, one goal.
The Hero Ingredient Is Only Part of the Formula
A theme runs through every product in the Pure & Cimple line: the hero ingredient matters, but what surrounds it matters just as much. The Super Peptide serum carries GHK-Cu tripeptide — widely studied for its role in collagen production and skin remodeling — alongside a second peptide to give the skin the signal to produce its own collagen. But the formula also includes multi-molecular hyaluronic acid for hydration at different skin layers, ectoine and centella for comfort and barrier care, and bifida to prevent the skin barrier from thinning while those actives are working. If the skin barrier is already compromised and dry, adding a powerful active without support won't help — it may make things worse.
This is what Preeti means by "the supporting cast is as important as the hero." Products in the Pure & Cimple range carry between 8 and 15 ingredients. Every ingredient has a clear purpose. If it isn't serving the skin in a specific way, it's not in the formula.
What Midlife Skin Actually Needs
The skincare industry tends to treat midlife skin as younger skin with more wrinkles — and prescribe more actives accordingly. Preeti's view is different. Skin in midlife has genuinely different needs: it can't hold moisture as long, the barrier is thinning, and it reacts to things it didn't react to before. Piling on more actives into a 10-step routine doesn't address that. It often makes it worse.
Her recommendation: no more than three products at a time. In the morning — Super Lumin cleanser, one serum (either the pure vitamin C or Super Claris brightening serum, not both), and Super Supple moisturizer to seal it in. In the evening — Super Lumin again, Super Peptide serum, and Super Renew for overnight hydration. The serums rotate based on what the skin is asking for that day. Vitamin C in the morning, she notes, also helps SPF work more effectively.
For anyone coming off a flare-up or recovering from too many actives, the Barrier Repair Duo strips it back to just two steps — cleanse and moisturize — until the skin settles. Then one serum is reintroduced. That's the whole philosophy in practice.
Fragrance-Free, Essential Oil-Free — and Why It Matters
The FDA has identified fragrance as one of the most common allergens in cosmetics. Essential oils carry their own risks — some cause irritation or allergic reactions, and some citrus oils can make skin photosensitive. Preeti left both out entirely. The goal was never to make products that smell appealing. It was to make products that work without compromise: no purging, no reactions, no results that don't show up because the barrier is too irritated to absorb anything.
Every product is gently handmade in the USA. The line is available as individual products, as a Morning & Evening Bundle, and as the Barrier Repair Duo on All For American.