Why I’ve stayed loyal to Boroline, even when dermatologists disagreed

One morning, I looked in the mirror and let out a small horror-movie scream. My face was covered in a rough rash, something between an allergic reaction and a hex. Usually, my darker skin tone camouflages breakouts, but this was beyond the scope of the melanin gods.

In a panic, I reached for the only thing that came to mind: Boroline.

I applied it twice a day for two days. By the end of it, the redness had faded, the itchiness had settled and the sun shone on my blemish-free skin again.

After years of cycling through moisturisers to pacify my combination skin, this tube is now the staple in my skincare routine.

How does one categorise it? An antiseptic cream? A moisturiser? A healing balm? A generational ritual captured in a tube? Even designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee waxed poetic about it on Instagram. It smells sweet, like childhood. The comforting fragrance brings back memories of our grandmothers’ beauty shelves, where talcum powder and that unmistakable green tube sat side by side. I can’t say when I adopted the habit myself, but at some point it became second nature. Boroline is now my daily moisturiser, with tubes stashed in drawers, handbags and bathroom shelves—you know, just in case.

It was launched in 1929 by Bengali merchant Gaur Mohun Dutta as part of the pre-independence Swadeshi movement. In a mildly ethnocentric way, it became a product by Bengalis for other Bengalis, marketed during Durga Pujo and became Dutta’s pride and joy. As per their website, wartime shortages led to changes in packaging, but the company printed a note on every pack reassuring customers that the quality remained unchanged. When India became independent, one lakh tubes were distributed as a celebration, solidifying its commitment to being for and of India.

I know how misty-eyed that history sounds. And I know that after two decades in the beauty business, my loyalty might be clouded by culture and nostalgia. So I asked the experts.

“Many of my patients tell me they still use Boroline,” says Dr Niketa Sonavane, dermatologist and founder of Ambrosia Aesthetics, Mumbai. “And I get why, it brings back a sense of comfort. But I don’t recommend it for everything. Yes, it’s thick and occlusive, which helps dry areas, but when it comes to sensitive facial skin or acne-prone skin, I tell my patients to be cautious.”