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This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to what people in the food industry are obsessed with eating, drinking, and buying right now.
For a long time I was a saffron hoarder, only using the ingredient when absolutely necessary. That changed last year when one of my favorite spice brands, Diaspora Co., added jars of Kashmiri saffron to their product line. It helps that, just like with the rest of its spices, a little goes a long way: Diaspora’s saffron is so much more vibrant in terms of taste, scent, and hue than the stuff I was buying previously. As soon as my new jar arrived, I couldn’t resist using the ingredient more liberally, adding it to blueberry and milk cakes, bean confit, and rice dishes—luxuriating in the hyper-specific, subtly floral flavor.
I was so high on saffron that, when the change in seasons once again started wreaking havoc on my skin, I was primed to swipe up on an Instagram ad for Ranavat, a luxury beauty line that uses saffron in many of its products. Swayed by the “rooted in ritual” premise of the company, which draws on longstanding, familiar-to-me South Asian health and beauty traditions like hair oiling, I panic-bought a discovery set of products with the hopes that Ranavat would get me and really work for my skin. I’m always excited to support South Asian small businesses—it’s certainly not the first time I’ve been hooked by an Indian diaspora beauty brand—and used up every drop of all of the trial-size products. But the one that has since worked its way into my daily skincare regimen? Radiant Rani Brightening Saffron Serum.
Pretty much immediately I noticed that the amber-colored oil helped combat dry spots and even out my skin tone, and the saffron smells just as amazing in my bathroom as it does in my baked goods. It’s also lightweight and feels great on my skin, gliding on smoothly and helping to lock moisture in. It’s a huge splurge for me, coming in at $135 per full-size bottle—in part because saffron is so difficult to harvest—and more expensive by a major degree than the next most costly thing I put on my face (an ultra-hydrating night cream, if you’re curious). But it’s keeping my skin bright and healthy no matter the circumstances (eight-hour days in the office, eight-hour flights across the Atlantic, seasonal changes). And, just like with the Diaspora Co. saffron in my cabinet, a little of this serum goes a long way. My bottle is still more than two thirds full after near-daily use for a few months.
Sometimes on a Sunday morning you’ll find me pulling double-duty: gently massaging saffron serum into my face while that blueberry-saffron cake firms up in my oven, filling the house with sweet-floral vibes. I guess you could say my saffron hoarding days are well behind me. One warning, though: It smells so good that every time you put this serum on, you’ll want to drink it. Please don’t do that—we have plenty of saffron-laced recipes you can make instead.