They usually promote enterprises that promise to slay all things “toxin”, “inflammation”, or “free radicals”.
Culturally extrapolated to India, they have turned into friends and emancipators of the dark-skinned—the skin colour we as a nation consider a curse.
A tour of the rooms of the wellness clinic had me gobsmacked—and even aspirational. It challenged my wellness intelligence a bit. Whole body cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, collagen bed, plush recliners for IV sessions, workout rooms—I got to these chambers after a detailed consultation about my medical history with a certified professional. She specified I would have to go through some tests to qualify for some of these treatments—definitely for IV infusions, the preppy doctor said.
Although I did not test-drive the treatments myself, being over-cautious and cynical by nature, I felt such relief when she said there were some pre-conditions to be able to be injected with one of the IV cocktails there.
The treatments here cost anywhere between ₹8,000 and ₹ ₹50,000—the most expensive being the NAD+ IV, which the world’s wellness elite hails as the ultimate anti-ageing elixir of the Longevity Age.
“Every IV is prescribed and overseen by a licensed medical doctor, and administered by experienced medical professionals, registered nurses, etc.,” Rishabh Jain, who co-founded the Wellness Co. first in Gurugram, and followed by its success, in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, and Chennai, and with “more locations on the horizon”, later told me.
“Our IV drip formulations are US Food and Drug Administration approved, and only sourced from pharmaceutical-grade compounding pharmacies, so that our clients can trust in the purity and safety of what’s going into their bodies. Everything is customized to the individual’s health profile, goals, tolerances and medical history, and we monitor their progress closely throughout,” said Jain, an Ironman athlete himself.
Comprehensive vitals checks are done before an IV is administered, constant monitoring is done during the infusion, and careful observation and follow-ups are done after every session. “We’re also very upfront with our clients about what these therapies can and can’t do,” he added.
The inspiration for Jain and his brother and co-founder Rohan Jain came from their own experiences as sports and wellness enthusiasts at elite wellness destinations like, say, Lanserhof, a medical spa at Waakirchen, Germany, or the SHA at L’Albir, Spain, or Paracelsus in Switzerland.
My tour of the Wellness Co. chambers ended in a bit of an anti-climax: When I walked out to Linking Road, the extreme antithesis of the rarefied air of the wellness clinic, the cacophonous and thick-aired city rudely hit me.
The ugly hype
This tour took place a few days before newsrooms and health media began highlighting why anti-oxidant IVs can be dangerous, as proven by the death of model-actress Shefali Jariwala at age 43 due to a cardiac arrest. She took a Vitamin C IV at her home that day, while she was fasting—and logically, the assumption was that Jariwala was a regular wellness and beauty junkie, used to taking these IV infusions at her own will, as part of her wellness regimen to look good.
Before you believe all wellness destinations in India are protocol-obsessed, think again. It is a completely unregulated market. The guidelines of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which is the only regulatory body for the wellness market, have not lived up to the age. In 2025, wellness is not just a luxury; it is heavily marketed and accessible to all.
To test my scepticism, I put in an enquiry at IndiaMART, an Indian business-to-business (B2B) online marketplace, connecting buyers and suppliers, headquartered in Noida, for Glutathione—an antioxidant produced naturally in the human body—that I can buy straight from sellers for home use.
During the next 24 hours, I received around 15 calls—all women, all representatives of companies selling Glutathione IV vials, offering me a platter to choose from: ‘Snow White’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Aqua Skin’, ‘Miracle White’, and others. They called with exclusive offers from Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Mumbai, and other cities.
A lady from a Mumbai company said she could even hook me up with a qualified nurse who could come to my home and transport the ‘Miracle White’ to my veins.
“Are you a to-be bride?” asked another sales representative. When I said no, she assured me that after about 10 IVs of the bottle that she could ship to my home address, I could expect a skin colour at least two times lighter than my natural skin colour.
They all cost anywhere between ₹7,000 and ₹15,000, depending on potency and quantity.
Antioxidant IVs, including glutathione and various combinations of glutathione, vitamin C, and sometimes even zinc, have made the crossover from wellness to India’s entrenched culture of blatant colourism. Glutathione, while detoxifying the body, diminishes scars and blotches while lightening skin colour overall.
Once, perhaps even 10 years ago, wellness meant a balance—one that led to health and happiness. Wellness products were something that made you feel good or brought joy and were not medically harmful, perhaps a massage, a great workout, or yoga. Now, wellness is not only a false antidote to the fear of modern life and death but, in India, a way to reinforce regressive ideas of beauty.
The wellness industry often takes medical terminology such as “inflammation” or “free radicals”, and levigates it to the point of incomprehension. The resulting product is often a do-it-yourself therapy or an IV infusion that comes with a confidence that science can only aspire for.
The antioxidant IV craze, more specifically the Glutathione craze, targeted more at women, is a confident messenger. India’s IV hydration therapy market is witnessing rapid growth, with the wellness segment valued at $38.4 million in 2024 and projected to reach $65.1 million by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4%, according to US-based market researcher Grand View Research.
Globally, the market was valued at $2.32 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $4.23 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.97%.
Known as “the master anti-oxidant”, glutathione has had patrons such as Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who owns a wellness empire of her own. In Bollywood, actresses Soha Ali Khan and Ankita Lokhande have openly talked about their glutathione results.
The plain truth
Without regulations, experts who actually know what glutathione is, are cautious and perplexed.
“When we know we are not getting enough antioxidants through the food we are eating because the quality of food is so not what it used to be for earlier generations, glutathione can do wonders. It is a very powerful antioxidant, and it can help detoxify. You can feel better, have less brain fog, and feel more energetic. The skin quality comes after that,” said Dr Niketa Sonavane, a Mumbai-based dermatologist and an outspoken advocate for transparency and regulation in the wellness market.
“But who is giving the IV to you? Under what conditions? How’s the quality of the product being used? Is it glutathione at all? So it is crucial to do these treatments under proper medical supervision,” she cautioned.
Usually, treatments involve anywhere from 1,500 to 4,000 milligrams of glutathione, often combined with vitamin C, administered once or twice a week.
The human body produces glutathione naturally. Composed of three amino acids—cysteine, L-glutamic acid, and glycine—it plays a crucial role in protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals and toxins.
In medicine, glutathione is studied for its potential to treat various conditions. It has been evaluated for use in patients with cystic fibrosis and AIDS, as these individuals can have reduced glutathione production. It’s also being researched for its role in inflammatory conditions and its potential to protect against the toxic effects of certain chemotherapy drugs. Some studies have shown that intravenous glutathione can help ease symptoms in people with vascular disease.
“While proponents claim benefits like improved energy, detoxification, and skin health, these treatments are not approved by the USFDA for many of these uses. Potential dangers and side effects include allergic reactions, headaches, nausea, abdominal cramping, and, in rare but severe cases, kidney or liver damage. There have also been reports of serious conditions like Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis,” said Dr Rashmi Aderao, dermatology consultant at Pune’s Ruby Hall Clinic, a chain of multi-speciality hospitals known for their dermatology departments.
Both doctors told me that the risk is heightened when the infusions are administered without proper medical supervision, with improper doses, or when combined with other substances like high-dose vitamin C in individuals with G6PD deficiency.
“To take them safely, ensure the treatment is administered by a licensed and experienced medical professional in a sterile clinical setting, and disclose any pre-existing health conditions, especially asthma, kidney or liver disease, and G6PD deficiency,” Dr Aderao advised.
Like with all things wellness in this largely unregulated, wellness-obsessed, longevity-seeking new world, the benefits of glutathione and antioxidant cocktails are based on nuggets of truth. Just don’t trust your bloodstream with it on your own will.
Sanjukta Sharma is a Mumbai-based journalist behind the wellness and health IP The Slow Fix.