A quick search on “How to age gracefully?” and the Internet spits out obvious advice: eating well, staying hydrated and connecting with friends. If only. From anti-ageing IV drips and injections with glutathione and NAD+ (drugs often used to “detox” or “slow” age), to cosmetic procedures like botox to supplements, and even skincare products laced with glutathione, women are bombarded with the same message day in and day out: Ageing is unattractive, and they must fight it all costs.

There’s plenty of money riding on this messaging. Market consulting firm IMARC Group forecasts that by 2033, India’s anti-ageing market will hit approximately Rs 34,000 crore, up from the current estimate of Rs 21,000 crore — all padded from the wallets of people terrified of looking older and losing out on love, work, or relevance.

But that’s not the only cost Indians are paying. The conversation around the nation’s anti-ageing obsession has grown more nuanced following actor Shefali Jariwala’s death on June 27. While no clear link has been established between the medication retrieved from her residence (glutathione, Vitamin C injections, and acidity pills) and the cardiac arrest that took her life, it has forced us to take a harder look at the pressure we’re under — women, in particular — to always stay looking like our 20-year-old selves.