Renowned designers like Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi Mukherjee are leveraging their reputations in luxury fashion to gain success in the highly competitive and price-sensitive beauty market.
Manish Malhotra launched his beauty line in October 2018, featuring a glamorous collection of eyeshadows, lipsticks, nail lacquers, and highlighters, priced between 800 and 1500 rupees (approximately $9-18). His lipsticks are the best-selling products, generating annual sales of 75 crore rupees ($8.9 million). Supported by investors such as Warburg Pincus and L’Occitane, the brand offers over 150 SKUs and plans further expansion both in India and internationally.
Indian couture designers, previously confined to runways or niche clientele, are now exploring the beauty market. In October 2017, Gaurav Gupta launched the fragrance “Again” in collaboration with The Perfume Library, while in February 2019, Manish Arora created a gift box for Kama Ayurveda.
India’s beauty and personal care market, valued at $16.5 billion in 2023, is expected to grow by 11.5% to $18.4 billion by 2026, according to Euromonitor International.
Designer Masaba Gupta, who launched the cosmo-wellness brand LoveChild in August 2022, now focuses on color cosmetics. Her products feature vibrant packaging with bright illustrations and Masaba’s signature prints, priced between 175 and 2200 rupees ($2-26).
Maintaining a consistent brand identity is crucial, experts emphasize. Sabyasachi Mukherjee launched a beauty line with Estée Lauder in March 2024, offering 10 lipsticks in 24-carat gold-plated tubes, featuring his signature Royal Bengal tiger, retailing at a premium price of 5,400 rupees ($64).
To appeal to a broader audience, designers need to adapt their communication and products. Masaba Gupta uses Hinglish (a blend of Hindi and English) to reach a wider public, and her product names include Indian phrases, such as “Nazar Na Lage” Kajal or “Rani” liquid lipstick.
Beauty standards vary significantly between countries, and consumers seek authentic solutions based on their unique geography and culture. This presents an opportunity for local designers to highlight their roots and attract support from consumers who wish to support local brands. According to a Mintel India report, 41% of Indian consumers strongly agree that it’s important to support local brands that understand their needs.
