Why Simply Nam’s funding from the Bhaane Group matters in India’s crowded beauty market

The beauty market in India has grown rapidly over the last decade, but it has always had a blind spot: most foundations still miss the mark on undertones, and formulas often fail in heat and humidity. And despite the influx of a number of international brands, few address the day-to-day realities of Indian consumers. Namrata Soni wanted to fix that.

By 2020, Soni had spent over 25 years building a career as one of the country’s most in-demand make-up artists. But the gaps in the market were still showing up in her kit. That same year, entrepreneur Hanna Strömgren-Khan, co-founder of brand incubator Bozzil, approached her with a proposal: to build a scalable, problem-solving beauty brand with Indian skin and usage at its core, designed to perform in India’s extreme climate. While Soni brought in the creative direction, the consumer insight, and the product instinct, Strömgrem-Khan’s Bozzil stepped in to handle everything else: operations, scale, supply chains, and team structure. 

The result was Simply Nam. In under five years, the homegrown beauty brand has grown to over 40 SKUs, reports an “average monthly revenue of ₹2 crore, and sees a 40 per cent return customer rate”. In May 2025, the brand secured a strategic investment from Bhaane Group, marking Anand Ahuja’s first investment in the beauty sector. While financial details remain undisclosed, Bhaane’s track record includes multi-year franchise agreements with global brands like Nike and Converse. This comprises  37 Nike flagship stores including India’s first standalone Converse outlets, along with converse.in —demonstrating capability in scaling premium brands. This operational depth, combined with retail expertise, positions the beauty brand to accelerate its next phase of growth: expanding product lines, streamlining distribution across both traditional and quick-commerce platforms, and building a more robust presence across India.  

As part of The Established Rising Stars series, we chat with Soni and Strömgren-Khan about functional yet wearable make-up, the importance of listening to one’s consumers, and why exploring funding means more than just chasing capital. 

As a make-up artist yourself, what gaps did you notice in the Indian beauty space that pushed you to create Simply Nam? 

Namrata Soni: Somewhere along the way, make-up got way too complicated. There were too many steps, too many products, and not enough focus on functionality or wearability. Most of us just want to look put together and get out of the house. That’s why I started Simply Nam. I wanted to bottle the shortcuts I rely on: colours that celebrate brown skin, formulas that survive our weather, and textures you can tap into with your fingers on the go.

Simply Nam launched with a make-up removal towel—a bold first product. What made you lead with it, and how did consumers respond? 

NS: I wanted our first launch to fix the not-so-glam side of make-up—taking it all off. Every cleanser I tried—oils, balms, micellar waters—either stung, stripped, or broke me out. So I thought, what if make-up removal could be as fuss-free as the application? That led to our little microfibre towel: super gentle, reusable, antibacterial, and able to swipe off waterproof mascara with nothing more than warm water. 

The ecological aspect mattered just as much. On a single shoot, I’d burn through 15–20 cotton pads and 5–7 disposable wipes per client. Multiply that by an industry and you get billions of pieces of landfill every year. Our one towel replaces roughly a thousand wipes and lasts about five years.

People wrote to say their breakouts calmed down, their nighttime [skincare] routine got quicker, and they loved ditching single-use wipes. To this day, that towel is still our top seller, which proves that a product can make life simpler, skin happier, and the planet cleaner. 

Today, the brand has grown to over 40 SKUs. What’s driven the choice of categories and product launches so far? 

NS: From day one, our mission has been clear: If it doesn’t make life easier for Indian women—or look incredible on Indian skin—we’ll pass on the product. That’s why our first colour drop was lipstick. Everyone in India wears it, yet only a few formulas nailed the right undertones or stayed put in our heat. 

As our community started telling us what they loved—and what they still couldn’t find—we paid close attention. We saw lips becoming a hero category not just because of colour but because we added comfort and care—nourishing ingredients, no chalky finish, and shades that flatter brown skin instead of fighting it. 

Since then, every launch has followed the same playbook: listen, observe, test, refine. No chasing trends, no padding the catalogue. If our consumers don’t need it, we don’t make it. This slow-and-steady approach is how we grew from one makeup-remover towel to 40-plus SKUs across multiple categories.

Take us inside the product development process—how does a new SKU come to life, from idea to shelf? 

NS: Every new idea has to clear one hurdle first: Why should this exist? If we can’t answer that in one sentence, we walk away—pretty packaging alone won’t cut it. 

Once a real need is obvious, we gather the team and lock in the problem we’re solving. Before anyone touches a beaker, we map the essentials: purpose, texture, skin benefits, format, and shade range. 

Designing for Indian skin tones and our climate drives every choice. R&D goes into high gear with clean, skincare-infused formulas. Make-up artist trials, in-house wear tests, and select consumer panels stress-test each tweak for payoff, comfort, and longevity. While the formula evolves, packaging teams chase the sweet spot of function, sustainability, and our classic minimal aesthetic. Only after every box is ticked does the product hit the shelves, ready to earn its keep in a busy make-up bag. 

As a brand made in India, for India, what are the non-negotiables behind every product you launch? 

Hanna Strömgren-Khan: From day one, our goal has been to create a brand that is truly locally relevant, globally competitive, and deeply thoughtful. My job is to make sure that promise holds up day after day, launch after launch. Three rules never budge: 

1. If a concept doesn’t close a real gap for Indian consumers, we park it.

2. Clean and safe formulas, functional packaging, and smarter materials that can keep up with both demand and the planet is important. 

3. We price transparently, formulate to global safety standards, and communicate like a friend, not a billboard. Consistency is how a homegrown brand earns a lifetime place on a dresser. 

Namrata’s creative expertise ensures our products are truly best-in-class. 

Your lipsticks and lip oils were reformulated and repackaged soon after their launch. What prompted the pivot? 

NS: We did a quick course-correct because our early lipsticks and lip oils needed it—plain and simple. 

When we first launched those products, Simply Nam was a tiny, bootstrapped brand. We picked packaging that was available fast and got the product in our customers’ hands quickly. The formulas were solid and well-loved, but the tubes weren’t quite living up to the experience we dreamed of delivering. As soon as fans started raving about the colour but flagging leaks and cap fits—we listened. Their feedback felt like a backstage pass to exactly where we needed to level up. So we went back to the drawing board; swapped in airtight, travel-friendly tubes that look and feel premium, and tweaked the formulas to be even more hydrating and long-wearing without losing that punch of pigment.

What were the biggest barriers to entering India’s saturated beauty market—and what helped your brand stand out?  

HSK: The market was already buzzing with legacy players and a flood of new direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands popping up almost every month.  

Launching during COVID-19 added a whole new layer. Global supply chains were a mess, so we had to pivot fast and go fully local. But that pivot turned out to be a blessing—we found incredible partners right here in India who were aligned with our values and just as obsessed with the idea of high-quality Indian make-up as we were. 

From there, we stuck to our pillars: 

• Performance-first formulas that hold up in real Indian weather 

• Inclusive shade ranges built from scratch for Indian skin tones 

• Skincare-infused make-up that does more than sit pretty 

• Clean, vegan, cruelty-free ingredients without compromise 

• Packaging that’s both premium and practical

We also put a huge focus on education and community. We built that trust by keeping it honest, thoughtful, and rooted in real-life beauty needs. We built slowly, with intention.

What strategies helped the brand build traction in such a saturated space? 

HKS:

1. Every SKU fills a gap: lipsticks that flatter deeper undertones, a kajal packed with 7× more product, and Pixie Dust liquid-to-powder glitter that suits every skin tone.Instead of chasing viral stunts, we lean into educational, aspirational content; how to wear shades in Mumbai’s humidity, why a formula hydrates, and when to swap textures. 

2. Feedback loops with consumers, creators, and make-up artists shape our tweaks to the formula, packaging, and even messaging. When people see you acton their notes, they shift from shoppers to evangelists. 

3. We resisted the urge to fire-hose launches. Dropping fewer, more meaningful products kept excitement high and shelf space tight. 

What made Anand Ahuja’s Bhaane Group the right partner? 

HKS: When we started exploring funding, we weren’t just chasing capital—we were looking for conviction. What makes this especially meaningful is that they value what we value: craft, creativity, and brand integrity over short-term hype. 

From our very first conversation, it was clear they saw the brand for what it truly is—not just a beauty brand, but a movement to redefine what Made-in-Indiabeauty can mean.

With Bhaane Group’s backing, we’re in a stronger position to scale thoughtfully: build out our omnichannel presence, deepen our community and education efforts, and bring even more high-performance, skin-loving products to market. 

Where will the Bhaane investment be directed—and what are your priorities for growth?

HKS: From the start, our mission has been clear: craft high-performance, purpose-driven products that celebrate every shade of Indian beauty. Now we finally have the runway to scale that vision. 

Firstly, we are doubling down on R&D and new categories. We’ll pour resources into innovation—launching fresh textures, smarter formats, and solutions that keep raising the bar for Indian skin and climate. We’ve built the brand in a bootstrapped manner, and as we scale, we need to strengthen our team with a couple of key hires who can help us lead the way this year, as we grow and scale our product portfolio and brand reach. 

Between D2C and marketplaces, which retail channel has driven higher returns?  

HKS: Our D2C channel—our website—has consistently delivered higher returns. From a business perspective, it gives us full control of the customer journey: from the first scroll to the post-purchase experience. But more than that, it gives us something marketplaces can’t—a direct, unfiltered connection with our community. 

On our website, we get to tell our story our way. We’re able to educate people on how to use the product, guide them to the right shade, highlight what makes each formula special, and give the full experience—visually, emotionally, and functionally. 

We also gather richer data: feedback, behaviour, and repurchase trends, all of which go back into our product innovation and marketing. While marketplaces have been great for reach and discovery, our D2C channel is where relationships are built, trust is deepened, and loyalty takes root.

How are you approaching quick commerce—and what makes it a fit for beauty?

HKS: We’ve already made inroads with platforms like Zepto, and the early traction has been fantastic. The beauty of q-commerce lies in its immediacy, especially in urban markets where convenience is king. 

As consumers, the general mindset is shifting, the more we are able to order whatever we want within a 15-minute delivery timeline. And with a brand like ours, being present on q-commerce means showing up exactly when and where our consumers need us. It also opens the door to experimenting with limited drops, curated kits, and city-specific formats. 

What role does your community play in shapingthe brand's products and strategy?

HKS: What makes this community so powerful is that they’re not passive consumers, they’re co-creators. That feedback loop is sacred. It’s what keeps the brand grounded, relevant, and truly reflective of Indian beauty needs. 

NS: Every time someone messages to say our blush finally shows up beautifully on their skin, or that our lipsticks don’t dry their lips out—it’s a reminder of why we do this. This community isn’t just our audience; they’re our compass. They keep us honest, and constantly push us to do better.  It’s about understanding the realneeds of Indian women, in all their diversity. 

What’s next—product, scale, and global growth?

HKS: We’re focused on expanding our portfolio across every key make-up category—from base to brows—with more complexion products, multi-use formats, and skincare-makeup hybrids that suit Indian skin tones and our weather. 

Pricing will be a major priority too. We want our products to feel luxe but remain accessible, especially as we scale across tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Beauty isn’t just aspirational in metros anymore—and we want to meet that demand wherever it is.

We’re also eyeing global expansion. Beyond products, we’ll keep investing in content and education. 

NS: For me, the vision is simple: continue creating the kind of make-up I wish existed when I was starting [my career]. Products that perform, that feel good on the skin, that suit Indian undertones—and that don’t make beauty feel like a chore. 

The next few years are going to be especially exciting for colour cosmetics. Complexion is a big focus area for us, and I can’t wait to show people what we’re working on. We’re also going to be showing up more physically—through stores, pop-ups, masterclasses—so people can experience Simply Nam up close.