Beauty and wellness industry trends shaping India’s next phase

Every year, the beauty industry in India declares itself at an inflection point. Few years have actually earned that claim. In 2024, market reports projected the Indian beauty industry would reach $32.53 billion in 2025. It closed the year at $33.08 billion, signalling not just growth, but momentum. Scale alone no longer defines the beauty and wellness industry in India. What marks this moment is structural change, and the beauty and wellness industry trends for 2026 reflect how decisively the market is being reshaped.

Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality are becoming default across retail, international brands are accelerating entry, and major acquisitions like Reliance-Sephora and HUL-Minimalist point to consolidation rather than experimentation. At the same time, wellness is no longer adjacent to beauty. It is shaping formulation, consumption, and the language brands use to speak to consumers. 

According to Nielsen IQ, India’s e-commerce beauty consumption is growing at 39 per cent, well ahead of global averages. The Indian wellness market, valued at $156 billion in 2024, is expected to reach $256.9 billion by 2033. 

The implication is less about speed and more about the scale that is still left to unlock. Despite rapid expansion, the beauty industry in India remains under-penetrated compared to markets like the US and China, even as ambition accelerates. The beauty and wellness market in India is increasingly being shaped by convergence rather than category silos.

The beauty and wellness industry trends for 2026

Indian beauty learns to export itself

Earlier this year, Kay Beauty, co-founded by Katrina Kaif and Nykaa, became the first Indian brand to secure a spot on the shelves of UK-based luxury retailer SpaceNK. After successfully launching indē wild in Sephora UK in the last quarter of 2024, Diipa Khosla-Büller is all set to tap Sephora US in 2026, as per reports. Earlier this month, Aminu took to their Instagram to announce their foray into markets in the Middle East. 

Increasingly, Indian beauty brands are building products with global relevance rather than local limitation. The drivers of growth for I-Beauty are multifold and increasingly sophisticated, opines Cindy Palusamy, founder of CP Strategy. “We’re seeing stronger R&D, a rise in dermatology-led startups, climate-adaptive formulations built for extreme environments, and a new wave of ritual-based concepts. Creator-founders who understand beauty as culture are propelling the category forward, while AI is helping brands accelerate innovation and reinvent consumer touchpoints. Nykaa and Tira’s continued investment and platform expansion further amplify the scale and global potential of I-Beauty’s next phase of growth.” What distinguishes this phase of I-beauty is not scale, but specificity.

While I-beauty exhibits promising potential, Shamika Haldipurkar, founder of skincare label d’you, thinks its global omnipresence will take a different approach. “K-beauty scaled through format and routine innovation, while J-beauty built credibility through minimalism and long-term skin health. Indian beauty, on the other hand, addresses a more complex reality by solving for climate stress, melanin biology, and barrier disruption at the same time. No dominant beauty system today fully caters to this combination.”

Indian skin is also not a “niche” skin type. “Nearly 60 per cent of the world’s population lives in hot, humid, high-UV, pollution-heavy environments. What works for Indian skin often works across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, which together represent some of the largest and fastest-growing beauty markets globally.” 

Sarvangi Shah, founder of Noya Works, an end-to-end beauty development agency, concurs with Haldipurkar. “I-beauty is becoming exporters of beauty philosophy, ingredients, and rituals. Instead of following existing playbooks, it will build its own vocabulary: science-backed Ayurveda, climate-specific formulations, and sensorial storytelling rooted in India’s diversity,” she says. 

When supplements start behaving like snacks

From collagen matchas to protein-forward snacks, supplements are shedding their medicinal image and becoming a part of everyday consumption. Globally, the market for healthy snacks, valued at $88.2 billion in 2022, is projected to reach $141.6 billion by 2030. India’s market is estimated to almost double, from $2.67 billion in 2024 to $4.95 billion by 2032. 

The category is expanding rapidly, with brands like Ranveer Singh’s SuperYou and Wellbeing Nutrition leading the crossover. The crossover has moved beyond packaging and into everyday consumption—from grocery aisles to café menus. 

“Consumers are becoming far more health-conscious, especially around protein and everyday nutrient gaps. They are looking for options in the ‘better-for-you’ space. It’s far easier, psychologically, to replace a snack than to add a capsule—they feel familiar and frictionless,” notes nutritionist Kripa Jalan. Brands are simply meeting consumers where they already are. 

After restraint, make-up returns to emotion

The clean girl aesthetic clasped on to the ‘it’ beauty trend for almost five years now. After years of restraint, make-up is returning to emotion. 

Sandhya Shekar, celebrity make-up artist and founder, Mokae Beauty, has started observing make-up users prioritising experimentation and expression over trends. “People want drama, an escape from the mundane life; when you paint your face, especially the maximalist way, the personality you’re able to bring to life is what more and more people are exploring.” Make-up is emotional, adds Saikat Chakraborty, national artist, M.A.C Cosmetics India. “People now want to feel something again when it comes to make-up, and maximalism allows us to celebrate identity, culture, and creativity in ways minimalism didn’t. Social media has also been blowing up with maximalist looks.” 

Beauty labels have quickly jumped on the bandwagon—from drugstore brands like Maybelline to luxury houses like YSL Beauty, colourful eyeliners and mascara, poppy blush and lip shades, and dramatic, statement-making eyeshadows are ubiquitous. According to Shah, the trend is headlining beauty brand inceptions. “Pigment-forward products with fun textures, glossy finishes, and mix-and-match formats are cropping up on every brand’s radar, especially those targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha.”

Metabolic beauty

As the quest for longevity continues to rise, metabolic beauty is shifting skincare away from surfaces and towards systems. A Mintel report has even predicted metabolic beauty to take over every other skincare trend in 2026. Twinkle Behl, beauty and personal care analyst, Mintel India, confirms that 2026 will mark a significant turning point for wellness-driven beauty. “With holistic health now taking centre stage, consumers are seeking solutions that support not only outer appearance but also inner well-being. This shift is supported by scientific breakthroughs that address specific needs, making beauty routines more effective and tailored than ever before.”

Explaining what metabolic beauty entails, celebrity dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad says, “Metabolic beauty is an emerging philosophy that elevates skin health by optimising the body’s internal metabolic machinery. Instead of relying solely on topical products, it acknowledges that every skin cell depends on a steady supply of energy—powered largely by the mitochondria—to repair, regenerate, and function at its best. When this internal engine is compromised by stress, inadequate nutrition, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, or hormonal imbalance, the skin becomes the first place to reveal the strain, showing signs such as dullness, uneven pigmentation, premature ageing, acne, dryness, thinning hair, and slower healing.” 

Increasingly, this thinking is shaping topical skincare, with formulations designed to support cellular energy, repair, and regeneration rather than surface-level correction. 

Longevity becomes infrastructure, not indulgence

In 2025, India witnessed a sudden spike in wellness spaces—from Mira Kapoor-founded Dhun Wellness to Nuvana Wellness Clinic with investments from Rakul Preet Singh, both in Mumbai. Holistic, integrative wellness solutions are becoming a go-to fix to combat the stress and damage induced by city life. Add yoga, meditation, and wellness retreats to the mix, and that will explain the booming wellness market size in India, valued at $156 billion in 2024, and projected to reach $256.9 billion by 2033. Backdropped by a diverse mix of traditional Ayurvedic centres in Kerala and luxurious wellness resorts such as Six Senses Vana in Dehradun, the wellness tourism market in India alone is expected to tap a revenue of $38.22 billion by 2030. These shifts mirror broader wellness industry trends, where prevention and optimisation are replacing reactive care.

Hormonal health enters the beauty brief

Beauty is being asked to justify its role in overall health. An extension of trends like metabolic beauty and longevity is the anti-endocrine disruptor narrative, which is becoming an increasingly significant priority for beauty brands. As the lines between wellness and beauty blur, beauty products are expected to deliver without jeopardising other aspects of overall health—most importantly, hormonal health. The use of endocrine disruptors in beauty products has been a traditional practice, but with rising awareness, more and more consumers are scouting for products that are hormonal health-friendly. The global market for hormone-responsive skincare products will reportedly reach approximately $7.3 billion by 2035. 

Celebrity dermatologist and founder of Yavana Aesthetics, Dr Madhuri Agarwal, is noticing a shift in the way India is consuming beauty products. “The tendency to trust Western products for being expensive or imported is on a decline, whereas consumers are rediscovering traditional ingredients and scrutinising modern formulations,” she begins. “In the past, anyone curious about hormone disruptors in a moisturiser would have had to sift through academic articles. Now, applications can scan a barcode and immediately identify questionable ingredients. There is also a sudden increase in certain endocrine health issues such as PCOS and acne, leading to a growing market for products free of endocrine disruptors.”

Gourmand perfumes maxxing

From Sol De Janeiro’s caramel body mists to pistachio and vanilla perfumes by Kayali, gourmand fragrances have been ruling beauty trendcharts with sky-rocketing virality across TikTok (or FragTok) and Instagram. As per Mintel reports, the trend is only expected to snowball in 2026. The gourmand perfume market is a multi-billion dollar industry, valued at around $32-34 billion in 2024, and predicted to grow steadily to $48-55 billion by 2030-2035. Gourmand notes aren’t a passing confection. They meet emotional needs like comfort and nostalgia, says Shehzad Mulla, business development manager, Fine Fragrance India. 

“Food-inspired beauty is redefining skincare and make-up, turning everyday routines into multisensory experiences,” says Behl. Gourmand fragrances are expected to gain popularity in 2026, shifting from purely sugary scents to more sophisticated, nuanced “neo-gourmand” perfumes, says Shishir Mehta, founder of luxury niche fragrance boutique Scentido. “Sophisticated, grown-up gourmands are already reaching their peak, and developing beyond simple sweetness into complex, layered scents. From dessert-like notes (think caramel, vanilla, and chocolate) to sophisticated blends with spices (pistachio), boozy, smokey, and earthy bases (patchouli, musk), they are producing “post-gourmand” perfumes that are richer, more nuanced, and appropriate for all seasons, not just winter.” 

The next iteration of gourmand perfumes will fuse sweetness with deeper notes like oud and tonka bean, widening their appeal beyond novelty.

Gen Alpha-first beauty 

After catering to Gen Z for almost five years, the beauty industry has identified its next big cohort: Gen Alpha. With a 23 per cent year-on-year increase in the spending on beauty products, tweens and teens are emerging as the next beauty consumers. Internationally, brands like Bubble, Byoma, Indu Beauty, and Drunk Elephant have been proactively targeting Gen Alpha, a demographic that has punched a spending power of over $28 billion in 2024.

“Gen Alpha is the next wave—not because they buy beauty yet, but because they shape beauty,” notes Shah. “They’re the most exposed, most digitally fluent generation, and they’re influencing parents’ purchases, brand aesthetics, and product formats. Their relationship with beauty is more about play, mood, experimentation, and identity. Brands are paying attention—not to sell to them today, but to build relevance for the next decade.”

Gen Alpha’s influence points to the future of the beauty industry, shaped by play, identity, and early exposure. In many ways, Gen Alpha isn’t the next beauty consumer. They’re the audience the industry is already being redesigned for.