How make-up brand Kulfi Beauty is trying to reclaim South Asian beauty

We spoke to the founder Priyanka Ganjoo about her motivations behind creating a beauty brand and what gap in the market she’s trying to fill

When Kulfi Beauty’s Main Match concealer launched across the United States last month—on their own website, and on Sephora’s—it garnered the kind of social media love and press shoutouts that legacy brands like M.A.C or Charlotte Tilbury would receive. Kulfi Beauty is a South Asian-founded and South Asian-inspired beauty line, though the level of buzz it has generated transcends that. It is turning out to be the kind of beauty brand that influencers, celebrities and editors are quickly moving to their top shelves. The brand’s founder, Priyanka Ganjoo, created Kulfi to reclaim beauty for herself, and for so many others that looked like her, considering that she never felt like she was well represented for all the years before.

Ganjoo is now looking to “reimagine the beauty aisle,” so that consumers can feel seen every time they apply a make-up product—you’ll find shades and textures that work for your skin tones, undertones and beauty proclivities, too. We spoke to her about why she’s doing what she’s doing, and what’s next.

Why did you decide to start Kulfi? What was the motivation to start a beauty brand in an already saturated market—did you find that you didn’t see enough representation in ads, as you shopped through the aisles?

I wanted to launch Kulfi Beauty as a brand that centered and celebrated the South Asian community. As a consumer, I never saw people from the South Asian community represented in the beauty industry, even though there are over a billion of us around the world. My goal for Kulfi Beauty is to create a space where people can confidently express themselves through make-up while keeping South Asian skin tones, undertones and skin concerns at the forefront.

Before I founded Kulfi Beauty, I waited for years for a brand that celebrated and focused on the needs of South Asian skin tones and skin concerns. After a while, I grew tired of waiting and I decided it was time for a founder from South Asia to reclaim our narrative and represent our community through our products, storytelling and actions. The overall vision for it is to present to the world an empowered South Asian, who is not only comfortable in their own skin but thriving in it.

What about the world of beauty drew you to it? What niche were you looking to fill?

Growing up, I had a complicated relationship with make-up. There was a lot of judgment around make-up in my community. People would say it was to attract male attention or to have a lighter complexion. As a result, I never wore make-up until I was 22, even while working in the beauty industry. I spent years working behind the scenes, helping indie brands establish and grow their businesses. However during my time there, I struggled to find any brands that centered their narrative around the South Asian community.

With the lack of representation I saw while working in the beauty industry, I knew I couldn’t be the only one who felt that way. When shopping for make-up, I found myself thinking, "I'll take what I can get,'' and finally grew tired of having to settle for colours that didn't match or complement my skin.

Tell me about creating the products—Main Match, for example. How did you come up with the formula, the name and the packaging?

It took us three years to properly formulate the Main Match Concealer. During that time, we tested our concealers with 300 members of our community. We wanted to make sure that our concealers were the easiest shade match our customers will ever have. Then, while preparing for the launch, we posted a casting call on TikTok, receiving over 1000 responses from diverse New Yorkers. We asked them what defines their “perfect match”. I thought people would talk about finding their significant other, but everyone spoke about their journey towards self-love, embracing themselves and becoming their own main match. The 12 shades that made the cut were the ones that helped us ensure that the large majority of our customer base would find a perfect match. The slightly warmer, olive and gold undertones are uniquely designed for this panel that represents our customer base. We included South Asian-inspired, antioxidant-rich and nourishing ingredients that address their skin concerns.

What are your core consumers looking for? Do you find that they’re comfortable shopping online, even if it's for an eyeliner or concealer they cannot swatch?

The consumer today wants to be part of the community a brand is creating. Many successful brands have built an engaging social media presence, both through their own organic content and through intentional partnerships with influencers. While it's always good to have a marketing mix with traditional channels such as television commercials or billboards, for a young company like ours, social media marketing has allowed us to break through the noise.

In the last two years, consumers have gotten more comfortable with shopping online than ever before. They are very reliant on video reviews, whether that be on YouTube, TikTok or even Instagram, to establish that initial line of trust with the brand and purchase products accordingly. Even though you cannot physically swatch the product on your skin as you would in-store, each product shade has 10 photos to allow the consumer to get an idea of the shade on real skin, along with product consistency and real before-and-after photos. This provides the consumer with additional photos to compare and find their true match. They also trust the recommendations of influencers they follow who have a similar skin tone and skin type.

I value my community immensely as they serve as a leading purpose and source of inspiration to my brand. I resonate and empathise greatly with the South Asian experience that is otherwise underrepresented in the global beauty industry.

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