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We speak with Masaba to find out what it means to enter an already saturated market and why beauty will never be a universal concept.

Masaba Gupta's new beauty brand 'Lovechild' is steering clear of gimmicks

We speak with the fashion designer and actor about what it means to enter an already saturated market, understanding the psyche of the consumer and why beauty will never be a universal concept

Masaba Gupta wants to be all over your beauty routine. Given that her newest venture—Lovechild, a beauty brand—is launching liquid lipsticks as well as pH-balancing intimate wipes, it’s clear that she’s ready to totally be a part of it, head-to-toe. The multi-hyphenate (no really, she’s a model, actor, entrepreneur, fashion designer and content creator) is foraying into the big, super saturated world of beauty. We spoke to Gupta about how she’s going to break through the noise, what she’s learnt through building the many iterations of her brand and what she thinks her consumers are looking for.

Masaba Gupta is foraying into the big, super saturated world of beauty with Lovechild. 

Masaba Gupta is foraying into the big, super saturated world of beauty with Lovechild. 

When you launched Masaba by Nykaa a few years ago, you really made an effort to make it feel like an extension of your fashion brand, and an extension of you, as a personality. What is different this time?

That was a 1.0 iteration. I have been wanting to have my own make-up brand for more than seven years now. Every kind of door that I have knocked on in the past has been like, “let’s do a collaboration or let’s do a one-off thing.” Nobody wanted to back me and say, “let’s build this brand together, let’s give consumers exactly what they want.” So I created Lovechild—obviously picking up from the fact that I am, in fact, a love child. It is a part of my identity that so many people have woven into my narrative. I wanted Lovechild to stand out on its own, and not just be a spin-off from the mother brand.

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"I wanted Lovechild to stand out on its own, and not just be a spin-off from the mother brand."

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"While there have been many versions of my vision that consumers have seen, I wanted this to be a more well-rounded brand."

You’ve done a lot of collaborations with beauty brands in the past, which served as the perfect testing ground before you ventured out on your own. What was that process like?

We were one of the few fashion brands in India to do a collaboration in the make-up space—way back in 2014, when we did one with Lakmé. While there have been many versions of my vision that consumers have seen, I wanted this to be a more well-rounded brand. It’s not just make-up this time, we’re doing skincare and wellness products too. We’re making this a one-stop-shop destination for people to consume content about beauty, wellness, mental health and the connection between how you feel and how you look, in addition to the products.

I consider my lines with Lakmé and Nykaa as my internships. Back then, I picked the shades, gave them the packaging and was involved with the naming. It was a good way of working then, because I didn’t know anything about the industry. I was trying to figure out what the audience wanted. There were times I didn’t like a product or a formula, but through working with the teams, I learnt that people like different things. You have to figure it out as you go along. Some people want a long-wear product and don’t mind a slightly drying formula, while others think comfort is key.

What do you think your consumers are looking for?

The consumers that buy into the Masaba brand are independent, they like to stand out, and they’re India-proud. House of Masaba’s fashion brand is not something that everyone can get a piece of; it's a bridge to luxury price point. Lovechild, on the other hand, opens us up to a different audience. We want to be wallet-conscious yet super high-quality.

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"The consumers that buy into the Masaba brand are independent, they like to stand out, and they’re India-proud."

There’s a new content creator, celebrity or fashion designer-led beauty brand that launches everyday. How do you break the noise, and how do you make sure you’re not just another one on the shelf?

I actually use my products, which I think is the major point of differentiation. I remember being on set for a beauty brand, and they used MAC. If you can’t use products for your campaign from your own brand, I don’t think anyone should.

My audience is super intelligent. I’ve learnt that beauty brands cannot be gimmicky, because if the actual formula isn’t good, nobody is going to be interested. They will move on to the next thing. They know how many options are out there, so they’re not going to settle for anything less than amazing. What is at the back of the bottle is more important than the brand, and consumers care about this now more than ever.

What is your approach to beauty now? How do you reconcile building a beauty brand that promises you good skin or great hair, with your philosophy of embracing the imperfections in beauty?

My thought process is that you have to love yourself on days when you’re not looking a 100 per cent. Most days, you probably don’t. Beauty will never be a universal concept and that’s what we’ve really taken to heart while putting this brand together. Even when we were working on the campaign, I didn’t want to cast models just so we were being inclusive. We wanted to hire people that embodied the brand. Tokenism is not my style.

LoveChild will be available online at LoveChild.in and Nykaa.com

Also Read: Is Sakshi Sindwani the face of inclusivity and change in the Indian fashion industry?

Also Read: Here’s why fashion has a long way to go when it comes to size representation

Also Read: Why are Indian influencers launching so many beauty brands?


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