Sonakshi Sinha wants to make beauty easy and accessible to all, starting with nails

The Bollywood actor talks about her newest business venture SOEZI, her skincare routine and her forthcoming releases 

Sonakshi Sinha has come a long way, from being the legendary Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter to becoming one of Bollywood’s most recognised faces. With an impressive filmography, the actress had first chosen to tread different waters by studying fashion designing before finding her way into the film industry in 2010.

Twelve years later, Sinha is yet again venturing into a different territory—that of an entrepreneur with SOEZI, a premium press-on nail brand, one-of-a-kind in India. Co-founded with her business partner Srishti Raai, Sinha, like her peers in the industry who are investing in tech start-up (Sonu Sood recently co-founded an AI-based social media app Explurger) and beauty companies (Sugar Cosmetics recently announced Ranveer Singh as one of their investors), has dug her nails (pun intended) into this new venture to make beauty easy and accessible to everyone. In a candid conversation, we spoke to her about why she started with a nail brand, her skincare routine and her newest releases.

You have a background in fashion designing, having studied it for a few years. Creating a clothing label would be the obvious assumption that someone would make about you getting to. How did you then get involved in creating a nail brand?

Honestly, I've been thinking about it for years when it comes to what I want to do, to begin with. I have lots of options, and like you said, the most obvious thing to do would be to start a clothing label. A lot of people even approached me with the idea to start a brand, but I wanted to be involved in it right from the beginning. I got busy with my film career and would not have been able to give it my 100 per cent. But when Srishti [Raai] came to me with this idea, I realised how easy it made my life as an artist. While I love doing my nails, I don't like the process of going through it; to sit for hours and just get my nails done. So when this came to me, I tried and tested every nail that came my way.

After experiencing it personally, I knew this was something I could vouch for and something that I’d want other girls to experience as well, because as small a detail that nails can be, they just complete your entire look. It gives you the kind of confidence that you would want when you're stepping out. There are so many times when I have been completely dressed up, from head to toe, but just because I'm too lazy to do my nails, I'll probably go out without painting them or grooming them. So when this came my way I knew it was the solution to all my problems.

At the time when your peers from the film industry are investing in tech start-ups and food companies, as an entrepreneur now, how do you see your nail brand growing in India?

I think we entered the market at the right time when there was no mainstream player really doing what we are doing. We are very proud to be the first to have taken this step and have big things in mind for SOEZI as a brand. We aim to make the process of getting your nails done easy and accessible. There are more products that we are researching and are currently working on to bring to the people. I honestly believe that when you start somewhere and you build on top of that, the fact that you get to nurture it from the beginning, makes you even more proud of your product and your brand.

After SOEZI, should we expect make-up or a skincare line from you?

SOEZI is essentially a beauty brand. We want to make beauty accessible to everyone. So yes, that is on the cards. But it's also too soon to talk about it, as we are still developing our future products.

With so many beauty trends ‘trending’ these days, which ones do you subscribe to?

I'm a creature of habit and once I'm comfortable with something, that is something that I stick to. For me, [trendy] nails will never go out of fashion, which is why we began this. Good skincare is also something that’s very essential for me.

How has your beauty and make-up regime changed in your 30s from your 20s?

A lot has changed, of course, when it comes to my skincare and make-up. In fact, I was having this conversation with one of my assistant stylists, who is in her 20s and mentioned how she has to start building a skincare routine now. We’ve all taken such advantage of our skin in our 20s, but the day you hit 30, you realise that this is what I should have been doing years ago. It's very important to take care of your skin. I say that now, but I also didn't follow it when I was in my 20s. Now I remember my mom constantly telling me to take care of my skin. If it was more accessible and easier to do that, I definitely would have, at that time. That is also something that SOEZIis working on. But for me, sunscreen is important, and so is having a good bed-time routine–it's something that I've started following very recently.

What’s keeping you busy these days?

I have three releases coming up which I'm very excited for. These are the films I had shot during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. They're finally releasing now and I'm very excited. My film Double XL is coming up soon, followed by Dahaad, a series with Amazon Prime Video. And, of course, SOEZI will always be on a parallel track with my film career and everything else that I'm doing.

Also Read: 8 nail artists to follow on Instagram if you’re looking for inspiration

Also Read: 8 sunscreens for every excuse you may have about applying it

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