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The finalists of the recently concluded BEAUTY&YOU India incubation programme are attempting to change the beauty industry in India.

What does it take to be a winning beauty brand in 2022?

The finalists of the recently concluded BEAUTY&YOU India  incubation programme are attempting to change the beauty industry in the country

A beauty brand today stands for more than just the products it offers. It must check multiple boxes—is it sustainable and science-driven? Does it revive tradition, push expectations and redefine trends? It needs to create an impact through its brand sensibility, personality and individuality. The story of the brand is as much a star as the products, as are the brand’s principles. How diverse and inclusive are you as a brand? If you’re selling sunscreen—what do you stand for?

The Indian beauty and personal care industry is currently the eighth largest in the world, valued at $15 billion and growing at 10 per cent, according to a Euromonitor study. This figure is expected to double by 2030, with skin care and cosmetics primarily driving growth. 

Lab Fresh aims to revolutionise packaging in the beauty industry, going beyond just the aesthetics

Lab Fresh aims to revolutionise packaging in the beauty industry, going beyond just the aesthetics

 Sachi Chaudhary, founder of Ira Beauty presents her business plan to the judges

Sachi Chaudhary, founder of Ira Beauty presents her business plan to the judges

Eager to be part of this shift, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) and Nykaa announced an incubation or accelerator programme in July this year. Called BEAUTY&YOU India, the programme invited entrepreneurs in the beauty industry to send in applications that would compete for three prizes worth a sum total of rupees four crore—one for a yet-to-launch brand (IMAGINE); the second for a fledgling, young company looking to expand (GROW); and the third for a brand with the most engaging content (COMMUNITY). Ten finalists were shortlisted from a pool of over 300 entries across the country. They were judged and mentored by experts within the industry, like Katrina Kaif, actor and co-founder, Kay Beauty; Sabyasachi Mukherjee, founder and CEO, Sabyasachi; Nicola Kilner, co-founder and CEO, DECIEM; Deepica Mutyala, founder and CEO, Live Tinted; Anaita Shroff Adajania, CEO, Style Cell; and specialists from The Estée Lauder Companies, NYKAA, Intercos and Sequoia Capital. 

For the IMAGINE category, founders were asked to create something extraordinary. The concepts ranged from breakthrough product innovation to re-imagining centuries-old fragrance traditions to emerging consumer categories such as teen beauty, men’s skincare and digital beauty. The GROW category focused on existing companies. With exciting products or market niches, these companies have developed concepts for under-served communities and pushed innovation across product categories and storytelling. 

The programme is an attempt at making consumers aware of an array of brands and products, allowing them to know more about what’s on offer. We tell you more about the 10 BEAUTY&YOU finalists:

Sonya Khubchandani de Castelbajac wants homegrown fragrance brands to claim meaningful market share. Pictured here: Anchit Nayar, Sonya Khubchandani, Shana Randhava, Katrina Kaif

Sonya Khubchandani de Castelbajac wants homegrown fragrance brands to claim meaningful market share. Pictured here: Anchit Nayar, Sonya Khubchandani, Shana Randhava, Katrina Kaif

The IMAGINE category 

Winner: Bahut Beauty

Sonya Khubchandani de Castelbajac   

While the world fawned over Grasse’s fragrance heritage, Sonya Khubchandani de Castelbajac felt it was time to draw attention to an older, equally rich region of scent in India—Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. “It shocks me that Kannauj’s unique and splendid perfumery tradition remains largely unknown,” she says. Her passion for fragrance led her to win the coveted $75,000 BEAUTY&YOU prize for a brand yet to be launched. Castelbajac’s brand is code-named Deg & Bapka (after the earthen vessel-distillation technique of collecting attar oils in Kannauj). “It ultimately aims, while growing and sharing the brand story, to participate in promoting the Kannauji industry’s patrimony and preservation,” she says. Castelbajac wants homegrown fragrance brands to claim meaningful market share. “Gorgeous scent, visual sophistication, engaging storytelling, and a compelling experience will conquer notions of foreign-made superiority [among consumers]. The question is not when, but how fast.” The brand hopes to be on shelves by next year. 

Finalist: Ira Beauty

Sachi Chaudhary   

Ira Beauty, founded by Sachi Chaudhary, seeks to address geo-specific needs (creating make-up that is cognisant of climatic conditions in India) of the consumer, given the climate crisis in India, along with an element of customisation.

“I stumbled upon a trend report that projected bold moves by beauty brands in the future. I was also reading about climate change, sustainability and customisation in the beauty industry, and that’s what made me come up with the concept for the brand. Moreover, since the COVID-19 pandemic, most people have begun to have more faith in science-backed brands. ”  

Finalist: Saab

Dr Pooja Talera

A shortened form of the everyday word saabun, ‘Saab,’ founded by Dr Pooja Talera, is a line of elevated self-care essentials for daily rituals, under the parent company Kosa. “Being a modern consumer myself, a doctor by training, born in a country known for Ayurveda, naturopathy, integrative medicine and yoga, we intend for the brand to sit at the crossroads of clinical science, Vedic wisdom, Indian culture and modern philosophy, lending it a global appeal,” says Talera. With the burgeoning growth of the wellness industry in India, Talera has identified a gap in the product mix. “We have not been able to offer the same refined curation in body care, oral care and similar essential items, like we have for skin care. While there are several brands pouring in from out of India, there are very few homegrown ones with a global audience. We want to change that,” she shares. 

Samridhi Shoor’s brand House of Krifin aims to allow users to create avatars of themselves through fashion and beauty products in the Metaverse

Samridhi Shoor’s brand House of Krifin aims to allow users to create avatars of themselves through fashion and beauty products in the Metaverse

A shortened form of the everyday word saabun, ‘Saab,’ founded by Dr Pooja Talera, is a line of elevated self-care essentials for daily rituals, under the parent company Kosa

A shortened form of the everyday word saabun, ‘Saab,’ founded by Dr Pooja Talera, is a line of elevated self-care essentials for daily rituals, under the parent company Kosa

Finalist: Neural Hinge

Rahul Bose, Manisha Kohli and Smitaa Srivastava

One of the main grouses with skincare products is its packaging, not only whether it is sustainable (or not) but also its efficacy of delivering active ingredients in their most potent state to the skin. Is a jar better than a pump bottle? How do you package effective vitamin C, that is notoriously unstable? Enter Neural Hinge, who have been in the business of product design and innovation for beauty, F&B and alcobev industries. Their new venture—and entry to Beauty And You—is Lab Fresh, which aims to revolutionise packaging in the beauty industry, going beyond just the aesthetics. “While combining packaging with the right formulation is helpful, we want to expand our scope of work into different innovation categories,” explains co-founder Rahul Bose. The transport and distribution of vaccines across the country even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic led them to consider how game-changing packaging can be—to sustain the efficacy of the product across challenging climates, terrains and modes of transport, while also being accessible, practical and affordable. “Design can be so much more than just shape and form,” says co-founder Manisha Kohli. “It is actually about creating products that make your users feel happy and pampered.”  

Finalist: House of Krifin

Samridhi Shoor

Samridhi Shoor’s brand House of Krifin aims to allow users to create avatars of themselves through fashion and beauty products in the Metaverse. “Growing up, I was a tomboy. I had an inferiority complex, and was never sure if I’d look good in feminine clothing,” says Shoor. All those years later, Shoor has managed to transform these insecurities into a massive playing field. “In the Metaverse, you can be anything you want. The one thing we're able to offer is an absolute 100 per cent form of self- expression. If you don’t feel like being a human, that's fine, be an alien. Identity bars are at a completely different level when you are in the Metaverse.”

Make-up for men isn’t really a category you’d expect unprecedented growth in but that’s exactly what’s happened since Rahul Shah launched Yaan Man

Make-up for men isn’t really a category you’d expect unprecedented growth in but that’s exactly what’s happened since Rahul Shah launched Yaan Man

The COMMUNITY category 

Winner: Yaan Man 

Rahul Shah

Make-up for men isn’t really a category you’d expect unprecedented growth in but that’s exactly what’s happened since Rahul Shah launched Yaan Man. What started off as a skincare line has now evolved into make-up and skincare for men, with a large number of orders and engagement coming in from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. “Yaan originates in the Sanskrit word for ‘vehicle’,” says Shah. “When I started a year-and-a-half ago, it was just one product—a concealer stick. I barely get any orders from Mumbai or New Delhi; most of my orders are from Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Tripura.” Shah has been effective in building a community led, and populated, by men who want to try something new, otherwise considered “taboo” by society. But the anonymity afforded by social media gives consumers the confidence to not just place orders for concealers, tinted moisturisers and foundation, but also engage with like-minded individuals. “When I’m trying to promote make-up through WhatsApp, I get so many men asking about sunscreen and skin issues, and I feel they want to be addressed, but no one’s doing it specifically for them.” His messaging is firmly rooted in men’s skincare and make-up created for them, by them, and modelled by them too. “There’s no point having women talk about concealers, trying to sell them to men; it’s not going to work.”

The GROW category

Winner: Skinvest

Divya Malpani

A youth-centric, brown skin-focussed skincare brand was what Divya Malpani launched in February this year, at the age of 23. Studying in Boston made her observant about the differences in skin concerns that brown-skinned individuals had, largely due to pigmentation. “Skincare, unfortunately, and especially in India, is perceived as a feminine chore, and I wanted to disrupt this notion,” says Malpani. Skinvest also focuses on gender neutrality and mental health advocacy, marketing skincare with images of men using their body cream and talking about skincare as a form of self-love. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, skincare became a coping mechanism for most people across the world. “Everyone cares about what they are putting on their skin,” says Malpani. When Malpani returned home to India, she launched Skinvest after two years. The brand currently has five products—a mineral sunscreen with niacinamide; a body mist that targets pigmentation; a skin tightening cream; an under-eye mousse; and a hair-growth serum for lashes and brows. The range is largely targetted towards a younger, discerning demographic, with pop-coloured packaging, fun names (Bomb Bun Cream) and thorough research into trends and ingredients. 

A youth-centric, brown skin-focussed skincare brand, Skinfest was launched  in February this year by Divya Malpani at the age of 23

A youth-centric, brown skin-focussed skincare brand, Skinfest was launched in February this year by Divya Malpani at the age of 23

Karan Ratti’s brand Melblok was launched in 2016 but relaunched in 2021 to finetune the focus on effective skincare solutions, especially around pigmentation

Karan Ratti’s brand Melblok was launched in 2016 but relaunched in 2021 to finetune the focus on effective skincare solutions, especially around pigmentation

Finalist: Melblok

Karan Ratti     

Karan Ratti’s brand Melblok was launched in 2016 but relaunched in 2021 to finetune the focus on effective skincare solutions, especially around pigmentation. “I’ve come to understand that for a woman, losing skin clarity and brightness because of improper cosmetics, or internal and external damage due to an unhealthy lifestyle, can shatter her confidence. Men are worse off, in my opinion. It’s social conditioning, that a man even thinking about his appearance is questioning his manhood. Yet, internally, men have never been more conscious about their skin than they are today,” shares Ratti. “Melblok makes result-oriented, problem-solving skincare products to help restore skin to its best form. We call it ‘Restorative Skincare’,” says Ratti. “My research on melanin-producing cells allowed me to understand how to deal with India’s major skin issue—pigmentation. I conceptualised the technology to do just that, which I later infused Melblok products with. In fact, the word ‘Melblok’ is a play on ‘melanin’ and ‘block’.” The current range includes gentle face washes and targeted products for day and night skincare, including an under-eye cream and sunscreen.

Infusing Korean and Ayurvedic beauty practices and ingredients, Harveen Bawa launched Amari in a post-pandemic world, inviting its consumers to slow down

Infusing Korean and Ayurvedic beauty practices and ingredients, Harveen Bawa launched Amari in a post-pandemic world, inviting its consumers to slow down

A make-up brand targetting teenagers, Elitty Beauty is co-founded by Pranali Janbandhu

A make-up brand targetting teenagers, Elitty Beauty is co-founded by Pranali Janbandhu

Finalist: Amari 

Harveen Bawa

Infusing Korean and Ayurvedic beauty practices and ingredients, Harveen Bawa launched Amari in a post-pandemic world, inviting its consumers to slow down. From its minimal packaging in muted pastels to the message it attempts to put across, the brand aims to project self-care as not just a beauty routine. From building an inclusive community to trying to improve their efforts at being sustainable, transparent and accountable, Amari has made a mark with just five products—a day cream, night cream, a vitamin C product, a toner to fight pigmentation and an oil-based cleanser. Amari’s mental health initiative includes donations from sales towards organisations promoting mental health awareness across India.  

Finalist: Elitty Beauty

Pranali Janbandhu and Vailina Tulsani

A make-up brand targetting teenagers, Elitty Beauty, in the words of its co-founder Pranali Janbandhu, “is a confidante, a mirror, a friend, a safe space for teens, giving them relevant choices and a sense of ownership to pick their own make-up products”. Metallic pop eyeliners, glossy nail polishes and lip glosses dominate the line-up. What sets the brand apart is the way it engages with its audience. “We’ve been taking continuous feedback from our teen focus group through our branding and product development process,” says Vailina Tulsani, co-founder. “The initial hypothesis was that we were very bullish on one kind of product. We eventually realised that the customer asked for something entirely different, so our underdog product—pop-coloured eyeliner—became our hero product.”

Also Read: Out of the ordinary: How this beauty brand turned into an industry disruptor

Also Read: Ananya Kapur, founder of hybrid beauty brand Type Beauty, lets us in on the journey of its inception

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


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