MAM
Ad spend rises 20 % in China
MUMBAI: Advertising spend in China rose 20 per cent in the first half of the year to $17.7 billion. Companies like Procter & Gamble Co were responsible for the rise.
A report from Nielsen Media Research found that advertising targeting men was the fastest growing category, with spending on ads for men’s cosmetics increasing by 64 per cent, and spending on men’s fashions and accessories rising by 75 per cent.
About 80 per cent of ad spending in the first half of the year went to TV, while newspapers accounted for most of the rest
Media reports state that by comparison, spending on women’s cosmetics ads rose just 14 per cent, while spending on women’s fashion and accessory ads fell by 51 per cent.
The pharmaceutical industry was the biggest ad buyer in the first half of the year with 30 billion yuan in spending, followed by cosmetics and personal care products at 27.5 billion yuan.
P&G was one of the biggest advertisers in the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou markets, with its Olay brand of skin care products, Rejoice shampoo and Crest toothpaste among the top 10 brands in all three markets.
Colgate-Palmolive’s Colgate toothpaste, an arch rival of Crest, was among the top 10 advertisers in two of the three markets, as were P&G’s Pantene shampoo and fast food giant McDonald’s.
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
