MAM
Women’s Day 2026: The women rewriting India’s beauty economy through science, trust and innovation
Science, trust and innovation drive transformation led by female entrepreneurs.
MUMBAI: The Indian beauty and wellness industry is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in decades. Once dominated by aspirational advertising and celebrity endorsements, the sector is now evolving into a far more complex ecosystem driven by science, credibility, ethics, and consumer awareness.
Today’s beauty consumer is no longer passive. They read ingredient labels, question exaggerated marketing claims, and seek expert backed guidance before investing in products or treatments. As a result, brands are being pushed to move beyond aesthetic storytelling toward deeper credibility.
Interestingly, many of the leaders driving this transformation are women.
Across skincare science, luxury product manufacturing, brand experience design, and aesthetic medicine, women entrepreneurs and experts are redefining how beauty businesses are built in India. Their approach reflects a broader shift within the industry where authority is increasingly earned through expertise, transparency, and responsible communication rather than traditional advertising narratives.
In many ways, the beauty industry is moving from a marketing economy to a trust economy.
One example of this shift can be seen in the rise of Indian luxury personal care brands that are competing globally through product quality, sustainability, and storytelling rooted in authenticity.
At Kimirica, a luxury bath and body care brand present across thousands of international hotels, Co-founder and Head of Brand Experience Kimi Jain has played a key role in shaping how the brand communicates with modern consumers.
For her, brand building is no longer about simply selling products but about creating emotional and sensory experiences that reflect deeper values.
“Women are rebuilding today’s workplace in ways that make us rethink power, authority, and leadership,” she says.
Within Kimirica, women represent a significant portion of the workforce across formulation, manufacturing, brand, and retail teams. This diversity of perspectives influences not just product development but also how the brand interacts with consumers.
As she explains, the presence of different voices within leadership structures naturally leads to decision making that is more thoughtful, balanced, and inclusive.
In an industry where brand narratives are often shaped by perception, the credibility of those narratives increasingly depends on what happens behind the scenes.
That is where operational leadership becomes equally important.
Rica Jain, Co-founder and Head of Quality Assurance, Systems and Process Optimization at Kimirica, approaches the beauty industry through the lens of scientific rigor and manufacturing precision. With a background in medicinal chemistry, she oversees formulation testing, quality control, and product integrity across the company’s growing portfolio.
“When you master your craft, confidence follows naturally,” she says.
For Rica, leadership in manufacturing is about consistency and expertise. Every ingredient, formulation, and production process must meet high standards before it reaches consumers.
This emphasis on technical depth reflects a broader evolution within the beauty industry. Consumers today expect brands to demonstrate scientific credibility rather than rely solely on marketing language.
In many ways, product integrity has become the most powerful form of storytelling.
This increasing demand for science backed skincare is also shaping a new generation of Indian beauty entrepreneurs who are challenging conventional industry narratives.
Rachna Bahadur, Founder of precision skincare brand Flout, entered the beauty sector after a successful career as a Partner at Bain & Company. Her transition into entrepreneurship was driven by a realization that the global skincare industry had overlooked the unique biological realities of Indian skin.
Indian skin, she explains, is often melanin rich, more prone to hyperpigmentation, and exposed to high environmental stress. Yet many international skincare brands design products primarily for Western skin profiles.
At the same time, several domestic beauty brands rely heavily on traditional or “natural” positioning without rigorous clinical validation.
Flout was created to bridge that gap.
Under Bahadur’s leadership, every product undergoes in vivo clinical trials conducted specifically on Indian women aged between 35 and 60. The brand combines dermatologist grading, instrumentation testing, and high-resolution imaging to evaluate results.
This scientific approach also brings attention to an often-overlooked conversation within the beauty industry: the impact of hormonal transitions such as perimenopause and menopause on long term skin health.
By addressing these biological realities openly, Bahadur is contributing to a shift away from outdated “anti-ageing” narratives toward a more empowering and evidence-based understanding of skin longevity.
The intersection of science, wellness, and beauty is also reshaping the field of aesthetic medicine.
In recent years, the popularity of cosmetic treatments has grown rapidly in India, driven in part by social media trends and the increasing visibility of aesthetic procedures. However, this rise has also created new conversations around ethics, patient education, and responsible treatment practices.
Dr. Aisshwarya Panddit, Celebrity Cosmetic Doctor and Founder of AuraEdge Aesthetic and Wellness, represents a new generation of aesthetic physicians advocating a more medically grounded approach to beauty.
Widely recognised as “Doctor Beautiful,” she has built her practice around consultation led care, preventive aesthetics, and subtle enhancements that prioritise long term skin health.
“Aesthetic medicine should enhance confidence, not replace identity,” she says. “Responsible storytelling in beauty begins with honesty about what treatments can and cannot do.”
Her philosophy stands in contrast to the exaggerated cosmetic trends often amplified through social media filters and viral beauty culture.
Instead, she champions facial harmonisation, micro dosing techniques, regenerative treatments, and collagen preservation strategies that focus on maintaining skin quality rather than dramatically altering appearance.
Increasingly, this approach resonates with younger audiences who are moving away from unrealistic beauty ideals and toward authenticity.
Together, these diverse leadership perspectives reveal a deeper shift within India’s beauty ecosystem.
The industry is no longer defined solely by advertising campaigns or celebrity endorsements. It is being shaped by entrepreneurs, scientists, and medical professionals who are building brands rooted in expertise, research, and responsibility.
On this International Women’s Day, the stories of leaders like Kimi Jain, Rica Jain, Rachna Bahadur, and Dr. Aisshwarya Panddit highlight how women are not only participating in India’s beauty industry but actively redefining its future.
They are building companies where creativity is balanced with credibility, where storytelling is backed by science, and where leadership reflects a deeper understanding of consumer trust.
In doing so, they are helping shape a new beauty economy for India.
One where confidence is not manufactured through advertising.
It is built through knowledge, integrity, and authenticity.
MAM
Lakmé launches SPF infused makeup range with ‘I Earned It’ campaign
Lakmé 9to5 Hya Beach Edit blends sun protection, hydration and colour.
MUMBAI: If the Indian summer insists on turning up the heat, beauty brands are learning to keep their cool. Lakmé has unveiled a new campaign titled “I Earned It” to introduce the Lakmé 9to5 Hya Beach Edit, its first makeup range infused with SPF. The campaign features brand ambassador Aneet Padda and positions the collection as a blend of sun protection, skincare and long wear colour designed for India’s hot and humid climate.
Part of the Lakmé 9to5 portfolio, the new range expands the brand’s long running narrative around the confident working Indian woman. With the “I Earned It” message, the campaign shifts the focus slightly, celebrating not just ambition but also the idea that downtime and personal moments are equally deserved.
The campaign film follows a modern professional navigating a day that moves effortlessly between work calls, coffee runs and evening plans, reflecting the fast paced routine of urban life where indoor polish often meets outdoor exposure to the sun.
Hindustan Unilever Limited chief marketing officer for beauty and wellbeing Sunanda Khaitan said the product was developed with India’s climate and lifestyle in mind. “Living in a country with high sun exposure made us rethink what long wear beauty should deliver. With the Lakmé 9to5 Hya Beach Edit we are bringing together sun protection, hydration and high performance colour in a single step,” she said.
The new range is formulated with SPF and powered by hyaluronic acid, a skincare ingredient widely used for hydration. According to the brand, the products are designed to remain intact in heat and humidity with sweat proof, transfer proof and water proof formulas.
The aim is to merge skincare benefits with cosmetic performance, offering lightweight finishes that stay fresh even during long days outdoors.
Padda said the campaign resonated with her own routine of balancing work and personal time. “‘I Earned It’ is a reminder to celebrate yourself without guilt and enjoy the moments you have worked hard for. The campaign reflects that spirit with makeup that feels fresh, effortless and designed for real life,” she said.
The campaign was developed by Ogilvy, where creative leaders Mihir Chanchani and Zenobia Pithawalla described the concept as reflecting a Gen Z mindset that embraces both hustle and leisure.
The Lakmé 9to5 Hya Beach Edit collection is now available on the brand’s official website, major online marketplaces and retail stores across India.
