e-commerce
Flipkart unveils annual beauty trends report with NielsenIQ at Glam Up Fest 2025
Mumbai: Flipkart’s beauty game just hit glow mode. At its flagship Glam Up Fest 2025, the homegrown e-commerce giant joined hands with NielsenIQ to unveil its first-ever Glam Up Annual Beauty Trends Report — a sizzling dossier on what’s hot, what’s viral, and what’s flying off carts in the beauty aisles.
The numbers are blinding. Five beauty products sold every second, over 148 million items purchased in 2024, and premium beauty growing at 70 per cent year-on-year. India’s online beauty obsession has officially entered its golden age — and Gen Z is running the show.
“The beauty landscape in India is in the midst of a vibrant transformation, and no one is driving it more than GenZs. Their evolving preferences, digital fluency, and expressive approach to beauty are reshaping the industry as we know It,” quipped Flipkart head of business (Cleartrip, FMCG, general merchandise) Manjari Singhal. “At Flipkart, we’ve always believed in staying close to the consumer. The Glam Up Trends Report is a reflection of that belief, an effort to listen, understand, and anticipate what beauty means to the next generation. This report is the result of a deep, collaborative effort between Flipkart and NielsenIQ teams.”
Here are sone of the key findings of the report:
* Skinimalism is the new glam: Sales of gel moisturisers shot up 120 per cent, serums by 80 per cent, and face washes cleaned up with a 123 per cent rise. Active ingredients like niacinamide, salicylic acid, and vitamin C are skincare royalty.
* Slugging, glazing, and SPF-ing: Sun protection is now a religion. Sunscreen sales have doubled; SPF product searches soared 76 per cent. Hydration-led rituals are here to stay.
* K-Beauty craze goes full K-drama: Snail mucin, hydrating essences, and sheet masks clocked 90 per cent YoY growth. Searches for Korean skincare grew 81 per cent. Seoul clearly has India’s skincare vote.
* Fragrance goes full ‘scent-sational’: Perfume isn’t just a splash; it’s a statement. Sales doubled, attars surged 2.5x, and gourmand notes (think marshmallow and brown sugar) are ruling scent playlists.
* Hair’s having its serum moment: Goodbye champi, hello peptides. Flipkart saw 2x growth in hair serums and an 85 per cent spike in scalp care. Haircare is now high-performance skincare in disguise.
* Cherry Cherry Lady and Surma surge: Glossy lips, barrier-friendly blush, and hybrid makeup formats are hot picks. Searches for Surma-inspired looks skyrocketed 33x, proving culture and colour can coexist.
* Beauty by geography: From Delhi’s dust to Kerala’s humidity, Flipkart is going hyper-local with assortments tailored to regional skin and hair woes.
Flipkart’s bet? Beauty is Gen Z-led, creator-powered, science-fuelled — and only just getting started.
Flipkart senior director research and insights Priyanka Bhargav, said: “Beauty today is bold, expressive, and constantly evolving and no one captures that spirit quite like Gen Z. Whether it’s their focus on skin health, passion for active ingredients, love for nostalgic aesthetics, or embrace of hybrid formats, they’re redefining the beauty playbook. The Glam Up Trends Report helps decode this dynamic shift. With rich data, real consumer voices, and cultural context, it highlights what’s truly resonating. Trends like Hydration Daze, Scientific Obsession, kiSKIN, and Cherry Cherry Lady go beyond surface appeal, they reflect how young India is engaging with beauty in deeper, more expressive ways. This report is the result of a thoughtful collaboration between the Flipkart Insights Team, the beauty and personal Care team, and our intelligence partner, NielsenIQ. We hope it sparks fresh thinking, challenges conventions, and inspires the next wave of beauty innovation.”
Flipkart’s Glam Up Report isn’t just a data drop — it’s a blueprint for beauty’s next billion. With a marketplace of over 1.4 million sellers, 500 million+ users, and innovations like UPI, no-cost EMI and easy returns, the platform is blending global trends with Indian needs at scale.
As Kartheek Kanumuru, Sakait Choudhary, Priyanka Bhargav and Manjari Singhal unveiled the report, one thing was clear: Flipkart is no longer just delivering products — it’s delivering beauty revolutions in a box.
Glam up, log on, and swipe right on that serum.
(Pictured above: Left to Right: Sakait Choudhary, Priyanka Bhargav, Manjari Singhal, Kartheek Kanumuru at Flipkart Glam Up 2025)
e-commerce
Flipkart rolls out 105 per cent bonus for 20,000 employees
Strong FY25 performance drives payouts even as layoffs and shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: In a year where belts were tightened and rewards loosened, Flipkart seems to be playing both offence and defence trimming roles on one hand while handing out a generous 105 per cent bonus on the other. The Walmart owned e commerce major has rolled out a 105 per cent bonus payout for 2025, covering nearly 20,000 employees, signalling a year of steady operational momentum even as the company navigates restructuring pressures. The payout, communicated internally by chief human resources officer Seema Nair, is tied to performance across key metrics including growth, operational efficiency, financial outcomes and people indicators, a combination that suggests the company is inching closer to its long stated goal of sustainable profitability.
Employees at SD level and below are set to receive their bonuses in March, while payouts for senior leadership, including vice presidents and senior vice presidents, will follow after the close of the performance cycle. The elevated 105 per cent multiplier stands out in a sector where cautious payouts have increasingly become the norm, pointing to what appears to be a relatively strong internal scorecard for FY25.
Yet, the announcement arrives with a noticeable contrast. Earlier this year, Flipkart reduced its workforce by around 300 roles as part of its annual performance review process. While officially framed as performance driven, the juxtaposition of layoffs alongside above target bonuses reflects a more nuanced balancing act, one that prioritises cost discipline while continuing to reward and retain high performing talent.
This dual approach is becoming increasingly common across the technology and e commerce landscape, where companies are navigating an uneven hiring environment while under pressure to deliver profitability. Rewarding top contributors, even amid selective workforce reductions, allows firms to maintain morale and retain critical talent without losing sight of financial prudence.
At the same time, Flipkart is also undergoing leadership shifts that hint at a broader strategic recalibration. Nishant Verman has been appointed senior vice president for corporate development and partnerships, while group chief financial officer Sriram Venkataraman is set to step down. Ravi Iyer will take on expanded responsibilities within the finance function, marking a reshuffle at the top as the company gears up for its next phase.
These changes come amid reports that Flipkart is planning to shift its holding structure back to India, a move widely interpreted as groundwork for a potential public listing. While timelines remain fluid, the combination of stronger financial discipline, leadership restructuring and employee incentivisation suggests a company preparing itself for greater scrutiny and scale.
For employees, the 105 per cent payout offers a welcome boost in what has otherwise been a period of adjustment. For Flipkart, it is a signal that even as it cuts where necessary, it is willing to spend where it counts. In the high stakes game of growth versus profitability, the company appears to be hedging its bets carefully, rewarding performance while reshaping itself for what could be its most defining chapter yet.
