The beauty and skincare industry has one of the biggest markets in the whole world. In the last few years, there has been a huge uproar in the popularity and requirement for effective skincare and makeup products. Rihanna started her makeup line Fenty Beauty in 2017 and it quickly became the brand everyone was talking about, thanks to its high-quality formulas and an inclusive colour range that caters to many races and skin tones. Later, celebrities like Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez followed suit. Closer to home, Katrina Kaif released her make-up line ‘Kay Beauty’ in 2019 just ahead of the pandemic and found tremendous appreciation for its price-conscious yet exclusive makeup products.
Beauty Brands Owned by Indian Celebrities
Today, celebrities are working hard to make sure you can get their look without breaking the bank on a whole army of make-up artists and wellness experts. So, we rounded up the ones that are worth mentioning. Here are a few Indian celebrities who created brands that are more than just their star identity.
Kay Beauty by Katrina Kaif
When Katrina Kaif announced what would be the first make-up brand for a Bollywood celebrity of her stature, the hype, as one can imagine, was wild. It launched in 2019 with a campaign crafted with Zoya Akhtar that captured the message of the brand, #ItsKayToBeYou. While quality, pigment and packaging are all important elements, the actor sought to make her products nourishing and wanted them to feel as good as they looked. The aesthetic of the brand—minimalist with the ‘your skin but better’ approach—established itself rather quickly through social media marketing.
Keeping in line with the move towards clean beauty, Kay Beauty make-up is cruelty-free, vegan and paraben-free. Kay Beauty also stands out with its range of shades, with a far more inclusive range for all its products than the offerings of its competitors for Indian skin tones. And, in a marketing masterstroke, its Instagram page isn’t flooded with pictures of Katrina Kaif. Instead, the brand gives a platform to creators from across the gender and sexuality spectrums, all of which represent different skin types, tones, and problems; a step in the right direction towards inclusivity.
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Manish Malhotra Beauty with MyGlamm
A glance at Manish Malhotra’s make-up line and you’d know exactly what you’re in for—it’s couture, it’s luxury, and it’s sexy. The packaging is sleek, making the products something that would look good on any vanity table. As one of India’s top designers, Malhotra knows better than anyone what it takes to get that glam look. The colours of the brand have the depth and richness that one finds on the designer’s runways. It’s make-up that seeks to make you shine. And it’s no surprise that glitter is very elemental to the brand.
After releasing his second edition, the Celebration Edit, Manish teamed up with MyGlamm again to release a “luxe artisanal skincare line”. The best base for any make-up is healthy skin, which is why the newly launched line fits right into his brand. It champions cultural traditions and ‘Mother Nature’ as foundational to skincare. Generations of family secrets and beauty tips were channelised into a luxurious range of products, while also focusing on uplifting the local. Therefore the brand sources its ingredients from Himachal Pradesh.
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Anomaly Haircare by Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Taking care of yourself can be sustainable, and that is exactly what Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ brand, Anomaly (available only at Target outlets in the US at the moment), wants to do with haircare. Yes, the promise is of formulas that will make your hair healthy, silky, and vibrant. But the promise doesn’t end here—the brand is committed to being environmentally friendly, as well, thus appealing to the growing number of consumers who are constantly looking for products that align with their personal philosophies.
The packaging—which was kept simple and hence is less wasteful—is made of plastic trash. The range is paraben and sulphate-free, vegan and cruelty-free. All this and its affordability, is bridging the disparity in access to clean beauty.
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BrownSkin Beauty by Anusha Dandekar
During the pandemic, the Internet was embroiled in conversations about racism and colourism. Amid these, TV presenter Anusha Dandekar launched her skincare brand, BrownSkin Beauty, to celebrate all the skin tones across the world. With #WhateverYourBrownItsBeautiful, Dandekar launched one of the few brands that focus on making skin healthier, not fairer. Having been vocal about her own experiences with racism, Dandekar’s BrownSkin Beauty was established with a clear purpose: to help people embrace their differences. Her approach is refreshing as well—from doing photo shoots for the brand without make-up to the Beyond Brown Skin Foundation for underprivileged girls, she proves that there is purpose to beauty.
Arias by Lara Dutta
Inspired by her work and years of experiences as an actor and pageant queen, former Miss Universe Lara Dutta launched an affordable skincare line for the modern way of life. Designed to make skincare routines simple and effortless, Arias is vegetarian and cruelty and paraben-free. Lara launched the brand in collaboration with dermatologist Dr Geetanjali Shetty and Scentials Beauty Care and Wellness. The products were formulated with ingredients like Matcha, Pomegranate and Neem to enhance your skin’s natural beauty.
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Star Struck by Sunny Leone
Cruelty-free and PETA-certified, Sunny Leone’s vegan make-up line, Star Struck, is a brand that perfectly resonated with the star—its bestsellers are lip products in the shade ‘Baby Doll’, named after her hit song. Being cruelty-free and staying true to her vision is key for Sunny, for whom make-up is an essential part of daily life. Launched in 2018, the brand expanded from lip products to concealers, mascaras, colour correctors and more.
Indian Celebrity Beauty Collaborations
While there aren’t too many Indian celebrity beauty brands, there have been several collaborations with make-up brands. The Masaba x Nykaa collection of lipsticks and nail colours had the designer’s signature bright colours and fun. In 2019, Disha Patani curated a special collection with M.A.C, choosing three of its iconic lipsticks—Twiggy, Ruby Woo and Flat Out Fabulous. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Lakmé came out with a collection that represented “the different shades of Bebo”—glamorous, edgy and chic.
Given the global trend of celebrities diversifying their projects, we’re eagerly waiting for more Indian celebrities to enter the beauty space and give us our next must-haves of the decade.
