Pearl Nimbalkar, 25, a fashion blogger based in Mumbai, spends up to 12,000 rupees (Dh680) a month on make-up.
“I’m a beauty addict,” she says. “Make-up shopping goes right to the top of my list.”
Ms Nimbalkar says there seems to be an ever-growing range of products available in India. She buys both international and Indian brands. Lipsticks are the cosmetic goods she buys most frequently, followed by foundation and eyeliner.
“As long as it looks good on me then I shall be their loyal customer until I find a better [product],” Ms Nimbalkar says. MAC, a cosmetics firm headquartered in New York and controlled by Esteé Lauder, and ColorBar – an Indian cosmetics company – are two of her favourite brands.
The cosmetics and beauty products industry is on the rise in India, driven by a growing middle class, changing lifestyles and a surge in availability and promotion of such goods. Both Indian and international brands are looking to tap this market that experts say has enormous potential for further growth. Global names including Clarins, Revlon, and L’Oréal are among those with a major presence in India.
Sales of beauty products in India are expected to rise to 397 billion rupees in 2017 compared to 250bn rupees in 2014, according to a report by KPMG and the National Skill Development Corporation.
“The rise in consumer awareness and changing lifestyles of the population is leading to the growth of colour cosmetics in India,” according to MarketsandMarkets, a market research firm. “The increasing consumer spending in colour cosmetics, innovation of new products, rise in conscience about appearance, growing beauty and personal care industry, technological advancement in colour cosmetics, and rise in demand for cosmetics due to age-related imperfections are a few of the drivers of this market.”
Arvind RP, the vice president and head of marketing and product retail at Kaya India, says that Indians are “now constantly on a quest to improve appearances”. Kaya has skin clinics across India and the Middle East and sells a range of skin and hair care products.
“We believe this trend has been influenced by increased international exposure because the new age Indian is well-travelled, consumes more information on the go and has higher disposable income,” he says. “While traditionally women have naturally been inclined towards being conscious about looks, men have also contributed to the growth of the market. The Indian consumer has a more active lifestyle than earlier. In line with this lifestyle trend, we see a lot of consumers investing in preventive and curative services to look and feel younger.”
Lakmé was India’s first domestic make-up brand and is the largest home-grown company in the segment. It was named after the eponymous French opera, the title of which was derived from Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. The cosmetics company was founded in 1952 after the prime minister at the time, Jawaharlal Nehru, asked the industrialist JRD Tata to start making beauty products in India because Indian women were spending heavily on foreign cosmetics. The brand is now owned by Hindustan Unilever.
“Lakmé’s success in India despite increased competitive intensity has been due to the multi-pronged approach of the brand,” says Hindustan Unilever.
This approach includes manufacturing products that are specially crafted for Indian skin, for example in terms if the colour tones that are better suited to Indian complexions.
It also says that its “wide range of products that span across categories and the price pyramid” help to generate strong business, as well as having a wide network of sales points.
“Consistent investment behind the brand” and its title sponsorship of Lakmé Fashion Week, a biennial fashion show in Mumbai, one of the biggest such events in India, are other factors that boost the company’s profile, according to Hindustan Unilever. The Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor is the brand ambassador for Lakmé.
With Bollywood having a major influence over consumers, many companies opt to promote their products by getting actors and actresses on board to endorse them.
Emami, which is based in Kolkata, has Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan promoting its products. Emami signed up Khan to endorse its Fair and Handsome brand, a skin fairness cream for men. Skin lightening creams are popular in India, with fairness being widely considered more attractive in the country. Between 30 and 35 per cent of users of skin fairness creams in India are men, according to Emami.
But Indian cosmetics manufacturers have been negatively affected by the entry of global names, says Chytra V Anand, the chief executive and consultant cosmetic dermatologist at Kosmoderma Clinics, an Indian skin, hair and laser clinic with branches in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.
“As Indians still have a penchant for imported products, this feel has translated into better sales for foreign companies helping them break even faster,” say Dr Anand. “Slowly though this mentality is changing and people are looking for quality. The impact has been good as it has made the local companies invest in quality and control and research.”
Meanwhile, foreign companies are increasingly focusing on expanding in India.
L’Oréal is aiming at becoming a $1 billion company in India by 2020 and plans to make India one of its top five markets over the next few years.
“Men’s grooming and skin care is booming, and we expect fast growth in this category to continue in the next decade,” Jean-Christophe Letellier, the managing director of L’Oréal India told the Press Trust of India.
“We hold a small per cent of the market share. We have a lot of work ahead of us to increase penetration.”
L’Oréal has also invested heavily in its research and development activities in India.
“India is one of five hubs globally where we conduct research,” says Mr Letellier. “Besides the unit in Pune, we have set up a manufacturing unit in Himachal Pradesh in 2013 for hair colour.”
Shrutidhar Paliwal, the vice president and head of corporate communications and affairs at Aptech, an education and training company based in Mumbai which has teamed up with Lakmé to provide beauty training courses to Indians, explains that the sector is actually “one of the fastest-growing providers of job opportunities” in India.
Employment in the beauty sector in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20 per cent between 2013 and 2022, according to the report by KPMG and the National Skill Development Corporation.
“Beauty and grooming is among the most lucrative and glamorous career opportunities for young people,” Mr Paliwal says.
The rural Indian market presents a huge opportunity for growth for cosmetics companies.
The “use of beauty and personal care products is no longer limited to urban India”, Euromonitor says. “Awareness of such products has strongly increased due to television commercials, celebrity endorsements, social media campaigns and print media.”
Another driving factor of rising spending on cosmetics is the increasing popularity of premium brands, according to Euromonitor.
“The growth of premium brands in India can be attributed to higher disposable incomes among urban consumers, which allowed them to spend their discretionary incomes on premium product,” it says.
Sagarika Dutta, 26, a public relations professional based in New Delhi, says that she is happy to pay more for an upmarket makeup brand, with MAC being her favourite.
“It’s a bit expensive but then it’s ‘the brand’.” she says. “I have always been very particular about buying beauty and make-up products since new brands are cropping up all the time, let they be foreign brands or Indian brands.”
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Muguruza's singles career in stats
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)
Wins / losses 293 / 149
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
liverpool youngsters
Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
Herbie Kane
Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.
Luis Longstaff
Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Yasser Larouci
An 18-year-old Algerian-born winger who can also play as a left-back, Larouci did well on Liverpool’s pre-season tour until an awful tackle by a Sevilla player injured him.
Adam Lewis
Steven Gerrard is a fan of his fellow Scouser, who has been on Liverpool’s books since he was in the Under-6s, Lewis was a midfielder, but has been converted into a left-back.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
HOW TO WATCH
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
