World Data Lab’s Post

Growth in numbers, but at what cost and for whom? While global beauty brands eye India as a growing market the deeper story remains one of aspiration, access, and whose definition of beauty wins. I break it down in my latest blog: https://lnkd.in/dmYKZsmG

For years, global brands looked to India. Now, India’s beauty brands are looking outward. Kay Beauty’s debut at Space NK (UK) marks a turning point — from market taker to market maker. This move signals a bigger story: Indian beauty is ready to compete globally, blending performance, inclusivity, and cultural edge in ways that resonate far beyond home. 💡 The next wave of global beauty? It has an Indian accent. #SANDABrands #GlobalBeauty #IndianBeauty #BeautyExpansion #BeautyIntelligence #KayBeauty #BeautyStrategy #BrandSourcing #MadeInIndia #BeautyInnovation

💄 India’s Beauty Market: $35bn and rising India is now the world’s 6th largest Beauty and Personal Care (BPC) market, set to reach $35bn in 2028. The topline is impressive, but the real story lies in how consumers are changing—especially at the premium and luxury end. Gen Z is leading the charge: 21% use beauty products daily, and 79% spend 15+ minutes on routines. Social media and celebrity-led skincare are fuelling aspiration, while tier-2 and tier-3 cities are scaling demand as fast as metros. And while India is the fastest-growing online beauty market globally, the offline channel is still critical. 70% of first-time luxury buys are in-store. Nykaa has 200 stores with plans to double by FY30, while Sephora’s tie-up with Reliance is expanding reach. For premium players, consultation, trust and cultural fluency remain the differentiators. This is India’s beauty boom. The winners will be those who include localised shades, climate-fit formulations, omnichannel scale, and strong retail partnerships in their playbooks. We dig deeper into this in our weekly newsletter, but here’s what else made moves:  1️⃣ Diamond jewellery premiumises, with branded share under 10% as lab-grown gains traction. 2️⃣ Designer Rahul Mishra launches Aatman retreat in Uttarakhand, taking couture into luxury hospitality. 3️⃣ Festive boom in India's tier-2 and 3 cities sees discretionary spending outpace metropolitan cities. 4️⃣ Beyond luxury: US hikes H-1B fees and Nothing smartphones aim to make India its biggest market. 🚀 Get the full story in your inbox, every week. Subscribe to IndLux’s newsletter: www.indlux.co #Luxury #Diamond #Beauty #Retail #IndLux #IndianMarket #Luxury #MarketInsights

In 2025, one clear sign of India’s rising soft power is showing up on billboards across the world. For the first time, global luxury houses are choosing Indians as their global ambassadors: Ananya Pandey → Chanel KL Rahul → Paul & Shark Ishan Khatter → Boss Ranveer Singh → Tiffany & Co Sonam Kapoor → Dior This isn’t about “India-only” campaigns. These are the global faces of billion-dollar brands. Why now? The numbers tell the story. In 2024, the global luxury market barely grew at 2.8%. China even shrank by 18%. US and Europe weren’t much better. Meanwhile, India’s luxury market surged 33% to $18B and is projected to keep that momentum till 2030. Three big drivers: - Fastest-growing pool of HNIs and UHNIs in the world - A booming young middle class with rising aspirations - Global diaspora that sent home $135B in remittances in FY25 Looking ahead, India will add nearly 20% of global GDP growth by 2030. Close to 100 million households will rise into the middle and affluent classes. No wonder brands are pivoting. At a time when American consumers are seen as a risk (tariffs, protectionism), Indian consumers are emerging as the biggest engine of growth. Hence no wonder that the world’s luxury story now has an Indian face. And all roads to the next billion for these brands lead to India.

I recently came across the Wild Stone CODE Luxury Oud Gift Set - Regal, Glory, and Imperial - and what stood out to me was how sharply it’s positioned. The narrative “Choose The Extraordinary” isn’t just advertising; it’s signalling a cultural shift. For years, luxury in India was defined by what we imported. Today, we’re seeing brands create luxury that feels homegrown, bold, and world-class. This isn’t just about a fragrance - it’s about how Indian consumers evaluate brands differently, and how homegrown players are stepping up to lead that conversation. As a marketer, I find this particularly insightful for where the next wave of growth can be unlocked. It’s a reminder that Indian brands don’t have to follow global cues - they have the power to set new ones, even redefine the algorithm altogether. #LuxuryBrands #ConsumerTrends

Day 9 – Premiumization Premiumization is Indians trading up. ✔️From hatchbacks to SUVs. ✔️From mass skincare to premium cosmetics. ✔️From budget hotels to luxury stays. Why this theme will work:- 🔹 Affluence wave: India is expected to cross 6 million millionaires by 2030 (Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report). Rising disposable incomes are reshaping consumption patterns. 🔹 Automobiles: SUV penetration in India has surged from ~18% in FY15 to over 50% in FY25. OEMs (Maruti, Tata, M&M) earn higher margins on SUVs, making this shift structurally positive. 🔹 Luxury retail boom: India’s luxury market grew 30–32% in 2023 (Bain & Co). Categories driving growth include watches, jewellery, high-end apparel, and skincare. Titan’s jewelry division and Ethos’ premium watch retail are direct beneficiaries. 🔹 Tier 2/3 consumption: Platforms like Nykaa Luxe and Tata Cliq Luxury are expanding premium brand access beyond metros. A new aspirational consumer base is driving uptrading. 🔹 Hospitality & experiences: Premium stays and fine dining are on the rise. IHCL reported record occupancies and ARRs (average room rates) across its luxury portfolio (Taj, SeleQtions). Experiential spend is becoming as important as physical luxury. Companies to study: KDDL (watch dials, luxury retail supplier), Ethos (premium watches), Titan (jewellery & watches), Trent & ABFRL (apparel), IHCL (hospitality). Bottom line: Premiumization is not a passing trend. It’s a structural consumption shift powered by rising affluence, changing aspirations, and wider accessibility. . Who says finance has to be boring and complex? I talk money, books and investing- sometimes all at once. Stay tuned (Neel Randeria) if you’re into the fun side of finance! #finance #linkedin #investing

Was making India win a strategic move by global beauty brands? • 1991 → India opens its economy. Beauty market = tiny, ~$500M and mostly unorganized. • 1994 → Sushmita Sen (Miss Universe) & Aishwarya Rai (Miss World). India suddenly becomes the “new beauty capital.” Revlon (first global cosmetic giant) officially enters India the same year. • 1997–1999 → Diana Hayden & Yukta Mookhey win Miss World. → Maybelline New York & Lakme (then under Tata) begin aggressive campaigns in urban India. • 2000 → Historic sweep: Lara Dutta (Miss Universe), Priyanka Chopra (Miss World), Dia Mirza (Miss Asia Pacific). → That decade: L'Oréal signs Aishwarya Rai globally,MAC & Estée Lauder enter India. • Impact: In <10 years, India’s beauty market jumps from ~$500M → $2.5–3B (2001). Global players capture 20–40% of the organized, aspirational segment. Conclusion (the then vs now): India’s beauty market today is worth $15–20B and growing at double digits. Global brands that rode the pageant wave — L'Oréal , Maybelline New York, Revlon ,Estée Lauder — now command multi-billion-dollar shares of this market and continue to set the tone for premium beauty in India. #casestudies #beauty #strategy #marketing #product

A European luxury interior firm asked me this a few weeks ago: “If we skip China and Middle East for now, can we launch first in India and still be global?” Five years ago, I would’ve said, too risky. In 2025, it’s not only possible; it’s smart. At CTRLA India, we’re seeing this play out way beyond luxury. Wellness, F&B, beauty, tech founders, everyone is rewriting their India plan because the country isn’t just another market anymore. It’s where the brief starts. Think about it: • Tier 2 and 3 cities are not “next”; they’re now. • A $100B+ wedding economy makes couture and jewelry a year-round growth engine. • Craft, food, design and digital communities are creating trends that travel globally. But here’s what’s interesting: This isn’t about opening more stores or dropping more ads. It’s about belonging. We’re helping brands: • Build launches that feel like cultural moments, not press events. • Use micro-communities (from beauty circles to fitness collectives) as real growth engines. • Turn local craftsmanship and storytelling into global equity; ( think Christian Dior Couture’s Chanakya collaboration or an Indian wellness brand exporting Ayurveda as lifestyle) For some of our clients, that means a slow-burn #luxury debut built around artisanship. For others, like a fast-scaling food brand, it means rethinking festivals and local rituals as 365-day engagement, not seasonal spikes. The brands winning here aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones patient enough to earn India and smart enough to design their #PR and #brandstrategy around that. India isn’t a stop on the #global tour anymore. It’s the headline act. What’s the most interesting India-first brand move you’ve spotted recently? I’m collecting examples; drop yours. #India2025 #BrandStrategy #CtrlAIndia #CulturalStrategy #GlobalLuxury #EmergingMarkets #Storytelling #PublicRelations

At DUSALA INDIA, we’ve always believed luxury is not about price tags, it’s about preserving something rare in a world that moves too fast. Yet, as we expand into new geographies and digital platforms, we’ve faced questions that test our very identity: 🔹 How do we scale while staying sustainable? 🔹 How do we enter global retail chains without losing the intimacy of handcrafted stories? 🔹 How do we meet the demands of fast-moving markets without rushing the weavers who work at their own rhythm? These aren’t just business dilemmas. They are value dilemmas. The truth is, every piece we create carries invisible costs: — The cost of saying no to mass production. — The cost of giving artisans weeks, not hours, to weave. — The cost of training our teams to choose long-term trust over short-term sales. And yet, every time a customer writes to us saying, “This shawl feels alive in my hands,” we know the cost is worth it. Growth is no longer about chasing volume. It’s about: ✔️ Building ecosystems where artisans thrive alongside algorithms. ✔️ Finding buyers who don’t just want to wear fashion, but want to wear values. ✔️ Creating products that can be passed down, not discarded. We are not just scaling a brand. We are scaling a belief: that Indian craftsmanship can lead global conversations around conscious luxury. To our community, thank you for walking with us through every milestone, challenge, and breakthrough. Together, we’re proving that timeless elegance can still have a place in a fast-fashion world. #DusalaIndia #SustainableLuxury #SlowFashionMovement #GlobalCraftsmanship #LuxuryWithPurpose #ConsciousConsumer

India is one of the largest consumer economies in the world. Over the last decade, India has witnessed a significant surge in new-age D2C brands, primarily driven by high internet penetration, a robust logistics network, and an aspirational youth. Whether it's Mokobara trying to compete with American Tourister and VIP Industries Limited, or Perfora attempting to capture the market share of Colgate-Palmolive and pepsodent, many new brands have successfully challenged the legacy brands. However, “luxury” remains a segment where any such brand has yet to make a dent. That’s because you can’t just build a luxury brand with better marketing, celebrity endorsement, or by running ads. You need trust, and trust is earned over time. Infact, many famous luxury brands today, like ROLEX or Mercedes-Benz India, built their name over decades by staying consistent, delivering quality, and earning people’s trust. If you’re a founder building in the luxury space and want to attract the top 1% as your customers, then you need to think long-term. Remember, luxury is not just about being expensive or about the hype; it's about being trusted and people choosing you year after year. Let me know what you think about this, and if you would like to read more on this topic, I have shared a link to some of my previous posts in the comments. Do check them out.