Top 10 Cosmetics Brands in India

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Cosmetics are something which have become an integral part of a woman’s fashion statement. They not only manage to camouflage her flaws but also enhance her features. ASSOCHAM prepared a report in 2012 on India’s cosmetics market and showed that it has been growing at an annual pace of 20%. In 2013 the Indian cosmetic industry is valued at 29,000 crores. The following list tries to capture the various brands that are popular among the consumers due to different reasons ranging from being economical, or being organic or being made up of superior ingredients.

List of Top 10 or Leading Cosmetics Brands in the Indian Market

Lakme

Lakme is a reputed Indian brand which is owned by Unilever. The company is headed by Mr Anil Chopra who is the CEO of the company. Lakme was founded in the year 1952 by JRD Tata. In 1996 the Tata group decided to sell off its stake in Lakme to Hindustan Lever Limited. Lakme was also ranked at 47th as one of the most trusted brands in India according to The Brand Trust Report in 2011. This brand also sponsors the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) twice a year. It also launched the Lakmé Perfect Radiance and Lakmé eyeconic kajal which gained significant market share. In the financial year 2012, Hindustan Unilever Limited had a rise in profit before tax and interest of about 23%.

Lotus

 The company Lotus Herbals Ltd. was set up two decades ago in the year 1993 by Kamal Passi. This brand deals with manufacturing and selling of various kinds of cosmetics. The list includes face cleansers, sunscreens, winter care, hair oils, and shampoos. Passi knew the importance of good packaging and made sure his products stand out in design. He also priced his products at least 10-15%  lower than the contemporary brands in the segment. However he doesn’t believe making a huge expenditure on advertising. Lotus Herbals Ltd Company specialises in producing cosmetics that claim to have Ayurveda as well as herbal goodness. The brand promotes their products by accrediting their USP to be an amalgamation of traditional knowledge along with modern technology. They believe in making use of herbal ingredients and making their product devoid of chemical-based, synthetic cosmetics. This brand is also strictly against the cruel practice of animal testing. Lotus Herbals Ltd. is growing at a rate of 35%-40% a year.

Biotique

Biotique was launched by Vinita Jain in the year 1984. This brand also manages to stand out in the world of chemical-based cosmetics as it doesn’t contain any artificial preservatives or synthetic fragrances. The ingredients used are extracted naturally from herbs. Moreover the herbs/plants used for extracting raw material are also monitored from its nascent stage hence the end product is organic.

L’Oreal

L’Oreal is one of the giants in the cosmetic segment in the world. Jean-Paul Agon is the chairman and CEO. The Company has been present in India for about 20 years. Today, L’Oreal India is a subsidiary of L’Oreal which is growing at a very fast rate. L’Oreal Paris is one of the trademark brands of this company. In 2013 L’Oreal decided to invest Rs.970 crores in India. Moreover in the same year L’Oreal made its first acquisition in India - Cheryl’s Cosmeceuticals, thus entering the professional skincare segment. In 2013 the company grew at a commendable rate of 70%.

Shahnaz Husain

This brand was founded in the 1970’s by Shahnaz Husain. In the year 2006 she was awarded the Padma Shri. This brand also tries to harness the natural goodness of Ayurveda. Currently it has around 350 products spread out over different categories like skin, hair, make up etc. The brand claims that its USP is the hard work done on research so that the quality of the product is of superior grade.

Revlon India

Among all the international players in the cosmetic segment in India, the first one to launch was none other than Revlon in 1995. It happened due to the collaboration between Umesh K Modi along with Revlon Pvt Ltd  in 1994 . Pricing is done for the mid-level consumers as it neither too high nor too low priced. The company owns approximately 20-25 % of the domestic colour cosmetic market share.

Maybelline

It was launched way back in 1915 by T.L. It was later acquired by L’Oreal and in India it was launched by  its subsidiary, L’Oreal India. One of the major factors that have helped this brand to carve its niche is being reasonably priced in spite of having an international appeal. The Maybelline Colossal range was a huge hit in India which made the brand more popular.

Himalaya

The Himalaya Drug Company was founded in the year 1930 by Mr. M. Manal who had a vision to make Ayurveda accessible to the world. Himalaya has been able to patent its sunscreen, Under-Eye Cream, Anti-Acne range and Hair Loss cream among others from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The business of Himalaya in India contributed 60% of the brand’s sales of Rs 1, 200 crores in 2011. Himalaya is also the owner of the popular face wash ‘Purifying Neem’ which is very popular in a country like India where problems like acne and greasy skin are widespread.

Colorbar

Colorbar Cosmetics is one of the leading brands of cosmetics in India. It was founded in 2004.  The founder as well as managing director of the brand is Samir Modi.  The brand is known for its bright peppy colours and has a number of products to add colour to nails, eyes, lips and face.

Elle 18

 The brand Elle 18 is owned by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL).  It was launched in 1998. Elle 18 is aimed at the youth as it has bright colours along with neon shades in its products. The pricing of the products are also done keeping in mind the youth. The Elle 18 Colour Pop Liner (5ml) is priced at Rs 75.

Last Updated on : January 16th, 2019