Indian beauty brands are rewriting the rules of premiumisation. Instead of leaning on steeper price tags or overt luxury cues, they are building “premium” through smarter marketing, sharper storytelling, and experience-led advertising that delivers performance at scale.
As the Indian beauty market matures, brands are increasingly aware that consumers are willing to pay more, but only when the value is clearly articulated. The shift, industry experts say, is from priced premium to perceived premium, where marketing, storytelling, and experience do the heavy lifting.
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According to Markets and Data, India’s cosmetics market was valued at $17.27 billion in FY2024 and is projected to grow to $29.23 billion by FY2032, at a CAGR of 6.8% between FY2025 and FY2032. This growth is being fuelled by a rising middle class, a growing preference for organic and natural ingredients, and the rapid expansion of online beauty platforms.
Reinforcing this momentum, Statista ranks India fourth globally in beauty and personal care revenue. As beauty evolves from an occasional indulgence to an everyday essential, the category remains on a strong upward trajectory, with the market projected to reach $34 billion by 2028.
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This shift is clearly reflected in how brands define and communicate luxury today. Vidur Kapur, Director of O3+ Professional said, “For us, luxury is defined by performance, professional trust, and visible results. We communicate premium value through expert-led storytelling and consistent experience rather than price positioning.” The brand said its approach centres on education-led content, expert voices, and real outcomes to build credible aspiration. It added that premium cues today rely on smarter storytelling, with data-led content and targeted performance marketing driving relevance and resonance over mere visibility.
This thinking extends to legacy beauty brands as well. Snigdha Suman, General Manager – Marketing & Business Development, Avon, reiterated that the brand positions luxury around meaningful value rather than higher prices, leaning on performance-led storytelling to clearly communicate product benefits and everyday relevance. According to Avon, premium perception today is driven by authentic, precise narratives and digital-first, experience-led advertising, where resonance matters more than higher spends.
“We use experience-driven marketing to make consumers feel confident and empowered, whether through digital content, trials or community-led conversations,” she added.
A similar philosophy is evident at SkinInspired, which defines luxury beyond price, focusing instead on science-backed, results-driven skincare. The brand emphasises long-term skin benefits, ingredient transparency, and an empowering brand experience, positioning luxury around visible outcomes, multifunctional formulations, and thoughtfully designed packaging rather than a premium price tag.
“At SkinInspired, we focus on performance-led storytelling - showcasing the effectiveness of our products through real-life transformations and expert insights,” said Piyush Jain, Founder & CEO, SkinInspired.
Re’equil also positions premiumisation around performance-led storytelling rather than higher spends. By clearly articulating how each ingredient addresses specific skin concerns, the brand shifts premium away from luxury aesthetics towards efficiency and trust, building aspiration through outcomes and credibility instead of exaggerated claims or elevated pricing.
The spokesperson said, “The brand leans into ingredient transparency and concern-led formulation, clearly communicating how specific actives are chosen to address everyday skin needs, Ingredient transparency and concern-led formulation sit at the core of this positioning, with clear communication around why specific actives are used across the range.”
Industry experts echo this broader transformation in Indian beauty advertising. According to them, luxury has subtly but decisively evolved. Once defined by celebrity-led aspiration and distance, it is now anchored in credibility, transparency, and performance, with brands building premium value by clearly communicating ingredients, formulations, and real results.
Shekhar Suman, Co founder of Brandshark, a digital marketing agency, highlighted, “Founder-led narratives and science-backed storytelling have replaced celebrity authority as the primary trust drivers. Modern Indian consumers, especially Gen Z, don't aspire to "perfect" beauty; they aspire to make informed choices with self-expression. Luxury, therefore, is no longer about exclusivity or unattainability.”
He further illustrated this with an example. Minimalist’s success reflects the shift. By prioritising ingredient transparency and performance-led education, the brand allowed the product to become the marketing, delivering strong repeat rates and a 4+ ROAS without heavy spends. As CPMs rise and attention fragments, luxury is increasingly defined by relevance, clarity, and trust, with sharper narratives and smarter channel choices outperforming brute-force marketing.
From an agency lens, Rahul Ranjan, Managing Director, Mrig Sight Media, a branding-marketing agency, noted that luxury beauty marketing has evolved from signalling exclusivity through price and status to shaping perceptions through emotional connection. Today, brands rely less on status symbols and more on compelling storytelling and real experiences to convey luxury.
“Luxury beauty has been created through the development of a customer experience that is meaningful and personalised to each consumer, not merely by the amount of money spent on advertising,” he added.
Physical retail as an important touchpoint
This evolution is also playing out beyond digital platforms, with physical retail emerging as a critical branding lever. As beauty brands scale offline, physical retail is increasingly functioning as a branding and advertising channel, not just a point of sale. Store design, product discovery, and in-person experiences are now shaping brand perception as much as media spends.
“Physical retail goes beyond being just a point of sale; it has become a powerful branding and experience platform. For beauty brands, stores are where consumers can touch, try and truly understand product performance, which builds trust and aspiration,” said Suman. According to her, offline spaces are viewed as an extension of brand storytelling, where values come alive through consultations, demos, and engagement. Impact is measured beyond sales, through dwell time, repeat visits, trial-to-conversion, and consumer feedback, with informed, confident shoppers signalling retail’s role as a true brand channel.
Kapur from O3+ added that physical retail has become a strong branding channel for the brand as well, with in-salon experiences and trained professionals playing a critical role in shaping perception.
“We measure impact through repeat usage, salon loyalty, consumer feedback, and conversion metrics. Long-term relationships and advocacy are key indicators of brand success,” he said.
Taken together, these shifts point to a redefinition of luxury that is quieter, more deliberate, and far more accountable. As consumers grow savvier and more value-conscious, premiumisation in Indian beauty is no longer about signalling excess but about earning belief. Brands that can consistently educate, engage, and deliver across touchpoints, from content to commerce to retail, are emerging as the true winners. In this new playbook, luxury is not declared upfront; it is experienced, validated, and ultimately trusted.