The Estée Lauder Companies (“ELC”) New Incubation Ventures (“NIV”) and NYKAA have announced the finalists for BEAUTY&YOU India 2024.
Launched by NIV in collaboration with NYKAA, BEAUTY&YOU India is on a mission to discover and empower the next wave of Indian beauty brands. The 2024 edition builds on the success of previous years, with its theme, Supercharged Futures, driving innovation and growth forward.
For this edition, the programme received around 660 applications. It is double the number of applications received in the debut year, 2022. The applications presenting various beauty categories came in from nearly 50 cities. After carefully assessing all entries, NIV and NYKAA executives narrowed down to 12 finalists. These have been chosen in the three broad categories. These are: GROW (in-market), IMAGINE (pre-launch), and CREATE (storytellers). This year, the applicants showcased a tremendous focus on cutting-edge innovation. While some brought in product technology and platforms, others focused on patented systems as well as identifying new market segments and consumer segments.
Let’s Meet The Finalists
GROW (In-Market Companies)
Iluvia | Co-Founders: Nishant Gupta and Palash Pandey
Gunam Beauty | Founder: Elizabeth Issac
SkinInspired | Founder & CEO: Piyush Jain, Founder and CPO: Dr Prashant Agrawal
SEREKO | Founder: Malvika Jain
Suganda Skincare | Founder: Bindu Amrutham
IMAGINE (Pre-Market Concepts)
NOT Just VANILLA | Founder and CEO: Akshay Bawa, Founder and CMO: Kritika Rathi
GOOD PEOPLE | Founder: Zahra Khan
Amright | Founder: Vaishnavi Maganti, Co-Founder: Vijay Sivaraju
Aierloom | Founder: Ashi Bhat
L’ORIENT | Founder/CEO: Dr. Prasanthi Purosothaman
CREATE (Creative Storytellers)
Journey of Objects | Founder & Journalist: Alia Allana
Bottu | Founder: Shreshta Jaisingh
The Way Ahead
Finalists will now pitch their start-ups and their unique ideas to the jury on October 17th. The Panel consist of:
- Tarun Tahiliani, Founder and Director, Tarun Tahiliani
- Anaita Shroff Adajania, Stylist, Creative Director & Founder, Style Cell
- Shruti Chandra, Vice President, Invest India
- Samrath Bedi, Executive Director, Forest Essentials.
Thereafter, the winners will be announced on the same date at an extraordinary event at The Leela Palace, New Delhi.
The BEAUTY&YOU India Bootcamp
The winners this year will get an access to the BEAUTY&YOU India Bootcamp. This exclusive bootcamp will offer one-on-one mentorship sessions with industry leaders. Some of the mentors who will be a part of the bootcamp are:
- Falguni Nayar, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, NYKAA
- Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Founder, Sabyasachi
- Rohan Vaziralli, General Manager, ELCA Cosmetics Private Limited.
With this unique opportunity at hand, the winners will gain invaluable insights and mentorship from the experts. This further solidifies the programme’s promise to nurturing the growth and development of the next generation of Indian-focused beauty entrepreneurs. BEAUTY&YOU India 2024 will also provide award recipients with financial support via a prize pool of up to 4 Crore, or $500k, distribution channel access, mentorship, and access to research and innovation resources.
From the Leadership Desk
“BEAUTY&YOU India continues to reflect our deep commitment to nurturing and empowering India’s most promising beauty entrepreneurs,” said Shana Randhava, Senior Vice President, New Incubation Ventures, The Estée Lauder Companies. “As one of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly expanding beauty markets, India holds a vital position in the global landscape. India’s potential is immense, and this program underscores our belief in the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit driving its beauty sector.
Each edition of BEAUTY&YOU India has demonstrated remarkable progress, and the 2024 program builds on this momentum. We are excited to further elevate the India beauty story and support the next generation of beauty innovators who will shape the future of this industry.”
“Our partnership with BEAUTY&YOU India continues to play a vital role in identifying and empowering the next generation of India-focused beauty brands. With India’s beauty industry growing at an unprecedented pace, now is the perfect time to support the innovators and creators shaping its future. At Nykaa, we believe in the potential of homegrown talent, and through BEAUTY&YOU, we are committed to providing the platform, mentorship, and resources needed to thrive. As we celebrate the success of the 2024 program, we are committed to sustaining this momentum and further supporting India’s dynamic beauty ecosystem, with a vision of fostering a future where Indian brands take the lead on the global stage,” said Anchit Nayar, Executive Director & CEO, NYKAA Beauty.