Introducing beauty entrepreneur Katrina Kaif

Standing out in a crowded beauty market is like finding the perfect foundation shade for your skin. There are always new brands that promise better coverage at a better price. That’s one of the reasons why actor Katrina Kaif has always remained sharply focused on her innovation while launching her own beauty brand, ‘K Beauty’. “Product is king,” she says, repeating a line written in nearly every entrepreneurship or marketing book on her Zoom call. Okay, this won’t work. ”

When Kaif launched Kay Beauty in late 2019 in partnership with beauty retailer Nykaa, it became India’s first celebrity-owned brand of its kind. Her lip, eye and eyebrow products catered to all skin tones in India and predicted her trend in two to three years: makeup with skincare side effects. It was also a smart business opportunity.India’s beauty and wellness market is overvalued INRAccording to the Indian Cosmetic Hygiene Association, it was $900 billion in 2018 and is expected to increase further.

Since then, several other celebrities have launched their own beauty and makeup brands. Deepika Padukone’s His 82°E. Sonakshi Sinha’s press-on nails with Soeji. Priyanka Chopra’s hair care line “Anomaly.” Masaba Gupta’s love child.

This is a line that international celebrities have enjoyed success with for decades. For years, the likes of Selena Gomez (Rare Beauty), Hailey Bieber (Lord), and Ariana Grande (Rem Beauty) have built a reputation for their ready customer base: millions of fans. We have packaged ideas of beauty. Earlier this week, Beyoncé launched Secred, a hair care line that includes shampoos, scrubs, and conditioners made with butter, oil, honey, and fermented rice water. Some big-name brands also failed, including Vanessa Hudgens’ Know Beauty and Madison Beer.

In India, it’s not easy to say how celebrity-driven brands are doing because they don’t disclose their sales figures. Mr. Kaif provides gross merchandise value or gross sales figures, but it is difficult to fact-check this claim. “In four years, K Beauty’s annual GMV (gross merchandise value) utilization rate has reached almost 20 million yen. INRShe plans to launch more products, from kohl, blush, and foundation to lip oil, tint, and eyeshadow, and consider international expansion. Kaif speaks to Lounge about the challenges of running a business and her love for makeup. Edited excerpt:

What led you to start K Beauty?

I’ve always been drawn to makeup. Just as people are attracted to styling and clothes, I was fascinated by makeup. When I started modeling, I worked with some of the best makeup artists in the industry and was always playing with the products on the table. “What is this?”, “Why do I use that?”, “Why is this better than that?”…and I saw the trick — how they used makeup Will it change you?

One of my favorite tricks is before using kajal near the water’s edge, I apply a little on the upper eyelid along the lash line and blend it in to make the eyes pop. Blend it further and apply eyeshadow on top to create a soft layered look. I also learned that if you want to apply a dark lipstick, take a tissue, place it on your lips, and apply some loose powder so it doesn’t come off day or night.

I brought all these tricks with me to movie sets. For songs like Sheila Ki Jawani (Tees Maar Khan, 2010) and Chikni Chameli (Agneepath, 2011), I did my own makeup. Makeup has always been a big part of my life.

Even while growing?

Yes, especially when I was a teenager, I started seeing images of women and girls wearing makeup in newspapers, posters, and on TV. When I went to the mall, the first thing I did was go to the makeup counter. I grew up with a lot of sisters, so makeup came up a lot in our conversations. Around birthdays and Christmas, a lot of people would gather in my bathroom to get their makeup done, and I would say, “Let me do your liner” or “I’ll do your mascara.” ”. I first started sharing with them the tips I learned while modeling. And now I am sharing them with Indians all over the world. In a way, Kay Beauty was a progression and a dream I always had.

What were the challenges along the way?

I have also had the experience of buying a best-selling product and regretting it because it didn’t suit my skin. Before starting Kay Beauty, I was very clear that I wanted to create products that worked on all skin tones in India. That’s why we ended up spending more time developing the product than expected. It took two years to complete the firing range. For example, Bullet Lipstick is one of our best-selling products. Throughout my career, I was constantly frustrated. I don’t like my lipstick to be too shiny or dry and show off fine lines on my lips. I wanted the perfect formula that was creamy, pigmented, moisturizing, came in several shades, and would give my lips a fresh look. It took me a long time to understand that.

And what about learning?

I had some knowledge about makeup and ingredients, but on the business side of it, I followed beauty industry and business websites, subscribed to newsletters, and learned how different brands were built. actively and enthusiastically learning (by understanding) My inspirations include Falguni (Nayyar, founder and CEO of Nykaa), Gwyneth Paltrow (who founded the wellness and lifestyle brand) Goop, and Rihanna (and her Fenty Beauty brand). There are many great examples of giving. Nothing cuts through all the noise like truth and authenticity.

Do you apply what you learned from the movie set to Kei Beauty Salon and vice versa?

I think your personality applies to all aspects of life. The qualities that serve me well as an actor are similar to the qualities that help drive me as an entrepreneur. It’s about patience, resilience, and being clear about what you want as a result.