This Report delves into the evolving landscape of the beauty and personal care (BPC) market in India, highlighting the influence of global trends, particularly from Korea and Japan. It examines how Indian consumers are increasingly open to exploring new brands and products, driven by cultural curiosity and the desire for innovative beauty solutions. The Report also discusses the growing emphasis on product efficacy, with consumers demanding transparency and scientific validation of beauty claims. Additionally, it explores how the economic optimism in India is creating fertile ground for BPC brands to tap into consumers’ rising confidence and spending power by localising globally inspired products for Indian skin types and tones.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Indian consumers’ spending potential in the BPC market
- The influence of Korean and Japanese beauty trends
- The growing demand for efficacy in beauty products
- The role of social media in shaping beauty trends
- Consumer preferences for global beauty products
- Economic and cultural factors affecting BPC trends in India
- The impact of Gen Z and Millennials on beauty product adoption
Global beauty in India is shaped by Gen Z's social-media-led indulgence, Millennials' demand for evidence-backed efficacy, and all consumers' desire for global trends adapted to local realities.
Sainethra Hariharan, Research Analyst – Beauty, Personal Care and Household – India
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- The outlook of global influence in India’s BPC market
- Emotional gratification sits above traditional drivers like safety and efficacy for Gen Z
- Graph 1: reasons for purchasing BPC products inspired by global trends, by Gen Z women purchasers of K- and J-Beauty-inspired products, 2025
- Millennial women prioritise safety and science over hype
- Graph 2: reasons for purchasing BPC products inspired by global trends, by Millennial women purchasers of K- and J-Beauty-inspired products, 2025
- A lack of local relevance holds back global beauty in India
- Graph 3: reasons for not purchasing products inspired by global beauty and personal care trends, 2025
-
KEY TRENDS AND MARKET FACTORS
- What you need to know
- BPC brands are tapping into the potential of Indian consumers’ spending
- Current financial optimism inspires hope for a prosperous future
- The focus on BPC intensifies, with more consumers involved in the category and prioritising it
- Consumers’ wallets and minds are more open to experimentation
- Graph 4: brand loyalty for BPC products, by category, 2023
- Globally inspired experiences are gaining traction as Indian brands actively level up
- India is becoming a hotspot for premium global brands to enter via strategic online and offline channels
- Indians are saying ‘annyeonghaseyo’ and ‘konnichiwa’ to everything Korean and Japanese
- Indian imports of cosmetics from Korea and Japan are on the rise
- Graph 5: export of cosmetics to India, 2020, 2024
- Graph 6: export of cosmetics to India, 2022-24
- Korea and Japan are seeing their names appear across BPC categories
- Graph 7: top sub-categories in beauty and personal care with Korea-related keywords, 2016-25
- Graph 8: top sub-categories in beauty and personal care with Japan-related keywords, 2016-25
- K-Skincare gains attention in the M&A market
- Korean and Japanese cultures go local across categories
- Indian brands are weaving in Korean culture
- A growing need for efficacy in beauty
- The surge of beauty-savvy consumers in India
- The rise of beauty-savvy Indians
- Consumers seek evidence for claims
- Homegrown brands are dialling up on efficacy in various ways to build trust
- Sophisticated simplicity drives effective solutions while educating consumers
-
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Gen Z’s curiosity is fuelling the rise of Korean and Japanese trends in India
- Graph 9: average number of engagements over time on social media conversations related to Korea and Japan, 2020-25
- Gen Zs seek indulgence and social relevance, while Millennials focus on product efficacy and ingredient innovation in global beauty adoption
- Graph 10: reasons for purchasing BPC products inspired by global trends, by Gen Z and Millennial women purchasers of K- and J-Beauty-inspired products, 2025
- Gen Z: trend hunters chasing novelty, but on their terms and budget
- Emotional gratification sits above traditional drivers like safety and efficacy
- Graph 11: reasons for purchasing BPC products inspired by global trends, by Gen Z women who purchase K- and J-Beauty-inspired products, 2025
- Gen Z wants global beauty, but at accessible prices
- Graph 12: agreement with “There should be more affordable beauty products”, by generation, 2024
- Now: offer affordable paths to global beauty
- Indulgence, packaged: the four Ps Gen Z buys into
- Own the indulgent self-care space for Gen Z
- Launch trend-driven bundles to spark buzz and trial
- Build urgency and excitement with time-bound, exclusive products that feel like a prize to own
- Position K-Beauty and J-Beauty as joyful self-gifts with visible results
- Win Gen Z with immersive IRL experiences
- Merge beauty with fandom culture
- Collaborate with K-Pop/K-Dramas or anime IPs to merge beauty with fandom culture
- Fandoms can drive new brands and collaborations with makeup artists
- Brands can turn beauty into an exciting, well-earned treat
- Innovate with trending Korean and Japanese flavours
- Mintel’s concept generator creates two product ideas to bring flavours into skincare
- Trust is the new trendy to win Millennial loyalty in Asian beauty
- Millennial women prioritise safety and science over hype
- Graph 13: reasons for purchasing BPC products inspired by global trends, by Millennial women who purchase K- and J-Beauty-inspired products, 2025
- In Millennials’ eyes, foreign brands deliver on performance and innovation
- Graph 14: beauty and personal care brand type(s) consumers paid a higher price for in the last six months, Millennial women purchasers of K- and J-Beauty-inspired products vs the total, 2025
- Graph 15: statements about global beauty and personal care trends, Millennial women who purchase K- and J-Beauty-inspired products vs the total, 2025
- Millennials’ quest for safety makes them want to embrace minimalist routines
- Graph 16: beauty and personal care trends consumers are open to incorporating into their beauty and grooming routines, Millennial women who purchase K-/J-Beauty-inspired products vs the total, 2025
- Demonstrate streamlined routines that deliver peak performance with optimal safety
- Adopt diverse safety strategies and substantiate efficacy to foster trust
- Asian brands are stepping up with multifunctional formulas to keep their premium positioning
- The science and innovation behind ingredients serve as a crucial pillar of trust
- Ingredient science and innovation are a key trust signal
- Graph 17: top reasons for purchasing products inspired by global beauty and personal care trends, by generation, 2025
- Lean into ingredient storytelling
- Leverage ingredient delivery and concentration to communicate better ingredient penetration
- Enhance ingredient quality through fermentation technology
- Graph 18: skincare launches with fermentation-related claims, 2022-25
- Engineer novel formats to signal performance and results
- Boost sensory payoff by making format a multi-textured experience
- As the suncare category grows in India, brands can look into novel formats
- Next: Korea and Japan are innovating in ‘slow-ageing’, early anti-ageing and ‘pro-ageing’ care
- Next: the focus on holistic approach is growing in Korea and Japan
- Future: a vaccine that eliminates senescent cells to combat age-related cellular changes
- Make global beauty speak to Indian skin
- A lack of local relevance holds back global beauty in India
- Graph 19: reasons for not purchasing products inspired by global beauty and personal care trends, 2025
- Indian consumers admire global beauty for its innovation but want Indian brands to bring those ideas home
- Highlight the globally inspired but locally tailored story to build trust
- Indian brands can use ‘made in’ claims to show their global R&D
- Salons and services are localising international hair and skin rituals
- Case study: take inspiration from d’you by combining multifunctionality, localisation and global relevance with expert innovation
- Opportunities exist for Ayurvedic brands to ride the global trend bandwagon
- Beauty brands will have to work as hard as India’s weather
- Climate-adaptive beauty fills the need for BPC products tailored to climate conditions and their impact on skin issues
- Provide customisable routines to adjust with the changing weather across India
- Tap into hyper-personalisation trends and understand the diversity of Indian skin
- ‘Check-the-box’ inclusion without real understanding will appear tokenistic in the long run
- Global beauty brands can also win online in India
- International trend potential: ME brands have shown successful local and global appeal
-
APPENDIX
- Consumer survey methodology
- Social data research methodology
- Abbreviations
Why Choose Mintel?
Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.
Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:
- Multiple Report Formats: Mintel’s reports are available in PDF and PPT formats, and are delivered straight to your inbox, so you can easily share Mintel’s market intelligence.
- Access to Mintel’s Clients Portal: After your purchase is completed, you’ll receive an invitation to join Mintel’s Clients Portal, providing instant access to supplementary insights from Mintel’s industry experts.
- Interactive Databook: Mintel’s bespoke consumer data is presented as an interactive website, so you can deep dive into your chosen topic, explore demographics and download specific statistics.
- Custom Presentation Tool: Easily incorporate selected research data and analysis into a tailor-made presentation to win over clients and stakeholders.
Below is a generic PDF sample report. Understand what you are buying.
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables have been redacted.
$ 2,995 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or purchase order
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount is applied directly at checkout
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.
They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.
So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.
Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
