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In India, the festive season is all about joy, colour, and tradition. Whether it’s Diwali, Durga Pujo, Navratri, or Onam, these celebrations bring families together, and with them come shopping sprees and the excitement of dressing up. For many, festivals are a time to embrace beauty, making it the perfect moment for the beauty industry to connect with consumers who want to look their best.
Last year, during Diwali alone, beauty brands saw a 51.5% rise in sales, proving just how much people indulge in beauty products during these times. This year, the excitement is just as high. Almost every makeup brand is launching its festive campaigns with a focus on social media, eager to engage audiences and help them shine even brighter during the celebrations.
Vidushi Goyal, CMO, Swiss Beauty says, “This festive season, our primary focus for budget allocation will be on digital platforms, which continue to deliver strong engagement with our audience.”
Swiss Beauty recently launched its festive campaign, ‘Sawar ke aana’, featuring brand ambassador Taapsee Pannu. In the 28-second ad, Pannu showcases the joy of getting ready during the festive season, encouraging viewers to use Swiss Beauty products to enhance their festive look. The campaign highlights the little details of preparing for celebrations and has been rolled out primarily on social media to reach a wider audience.
MARS Cosmetics has similar plans this festive season as well. Rishabh Sethia, Director & Business Administrator, MARS Cosmetics says, “ We’ll allocate a significant portion of our budget to social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Google and Facebook. These platforms are ideal for visually driven content and allow us to target specific demographics with precision.”
Mihir Jain, Sales and Marketing Director, Insight Cosmetics says, “We are adopting a digital-first approach with a strong focus on influencer marketing and social media to maximize reach.”
For this festive, Maybelline New York India has brought back its iconic 90’s jingle ‘Maybe it’s Maybelline’. To launch the campaign, the brand collaborated with beauty and fashion influencers Sakshi Sidhwani, Prableen Kaur Bhomrah, Tarini Shah and Shrishti Garg who launched the campaign in a 1-minute Reel.
This year, beauty brands are especially banking on influencers to make a mark with the audience and connect with the festivities.
Lakme India for instance has launched its ‘Get festive ready with Lakme’ campaign that started in mid-September, right after Ganesh Chaturthi ended. The #GLFR campaign is an influencer collaboration campaign where an array of influencers, from small to big creators are showcasing their festive looks using Lakme products.
Along with a digital-heavy strategy, brands are focusing on bringing new product launches during the festive season to connect with the audience. MyGlamm, for instance, has a three-pronged strategy centred around launching fresh offerings.
Anika Wadhera, Group Marketing Director, Good Glamm Group says, “The festive season is a key period, as consumers are actively searching for new products to elevate their beauty game. At MyGlamm, we plan to engage with a three-pronged strategy: Launching exciting new products, Creating regional / culture-specific activations and Introducing never-before-seen collaborations.
Similarly, Insight Cosmetics has unveiled a new set of perfumes aimed at capturing the festive gifting spirit. Mihir Jain explains that this launch is part of their effort to connect with the joy of the season.
He emphasises, “Our complete strategy this season will focus on connecting with our audience and becoming part of their celebrations and joy.”
He further emphasises, “Our complete strategy this season will focus on connecting with our audience and becoming part of their celebrations and joy.”
Saahil Nayar, MD & Co-Founder Mila Beauté says, “We have some exciting product launches planned around the festive season. Our campaign this year will represent Mila Beauté's ethos, along with a take on how the brand’s expansive makeup range is made with love.”
Regional-heavy festive
India’s festive season is full of vibrant regional celebrations. Diwali lights up the northern and western regions, while Durga Pujo is a major event in the east, and Navratri is celebrated widely in the west. Beauty brands are tapping into these local festivities, adjusting their marketing strategies to match the mood of each region, which in turn helps drive sales.
For instance, SUGAR notes that eastern regions, especially Bengal and Kolkata, account for over a third of all cosmetics sold, while Plum finds strong performance in non-metro towns.
Mihir Jain says, “Tailoring marketing strategies to these regional patterns helps align product offerings with local festivities and consumer preferences.”
For Ganesh Chaturthi, the brand partnered with Marathi-speaking influencers and creators who produced engaging content centred around the festival. These collaborations extended beyond just makeup influencers.
Naveen Murli - Vice President - Marketing, SUGAR Cosmetic says, “SUGAR Cosmetics embraces the cultural significance of the festive season through highly localized marketing strategies. We design regional campaigns that reflect the unique traditions and celebrations of each market.”
For Onam, SUGAR Cosmetics rolled out an engaging influencer and on-ground campaign in Kerala, tapping into the festive spirit of the region.
Following this, since the brand enjoys a good set of consumers in the Eastern belt, it has launched its Pujo campaign with Bengali actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Kausambhi Chakraborty, where the consumer stands a chance to act in Prosenjit Chatterjee’s production house.
The brand is expecting a similar surge happening in the North and West regions, in the run-up to Diwali, with multiple festivals in this period.
Marketing mediums this festive
This festive season, beauty brands are embracing a multi-channel marketing approach to enhance their reach and engagement with consumers. At the core of this strategy is a digital-first mindset, allowing brands to connect effectively with their audiences.
MyGlamm, for instance, is anticipating a significant surge in sales, particularly in the North and East regions, as they leverage digital platforms to engage with customers. Similarly, brands like Swiss Beauty and Insight Cosmetics are heavily investing in influencer marketing and social media campaigns to foster authentic connections.
Rishabh Sethia highlights their strategy, “We’ll invest in collaborations with a diverse group of influencers who align with our ‘Makeup for Everyone’ theme. They will help showcase our products in real-life contexts and engage with their followers through tutorials, reviews, and festive looks.”
In addition to influencer partnerships, Plum is focusing on proven strategies. Shankar Prasad, Founder & CEO, Plum notes, “We will continue to focus on what works for us, which is a combination of one very large D2C event on the website/app around the peak festive season, marketplace advertising, and more.”
Recognising the importance of offline engagement, Mihir Jain emphasises Insight Cosmetics’ commitment to expanding their presence. “We’re making a bold move into prominent malls across India, significantly enhancing our offline presence and broadening our reach. This strategic expansion will allow us to engage with a larger audience and strengthen our brand visibility, with plans for further growth in the pipeline.”
Additionally, brands are exploring innovative avenues. Vidushi Goyal points out, “We’re investing in underutilized channels like OTT platforms, allowing us to reach a wider and more diverse consumer base.” Meanwhile, Naveen Murli highlights the integration of technology, stating, “We're exploring innovative technologies like AR and AI to enhance customer experiences, especially on our app, creating immersive, personalized interactions that resonate with today’s tech-savvy audience.”
Trends & themes anticipated this festive
As the festive season approaches, the Indian beauty industry is gearing up to meet consumer demand with innovative products and campaigns. With a blend of global beauty trends and local preferences, brands are tailoring their offerings to fit the festive spirit. Here are a few trends that brands anticipate will take over this festive season:
- Global beauty trends: Instant adoption of global trends like lip oils and glosses infused with beneficial ingredients such as ceramides, collagen, and vitamin E for hydration and plumpness.
- Vegan & ethical products: The rise of 100% vegan makeup aligns with increasing demand for ethical and sustainable beauty solutions, with offerings available in 15 versatile shades.
- Sustainable beauty: A significant trend will be the rise of eco-friendly packaging and formulations prioritizing natural and ethically sourced ingredients.
- Inclusivity & diversity: The beauty industry is expected to further embrace inclusivity, celebrating a wide range of skin tones, textures, and personal styles with diverse beauty narratives.
- Multi-tasking products: Consumers will increasingly seek multi-functional products that combine multiple benefits, prompting brands to innovate and meet these evolving demands.
- DIY beauty kits: Personalization will rise in popularity, with DIY beauty kits enabling consumers to build their own sets based on preferences.
- Emerging offers & discounts: Anticipate trends focusing on offers, discounts, new product launches, gifting options, and multi-functional products.
As India’s festive season arrives, beauty brands are stepping up to celebrate this vibrant time. With a focus on local traditions and the message of self-expression, brands are connecting with consumers in meaningful ways. This festive season, as people shop for gifts and indulge in self-care, the beauty industry is ready to shine. With exciting new products and innovative ideas, it promises to make celebrations even more special and personal.