Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is coming to India

The Indian consumer has become a darling of international beauty brands. After singer Selena Gomez, Rihanna has become the latest international celebrity to bring her beauty brand to India.

Called Fenty Beauty, the brand will make its debut in the country via Nykaa, the fashion and beauty retailer, on 7 March. During the initial stage of the launch, Nykaa will offer a line-up of Fenty Beauty’s best-selling products, including the iconic Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, and Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer.

Talking about the India debut, Rihanna, in a press release, said: “Fenty Beauty was created so that people everywhere would be included. Expanding to India is so exciting because the more people that can feel beautiful, recognized and empowered, no matter their ethnicity, culture, skin tone or style the better.”

Rihanna, who was recently in Jamnagar (Gujarat) for the pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, developed her beauty brand in 2017, focusing on inclusivity—a buzzword then.

Nykaa will initially offer a line-up of Fenty Beauty’s best-selling products, including the iconic Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation and Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer.

“The brand’s ethos of diversity and inclusivity are a perfect fit for Nykaa’s mission of democratizing beauty for all Indians,” said Anchit Nayar, executive director and chief executive of Nykaa Beauty, in the press release.

Last year, Gomez’s line Rare Beauty had launched in India, reflecting the growing appetite of Indian beauty shoppers. The Indian beauty market grew to $15.6 billion in 2022 from $12.3 billion in 2018, according to market research firm Euromonitor International.

At present, India is the world’s fourth largest beauty market in terms of revenue, shows data by Statista. In its The Beauty Market In 2023: A Special State Of Fashion report, global management consulting firm McKinsey had predicted that India is likely to emerge as a new global hot spot for all things beauty. “… Many brands will align their geographic strategies to this new world order, which will require a variety of localized playbooks,” it said.