‘Flexibility and creativity’: Behind Coty’s efforts to bolster its prestige beauty portfolio in India

India represents the long-term growth opportunities for the company. At the end of last year, it inked a deal with distributor House of Beauty (HOB) to boost its presence in the market.

“While we are still in the nascent stages of development, we are encouraged by the reception and initial feedback we have received from consumers,” said Kristina Strunz, managing director, SEAI, Coty.

Strunz told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that its emerging position in the market has given the company “greater flexibility and ability to be creative”, qualities that she said was essential in a market as dynamic as India.

Strunz highlighted some of its brand’s initiatives, such as the two-week launch activation for Burberry Goddess last October.

“We celebrated the launch of Burberry Goddess with a two-week podium at Palladium Mall, supported by a mega OOH campaign and all mall digital screens with an estimated daily reach of over one million. The podium was a huge success and generated record-breaking sales.”

Additionally, the company executed a multi-house animation (MHA) in December 2023 in partnership with Sephora India at Palladium Mall, highlighting key brands such as Burberry, Chloe, Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein.

“As part of the holistic marketing initiatives 17 esteemed local KOLs, with a combined reach of 983,000, attended the launch event, which resulted in high levels of footfall and customer engagement.”

One of Coty’s most exciting launches in India this year was Kylie Cosmetics, a makeup, skin care, fragrance and baby care brand founded by celebrity Kylie Jenner in 2015 with the debut of her famous Lip Kits.

The brand was launched in partnership with HOB and Sephora primarily with its colour cosmetic products.

“Kylie Cosmetics’ debut in India marks another exciting milestone as we continue to bolster our presence in high-growth markets such as India. Our strategic collaboration with House of Beauty, renowned for its unparalleled ability to introduce sought-after international beauty brands to the Indian market, and Sephora, a leading global beauty retailer, further reinforces Coty’s ability to meet ever-evolving consumer preferences in India’s burgeoning beauty industry,” said Strunz.

The company celebrated the launch with events in shopping malls such as Palladium Mall and Nexus Select Citywalk in Delhi.

The landmark events brought together more than 120 KOLS and industry leaders driving 4.4m impressions and 109k engagement.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to grow our capabilities across four core areas, namely our understanding of the market and consumer preferences; our operations and teams in India; our regional capabilities, and collaborations with strategic partners, to better meet ever-evolving demand in this highly dynamic market,” said Strunz.

Kylie in India​

Strunz described India as an exciting and “significant white-space opportunity for Coty”.

For instance, with Kylie Cosmetics, the company was tapping into the increasing demand for conscious beauty products.

“We have also observed that the debut of Kylie Cosmetics in India comes amid rising demand for more sustainable and environmentally conscious beauty products. Kylie Cosmetics is uniquely positioned to tap into these trends.

“The beauty line is carefully crafted with clean formulations and vegan ingredients. This promise of conscious beauty comes with the same high-quality, high-pigment, and high-performance formulations that are trending all over the world and fans have come to love,” said Strunz.

In 2021, Jenner announced a brand relaunch with updated ‘clean and vegan’ formulas. It continued its conscious direction with its debut fragrance, Cosmic, which was launched with a refillable option.

“While we’re still in the early days of our launch, we have been encouraged by the initial feedback from Sephora and our customers to date, as well as the growing traction we’re witnessing online. We are optimistic about the journey ahead as we continue to build our capabilities and understanding of the market,” said Strunz.

Moving forward, the company is scheduled for more high-profile launches in the market, including from brands such as Burberry Her Elixir and Gucci Flora Magnolia.

In terms of its consumer portfolio, the company recently launched a range of Adidas products.

“We’re excited about the traction that our brands have been able to generate in India so far and look forward to introducing more unique and engaging beauty experiences to consumers across India, as we continue to enhance our strategy in the market,” said Strunz.

“We will continue to build and accelerate our capabilities across the pillars of market understanding;  our team and operations; our regional skills and capabilities; and strategic partnerships, to better cater to burgeoning consumer demand for beauty in India.”