Estée Lauder Companies Announces 2026 BEAUTY&YOU India Award Winners, Supporting the Next Generation of Beauty Entrepreneurs
The Estée Lauder Companies, in partnership with Nykaa and the Startup India initiative, has announced the winners of the 2026 BEAUTY&YOU India awards, marking another milestone in its efforts to identify, support, and accelerate the growth of emerging beauty entrepreneurs across India. The initiative, launched in 2022, has become an important platform for nurturing innovation, encouraging entrepreneurship, and helping Indian beauty brands develop opportunities in the domestic and global markets.
The Startup India initiative is driven by the Division for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Through this collaboration, BEAUTY&YOU India brings together industry expertise, entrepreneurial talent, funding opportunities, and strategic support to help promising founders turn innovative ideas into successful businesses.
As the program enters its fifth year, it continues to recognize entrepreneurs who are transforming the beauty industry through distinctive products, creative concepts, scientific innovation, sustainable solutions, and a deeper understanding of Indian consumers. The 2026 edition also introduces a new Design Award, expanding the program’s focus to include packaging, branding, retail experiences, and creative approaches to beauty.
BEAUTY&YOU India Strengthens Its Commitment to Beauty Entrepreneurship
Since its launch, BEAUTY&YOU India has worked to discover and support the next generation of beauty founders by providing resources that extend beyond financial assistance. Participants benefit from professional mentorship, beauty industry knowledge, distribution support, and strategic opportunities designed to help their businesses grow.
The initiative reflects the increasing importance of India’s beauty and personal care market, where consumer expectations, local preferences, and entrepreneurial innovation are creating opportunities for new brands. Founders are developing products and experiences that address specific consumer needs, incorporate advanced formulations, and draw inspiration from India’s diverse cultural traditions.
Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Estée Lauder Companies, highlighted India’s growing influence on the global beauty landscape and the importance of investing in emerging talent.
He said the company is impressed by India’s creativity, talent, culture, and entrepreneurial energy, as well as the country’s continuing influence on global beauty trends. According to de La Faverie, BEAUTY&YOU India’s fifth year demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to supporting emerging beauty entrepreneurs and recognizing ideas that are reshaping the industry in India and internationally.
Nadine Graf, President of The Estée Lauder Companies EUKEM, which covers Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Emerging Markets, also emphasized the diversity and ambition of India’s entrepreneurial community.
Graf noted that innovation can emerge from communities of all sizes, including smaller towns, and highlighted the contributions of female entrepreneurs building businesses across the country. She explained that understanding local consumers, culture, and needs can provide a strong foundation for successful beauty innovation.
Through mentorship, industry knowledge, and access to opportunities, The Estée Lauder Companies aims to connect Indian entrepreneurs with global expertise and help them develop brands capable of influencing the future of the beauty industry.
2026 BEAUTY&YOU India Winners Recognized Across Five Categories
The 2026 winners represent a broad range of ideas spanning personal care, skincare, fragrance, design, and women’s entrepreneurship. Each award recognizes a different aspect of innovation and business development within India’s evolving beauty ecosystem.
Laani Receives the Growth Award for Best Market Beauty Brand
Laani, founded by Nirja Bhatt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, received the Growth Award for Best Market Beauty Brand.
The brand focuses on developing effective antiperspirant and deodorant products specifically designed for India’s hot and humid climate and the needs of Indian skin. Its flagship product is a water-based, transparent antiperspirant formulated to dry quickly, leave no visible residue, and help improve the appearance of underarm pigmentation.
By addressing concerns associated with daily underarm care, Laani aims to redefine the role of essential personal care products in women’s skincare routines. Its approach highlights how a focused understanding of local consumer needs can help emerging brands identify opportunities in established product categories.
The recognition underscores the importance of developing products that combine functionality, convenience, and relevance to the everyday experiences of Indian consumers.
Boldpurity Wins the Creative Award for Best Early Makeup Concept
Boldpurity, represented by Chief Executive Officer Khatija Shabana and Director Syed Mohammad Fouzan, received the Creative Award for Best Early Makeup Concept.
The brand emphasizes a scientist-led approach to skincare, with a focus on developing patented formulations designed to improve the skin’s ability to absorb active ingredients and enhance their effectiveness.
Its approach reflects the growing intersection of scientific research and beauty product development. As consumers increasingly look for products supported by formulation expertise and ingredient knowledge, brands that combine scientific thinking with practical skincare applications are seeking to establish distinctive positions in the market.
Boldpurity’s recognition highlights the role of research-driven concepts in expanding the range of ideas being developed by India’s next generation of beauty entrepreneurs.
Goyam Green Tech Receives the Breakthrough Award for Fragrance Innovation
Goyam Green Tech, led by Directors Ajaykumar Mehta, Shriya Rambhia, and Dheer Rambhia, received the Breakthrough Award for Best Fragrance Innovation.
Presented by The Estée Lauder Companies’ Fragrance Atelier in Paris, the award recognizes innovation in fragrance development and connects emerging Indian talent with the company’s broader fragrance expertise.
Goyam Green Tech operates a green chemistry platform that uses bio-based materials and chemical technologies to develop fragrance solutions. Its work addresses different aspects of fragrance development, including formulations, dosage forms, and consumer experiences.
The award highlights the potential for sustainable chemistry and material innovation to contribute to the future of fragrance. It also creates an opportunity to connect India’s long-standing fragrance-making traditions with contemporary scientific approaches and global industry knowledge.
Through the involvement of the Paris-based Fragrance Atelier, the initiative aims to encourage knowledge exchange and support the development of new ideas within the international fragrance ecosystem.
De Icebreaker Creative Studio Receives the New Design Award
De Icebreaker Creative Studio, founded by Pankti Sheth, Founder and Creative Director, was recognized with the Design Award.
Introduced in the 2026 edition, the award celebrates creative talent with the potential to collaborate with brands under The Estée Lauder Companies. It focuses on the role of design in shaping how consumers discover, understand, and experience beauty products.
De Icebreaker Creative Studio specializes in packaging and branding design, developing culturally conscious and commercially effective creative solutions for consumer brands.
Its work aims to help businesses create meaningful consumer experiences, establish stronger connections with local audiences, and compete in international markets. The studio’s recognition reflects the growing importance of visual identity, packaging, and brand storytelling in a competitive beauty landscape.
The introduction of the Design Award also expands BEAUTY&YOU India’s scope beyond traditional product development. By recognizing creative expertise, the program acknowledges that successful beauty brands depend not only on formulations but also on how products are presented, communicated, and experienced.
Agapi Sikkim Wins the Forward Women Award
Agapi Sikkim, founded by Rinzing Choden Bhutia, received the Forward Women Award, which recognizes outstanding female entrepreneurs driving innovation and creating an impact in the beauty industry.
The Himalayan skincare and lifestyle brand focuses on providing employment and training opportunities for women in Sikkim. Through these efforts, the business seeks to create pathways for greater economic participation and independence among women in Northeast India.
Agapi Sikkim’s recognition highlights the potential for beauty entrepreneurship to support both commercial development and community-level opportunities. By connecting a regional identity with skincare and lifestyle products, the brand represents an approach to entrepreneurship that draws on local resources, knowledge, and cultural context.
The Forward Women Award is presented through the Startup India initiative and reinforces the program’s commitment to recognizing women founders whose leadership and innovation contribute to the development of India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Women’s Vision Award Continues to Support Female Founders
The 2026 edition also marks the second year of the Women’s Vision Award, which reflects the shared commitment of The Estée Lauder Companies and the Startup India initiative to supporting female entrepreneurs and expanding opportunities for women in leadership.
The award program recognizes the importance of creating an environment in which women can build, scale, and lead businesses across the beauty industry. Female founders are contributing to innovation in product development, consumer engagement, branding, and business models, while also creating employment and economic opportunities.
Shri Ateesh Kumar Singh, Deputy Secretary of the Startup India initiative at India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, praised the role of entrepreneurship in driving innovation and economic development.
Singh described India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as a powerful engine for innovation and acknowledged BEAUTY&YOU India as an important platform for supporting emerging beauty founders. He also thanked The Estée Lauder Companies for its continued contribution to fostering innovation and congratulated the award winners for demonstrating the creativity, ambition, and global potential of India’s business community.
His remarks reinforced the importance of collaboration between government initiatives and private-sector organizations in helping entrepreneurs access the resources and opportunities needed to grow.
Mumbai Event Brings Together Beauty and Industry Leaders
The 2026 BEAUTY&YOU India winners were announced at an event in Mumbai attended by senior executives from The Estée Lauder Companies, Nykaa, the Startup India initiative, and the wider creative and beauty industries.
Company leaders participating in the event included Akhil Shrivastava, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Aude Gandon, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer; René Lammers, Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer; and Nadine Graf, President of EUKEM.
The event also featured Anchit Nayar, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nykaa Beauty; Shri Ateesh Kumar Singh of the Startup India initiative; and fashion designer, artist, and designer Gaurav Gupta of Gaurav Gupta Studio.
Their participation reflected the broad range of expertise involved in supporting the next generation of beauty businesses, from finance and research to digital marketing, retail, public-sector entrepreneurship programs, and creative design.
Anchit Nayar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nykaa Beauty, said India’s beauty ecosystem is evolving rapidly, with emerging founders bringing fresh perspectives, innovative concepts, and a stronger understanding of local consumers.
He noted that Nykaa has seen how brands with clear consumer positioning and strong market understanding can establish meaningful customer relationships and develop sustainable business models. Nayar also emphasized the importance of the partnership with BEAUTY&YOU India and The Estée Lauder Companies in helping entrepreneurs bring new ideas to market and advance the Indian beauty industry.
Supporting India’s Growing Influence on Global Beauty
The 2026 BEAUTY&YOU India awards demonstrate the range of opportunities emerging across India’s beauty sector, from personal care and science-led skincare to sustainable fragrance technologies, creative branding, and community-focused entrepreneurship.
By recognizing businesses at different stages of development, the program seeks to provide entrepreneurs with access to the expertise, resources, and industry connections that can help them move from promising concepts to scalable brands.
The new Design Award further broadens this approach by highlighting the importance of creativity and consumer experience in shaping beauty brands. Meanwhile, the fragrance innovation category establishes a connection between Indian entrepreneurial talent and The Estée Lauder Companies’ international fragrance capabilities.
The company’s support for BEAUTY&YOU India also builds on more than two decades of serving Indian consumers and working with partners across the country’s beauty ecosystem. As local preferences and innovative business models continue to influence the global industry, the company aims to contribute to the development of India’s next generation of beauty leaders.
With its combination of funding opportunities, professional guidance, industry knowledge, distribution support, and strategic connections, BEAUTY&YOU India continues to position itself as a platform for emerging entrepreneurs seeking to expand their reach.
The announcement of the 2026 winners marks another step in that effort, recognizing businesses that bring new ideas, specialized expertise, and distinctive perspectives to the beauty market. As the initiative continues, its focus remains on helping Indian founders develop innovative products and experiences, strengthen their businesses, and explore opportunities beyond domestic markets.
Through its partnership with Nykaa and the Startup India initiative, The Estée Lauder Companies is reinforcing its commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in India while supporting talent that could help shape the future of the global beauty industry.
About The Estée Lauder Companies
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is a leading global manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of premium skincare, cosmetics, fragrance, and haircare products, and a manager of renowned luxury and well-known brands worldwide. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and regions, and its brands include: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM line (including The Ordinary, NIOD, Avestan, and Loopha), and Balmain Beauty.
