What does it take to build a disruptive D2C beauty and personal care brand in India? Experts discuss

India's estimated $25 billion beauty and personal care market is getting a makeover. And, the stylists are new-age D2C brands, who are online-first, making buying off the shelf passé. With click-and-order, virtual try-ons, shade-finder tools, beauty masterclasses and much more, these conscious sellers are also scouring the forests for natural extracts and finding ways to make products cleaner. They are also keen to 'personalise' personal care via social media and through online communities.

By 2025, 110 million Indians could be shopping online for beauty and personal care products, up four times from the current 25 million — turning the online personal care and beauty opportunity into a $4.4 billion market.

And it's not just the consumers who are smitten by this direct-to-consumer revolution. Between 2014 and 2020, venture capital investors have pumped in $1.4 billion into D2C brands. Of them, 54 percent went into beauty and fashion segment. Some of the world's largest FMCG brands figure among the investors, with many of them even acquiring these fast-growing startups.