Katrina Kaif – Kay Beauty

Brand: Kay Beauty
Category: Makeup & Beauty
Launched: 2019
Founder: Katrina Kaif, in partnership with Nykaa

Brand Story

Kay Beauty was created to build a beauty brand around Katrina Kaif’s experience with makeup and her understanding of Indian consumers. The brand focuses on makeup that combines performance with skin-friendly positioning and is designed for a wide range of Indian skin tones.

Business Strategy

1. Celebrity + Business Partnership
Katrina brings celebrity recognition, personal branding and consumer trust, while Nykaa contributes beauty-industry expertise, distribution and retail infrastructure.

2. Premium but Accessible
The brand sits between mass-market and luxury beauty. The strategy is to offer a premium-looking product without making the pricing extremely exclusive.

3. Inclusive Product Range
A major focus is creating shades and products suitable for different Indian skin tones and beauty preferences.

4. Product Expansion
Instead of depending on one hero product, Kay Beauty expanded across:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Lip products
• Eyes
• Blush
• Highlighter
• Nail products
• Other makeup categories

5. Omnichannel Distribution
The brand uses online beauty platforms as well as physical retail, allowing customers to discover and purchase products through multiple channels.

Marketing Strategy

Celebrity-led marketing: Katrina remains an important face of the brand, creating instant awareness.

Influencer marketing: Beauty creators and makeup influencers demonstrate products, shades and application techniques.

Tutorial content: Makeup tutorials help customers understand how to actually use the products.

Inclusive campaigns: The brand promotes individuality, confidence and different forms of beauty rather than presenting one fixed beauty standard.

Social media: Instagram and other digital platforms are used for product launches, tutorials, campaigns, reviews and creator collaborations.

Product-focused campaigns: Instead of only selling Katrina’s celebrity image, campaigns highlight product performance, shades, ingredients and benefits.

Core Business Formula

Katrina’s celebrity power + Nykaa’s beauty expertise + strong distribution + influencer marketing + inclusive positioning = Kay Beauty

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Kriti Sanon – Hyphen

Brand: Hyphen
Category: Skincare
Launched: 2023
Co-founder: Kriti Sanon

Brand Story

Hyphen was created as a skincare brand focused on everyday consumers. Kriti Sanon is involved not just as the celebrity face but as a co-founder, with the brand focusing on products designed around common skincare needs.

Business Strategy

1. Problem-Solving Products
Instead of simply selling a celebrity-branded skincare product, Hyphen focuses on specific consumer concerns such as hydration, pigmentation, barrier care and overall skin health.

2. Mass-Premium Positioning
The brand tries to sit between very cheap mass-market products and expensive luxury skincare.

The objective is to make good-quality skincare accessible to a wider audience.

3. D2C-First Model
The brand initially focused heavily on its own online platform.

This gives the company greater control over:

• Customer experience
• Product presentation
• Customer feedback
• Marketing
• Consumer data
• New product launches

4. Celebrity Involvement
Kriti’s role goes beyond endorsement. She has been positioned as a co-founder and involved in customer-focused aspects of the business.

5. Product Expansion
Hyphen can build a larger skincare ecosystem through:

• Serums
• Moisturisers
• Sunscreens
• Cleansers
• Lip care
• Masks
• Other skincare products

Marketing Strategy

Celebrity-led awareness: Kriti gives the brand immediate visibility and helps generate initial consumer trust.

Influencer marketing: Skincare creators demonstrate products and share their experiences.

Educational content: Content explains ingredients, skincare concerns, product benefits and how to use products.

Problem → Solution Marketing:
Instead of simply saying “Kriti uses this,” the communication focuses on:

Problem → Product → Ingredients → Benefits → Result

Social Media: Instagram, YouTube and short-form video content are important for product discovery and education.

Reviews & User-generated Content: Customer reviews and creator experiences help build credibility beyond Kriti’s celebrity image.

Digital-first growth: Online marketing, influencers and D2C sales help the brand reach younger skincare consumers.

Long-Term Strategy

The bigger goal is to build Hyphen as a consumer skincare brand rather than keeping it dependent only on Kriti Sanon’s celebrity identity.

The strategy can be summarised as:

Kriti’s celebrity reach + D2C + affordable premium pricing + skincare education + influencer marketing + product innovation = Hyphen

Simple Difference

Kay Beauty: Celebrity + Nykaa + Makeup + Omnichannel + Inclusive beauty

Hyphen: Celebrity + D2C + Skincare + Education + Problem-solving products