The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has announced the four winners of its Beauty & You India 2025 initiative.
The scheme aims to spotlight early-stage beauty entrepreneurs driving innovation across India’s dynamic personal care market.
Now in its fourth year, the programme – run in partnership with Startup India and beauty retailer Nykaa – offers winners a blend of financial support, mentorship, distribution support and access to both local and global retail ecosystems.
Since its inception, the competition has attracted applications from nearly 2,500 entries from over 150 cities across India, with a strong representation of female-founded and women-led businesses.
2025’s finalists were evaluated by a panel of beauty and business leaders, including Stéphane de La Faverie, President and CEO, The Estée Lauder Companies, Nivruti Rai, CEO of Invest India and Anchit Nayar, executive director and CEO of Nykaa Beauty.
De La Faverie said the winners “reflect the incredible creativity, ambition, and innovation shaping one of the world’s most dynamic markets”.
The initiative places ELC at the forefront of India’s rapidly evolving beauty landscape, offering the company insight into consumer trends and innovation while nurturing the next generation of beauty entrepreneurs.
Previous Beauty & You award winners have gone on to secure venture funding, retail listings and national media coverage, including appearances on Shark Tank India.
Nayar said: “This initiative reflects our [Nykaa and ELC’s] shared commitment to empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs who will define the future of Indian beauty, both at home and on the global stage.”
Beauty & You India 2025 – Meet the winners
Antinorm – Grow Award Winner
A climate-responsive brand focused on multitasking skin care for busy urban consumers, Antinorm, founded by Aparna Saxena, took home the Grow Award.
This award celebrates brands that are already available to consumers and showing commercial promise.
Mimiq – Imagine Award Winner
Mimiq, founded by Harsha Soundararajan, offers high-performance complexion products for those with visible skin differences, such as vitiligo.
The Imagine Award celebrates the best pre-launch beauty concept.
Hitech Formulations – Breakthrough Award Winner
Jaspreet Singh Gulati’s Hitech Formulation has been named 2025’s Breakthrough Award winner for its encapsulation technology, which delivers formulations for pigmentation, anti-ageing, and antioxidant–driven skin care.
This award places focus on the biggest industry innovations.
Sohrai – Visionary Women’s Award
Sohrai delivers high-performance products formulated with Mahua, an indigenous ingredient.
The brand, co-founded by Khanak Gupta, sources the ingredient through local partnerships, creating opportunities for tribal communities and women.
New for 2025, the Visionary Women’s Award celebrates female founders building businesses with social impact.