Lakmé — India’s first homegrown beauty brand born from a national vision.
In 1952, Jawaharlal Nehru identified a gap: India needed its own beauty brand to reduce dependence on foreign imports.
Tata Group shaped that vision into Lakmé, inspired by the French opera and rooted in the idea of Lakshmi — prosperity.
From being India’s first cosmetic brand catering to Indian skin tones and needs, to evolving under HUL into a complete beauty and fashion ecosystem, Lakmé has consistently reinvented itself.
• Established category influence through Lakmé Fashion Week
• Enabled professional growth for thousands of women via Lakmé Salons
• Adopted digital tools — virtual try-ons, creator collaborations, sustainability initiatives
Amid rising global and D2C competition, Lakmé’s next phase is clear: Premiumisation and conscious beauty.
Key takeaway: Brands become timeless when they stay connected to their roots while adapting to the language of the new era.
A legacy that began in the 1950s still has a place on India’s vanity shelves today — and that is the true power of strategic evolution.
