India quick-commerce beauty sales near $1bn as premium products gain share

Beauty and personal-care sales on India’s quick-commerce platforms are growing about 90% year on year, with more than 30 million monthly shoppers. Premium and masstige products account for 59% of channel spending, while digitally native brands lead in sunscreen and face serums.

— Source publishedFri, 24 Jul, 2026, 09:13 IST·First seen Fri, 24 Jul, 2026, 11:26 IST·Source ET Brand Equity

What happened

India quick commerce beauty and personal care market · India’s quick-commerce beauty and personal care sales are nearing $1 billion annually, led by premium

Key facts

  • Annualised beauty and personal care sales across quick-commerce platforms are approaching $1 billion
  • Beauty and personal care sales on quick commerce are growing about 90% year-on-year
  • More than 30 million shoppers buy beauty and personal care products monthly via quick commerce
  • Quick commerce accounts for about 5% of India's beauty and personal care market
  • Quick-commerce share is projected to reach 10-12% by 2031
  • Shampoo and face cleansers have each crossed Rs 200 crore in GMV
  • Sunscreens and face serums have each reached Rs 50 crore GMV
  • Mass products represent 63% of the overall market but 40% of quick-commerce GMV
  • Masstige and premium products represent 59% of quick-commerce spending versus 37% of the broader market
  • Digitally native brands account for about 80% of sunscreen and 86% of face-serum sales on quick commerce
  • Legacy brands account for 74% of shampoo sales
  • Legacy brands contribute nearly two-thirds of BPC spending and operate at about 1.7 times the scale of digitally native brands
  • 77% of products sold are packs of up to 100gm/ml
  • Top 10 brands account for 25% of BPC GMV; the next 65 brands contribute 50%

Why this matters

Prioritize partnerships or acquisitions in digitally native sunscreen and serum brands, where quick commerce is accelerating premiumization and consumer discovery.

What to watch

  • Beauty GMV growth versus overall quick-commerce GMV, especially whether the current roughly 90% growth sustains for multiple quarters.
  • Premium and masstige share of quick-commerce beauty spending; a rise above 59% would confirm premiumization rather than convenience-led mass growth.
  • Monthly beauty shopper growth beyond 30 million and repeat-purchase rates for skincare and sun care.
  • Expansion of dark-store networks and beauty assortment depth outside the top five metro areas.
  • Platform moves toward dedicated beauty storefronts, sampling, consultations, subscriptions, loyalty benefits or beauty-specific delivery slots.
  • Changes in average order value, discount intensity, brand-funded trade spend and contribution margins.
  • Share gains by digital-native brands in sunscreen and face serums relative to multinational and legacy Indian incumbents.
  • Regulatory or consumer pushback on delivery economics, discounting, product authenticity or cosmetic-storage conditions.
  • Build quick-commerce-specific assortments around high-frequency and urgent missions: SPF, serums, acne care, hair styling, deodorants, minis, travel sizes and gifting.
  • Create premium starter kits, trial bundles and replenishment packs priced for app-based impulse conversion rather than replicating general trade packs.
  • Prioritize inventory placement, fill-rate and real-time availability in top metro micro-markets; stockouts will disproportionately redirect customers to substitutes.
  • Treat platform search, sponsored listings, ratings, creator content and in-app sampling as a combined digital shelf investment.
  • Use rapid channel data to identify neighborhood-level premium demand, then tailor assortment, pack size and promotions by catchment.
  • Protect margins with exclusive SKUs, bundles and controlled discount ladders instead of matching broad marketplace promotions.
  • Prepare a channel conflict plan for distributors, specialty beauty retail and owned D2C sites as quick-commerce platforms seek exclusives and faster launch access.

Also reported by