How Indian Stars Promote Beauty Brands
The symbiotic relationship between actors and Indian beauty brands has been around for ages. Since the era of Lux, an advertised beauty soap opera with Indian actors – Madhubala, Praveen Babi, Zeenat Aman to Juhi Chawla, Aishwarya Rai Bachhan and Kareena Kapoor Khan – has been instrumental in building a narrative around Bollywood actors as ambassadors of Indian beauty brands. no matter how humble or glamorous he is.
While this marketing strategy has worked for decades, there has been a tectonic shift in the way beauty brands are now collaborating with Bollywood celebrities. Gone are the days when being the face or the ambassador of a brand was the way to go, today the term in the spotlight is “collaboration”. They don’t just pose for a pretty picture or shoot an advertisement, but also invest in Indian beauty brands. This new era of support and collaboration is in line with these recent beauty x Bollywood collaborations.
Recently, one of the first brands to take this route wasMyGlamm, who gotShraddha Kapooron board, not only as a brand ambassador, but also as an investor in the company. “When we wanted to integrate a brand ambassador, the main thing we were looking for was a solid and authentic match between our values and the values of the celebrity. And we have found this in agreement with Shraddha. We’ve always admired Shraddha for her clean beauty and cruelty-free philosophy and the way she connects and resonates with her over 60 million Instagram followers. When Shraddha invested in MyGlamm in addition to being a brand ambassador, it showed her true belief and love for our products and our brand, and it ultimately resonated with the authenticity of her subscribers ”, shares Darpan Sanghvi , founder and CEO of MyGlamm.
These new-age synergies that exist between beauty brands and Bollywood stars can be seen in all collaborations. Jacqueline Fernandez may have been the face of the Colorbar for the past three years, but her recent collection for the brand really reflects her involvement in creating the product and not just wearing it.
A recent Zoom interaction with the Sri Lankan beauty and her makeup artist Shaan Muttathil spoke in depth about the products, their use and how fun it was to create them reflected this ideology. “Countless women follow Jacquelines’ example, to be boldly fierce and sophisticated. At Colorbar, makeup is an expression of joy and a way to celebrate life’s daring and passion. Jacqueline represents all of these values and more. We are delighted to have her on board as an Ambassador since 2019 and even more delighted with the launch of the latestJacqueline Fernandez x Colorbar Collection. This collection is an inspiration for each human being to be who they want to be and who better than Jacqueline to set an example ?, shares the founder and CEO of the brand, Samir Modi.
One actress who has had not one but two such glamorous associations in the recent past is Bhumi Pednekar. Of my embarkation as a beauty collaborator forBoddess.combecome the face ofMAC Cosmetics in India, she goes places. The relationship with GenZ’s growing audience (mainly via social media channels) is an important criterion for these collaborations. From her inspiring journey as an industry outsider, her groundbreaking choices for film roles, and her ideals of challenging conventional beauty standards, Bhumi Pednekar was a natural fit for us. At MAC, individuality and self-expression are celebrated above all else and Bhumi truly embodies it. She loves makeup and for us that was a very important criterion. More importantly, she speaks directly to our young audience of Millennials and Gen Z who see her as an inspiration, suggests Karen Thompson, Brand Manager, MAC Cosmetics India.
It’s no longer a cookie-cutter approach to beauty. These Bollywood stars are not just selling a product, but also raising questions about inclusiveness. This is why Taapsee Pannu and his intrepid cinema brand fit perfectly into the SUGAR Cosmetics concept for the #BoldAndFree campaign. “What makes Taapsee such a clutter-breaking talent is the versatility that has helped her take on different roles with ease – no different from SUGARs products which are designed to fit and adapt to all skin tones. Indians, which makes consumers feel beautiful in their own skin. Collaborating with Taapsee as the face of the campaign amplified the brand’s reach to a wide audience, ”shares Vineeta Singh, CEO and co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics.
So while we continue to see the prettiest faces of Bollywood in the digital campaigns of the booming beauty brands in India, the approach definitely goes beyond face value.
