Wipro and Amorepacific deals signal India’s rise as premium beauty hub

The Indian beauty market is commanding global attention, with major brands investing in the region’s fast-growing industry. The country has become unignorable as a growth lever for premium and digital, youth-targeted skin care. 

One of the latest moves exemplifying this momentum is Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting announcing the acquisition of the made-in-India brand, Dermatouch. The deal marks Wipro Consumer Care’s entry into India’s expanding premium skin care market. 

Additionally, Amorepacific’s beauty brand Mamonde has stepped up its expansion into the Indian market with an exclusive launch on Nykaa, India’s largest beauty and lifestyle platform. The entrance into the online retailer targets Indian Gen Z and millennials, who have been shown to be a lucrative opportunity in the digital beauty sphere. 

The new business moves reveal the most recent strategies of a sustained deal flow in India’s cosmetics industry this year. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, the country’s beauty industry is projected to grow from US$28 billion in 2024 to US$35 billion by 2028.

Dermatologist-recommended growth 

Wipro Consumer Care will acquire a 60% stake in Dermatouch, valuing the business at ₹3.88 billion (US$40 million). The company will buy the remaining 40% over the next three years.

Wipro calls Dermatouch one of India’s fastest-growing, science-backed, premium skin care brands. Premium skin care is among the key categories fueling the country’s cosmetics surge, according to Triune Exhibitors Private Limited (TEPL).

Dermatouch is built around skin concerns such as pigmentation, acne, brightening, and sun protection. It is positioned around the shift in skin care buying, where consumers choose products for proven efficacy.Nykaa gives Mamonde direct access to India’s Gen Z and millennial shoppers. 

The brand sold approximately 60,000 products a month two years ago and has now grown to over 60,000 products daily, according to Wipro Consumer Care. The FMGC company also reports that Dermatouch’s products are gaining strong consumer acceptance and being increasingly recommended by dermatologists. The brand offers skin care formats such as face washes, soaps, serums, creams, moisturizers, and sunscreens. 

The beauty brand has built its presence through its direct-to-consumer platform, online marketplaces, and an expanding offline retail network. It posted revenue of ₹1.31 billion (US$13.6 million) in fiscal 2026, ended March 31, up 114% year-over-year. 

Personal Care Insights recently reported on how India’s beauty and personal care market surpassed US$30 billion, fueled by rising incomes, urbanization, and the boom of e-commerce. 

“The global beauty industry is increasingly looking toward India not merely as a consumer market but as a strategic hub for innovation, manufacturing, and product development,” said Ceyril Pereira, managing director at TEPL.

Wipro Consumer Care says it is focused on building leadership in high-growth consumer categories by expanding into segments where consumers are increasingly seeking effective, dermatologist-recommended solutions backed by science and efficacy. 

Kumar Chander, CEO of Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, says: “Dermatouch represents an exciting opportunity for us as our first foray into digital brands. We have been clear that we would only look at digital brands that have the potential to expand offline, which Dermatouch has already proven. The brand has earned significant consumer trust in a short span of time, and we see considerable potential to scale it further by combining its innovation-led approach with Wipro’s capabilities.”

Mamonde lands on Nykaa 

Nykaa serves as a core retail channel in India, hosting major global and local brands. Amorepacific’s K-beauty brand Mamonde will offer a total of 10 products exclusively on the website. The expansion targets Gen Z and millennials in India’s rapidly growing skin care and K-beauty market.

Innova Market Insights’ project lead for Beauty and Personal Care previously told Personal Care Insights that K-beauty is set to benefit from India’s “expansive Gen Z and millennial audience.”

Mamonde’s strategy aims to broaden its consumer base by enhancing product accessibility in a local K-beauty landscape largely defined by premium brands. Dermatouch now sells more than 60,000 products a day across online and offline channels. 

Earlier this year, the Innova project lead said: “India offers a high-growth potential for K-beauty expansion, which has not been penetrated yet but has strong capabilities of online expansion through e-commerce and quick-commerce channels.” 

At the time, she explained that Amorepacific’s potential success in the country is likely to stem from its e-commerce partnerships. “Local platforms are indispensable when it comes to marketing brand visibility and awareness among the Indian audiences,” she told us. That is exactly the route the South Korean cosmetics company has now taken. 

Mamonde is tailoring its lineup to the skin concerns of local consumers, including dry skin, excess sebum, and enlarged pores associated with climatic and environmental conditions. It has done so through an analysis of environmental factors such as intense UV radiation, high temperatures, and seasonal humidity fluctuations.

“India is one of our key global markets with immense growth potential. By offering products designed for local skin needs and climate conditions at reasonable prices, we look forward to making K-beauty accessible to more consumers,” says a Mamonde representative

The launch centers on Mamonde’s Rose HA (hyaluronic acid) and Peony BHA (beta hydroxy acid) lines, with plans to expand consumer touchpoints and build local brand awareness. The two solutions are formulated to address the identified regional skin needs. 

The Rose HA line contains Damask rose extract and five types of hyaluronic acid with varying molecular sizes to hydrate and promote smooth, glowing skin. The Peony BHA line features peony extract and BHA to help manage pores and oil while supporting skin elasticity.

“Building on Mamonde’s 30 years of floral ingredient research and skin care technology, we will continue to deliver distinct product offerings and brand experiences to consumers in India,” says a Mamonde representative. 

Multinationals move in 

Neither deal is an outlier. Multinationals and domestic retailers have spent the past year buying into Indian brands and building infrastructure on the ground, and a new trade agreement is set to make the market cheaper to enter. Mamonde tailors its Rose HA and Peony BHA lines to Indian skin concerns. 

L’Oréal recently signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Innovist, a digital-first Indian personal care house of brands. The move is part of L’Oréal’s planned expansion in India’s fast-growing beauty industry. “Our investment in this innovative Indian start-up is a clear testament to our unwavering commitment to expanding L’Oréal’s footprint in India,” said Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal. 

Similarly, Unilever announced the opening of a fragrance hub in Mumbai, India. The consumer goods conglomerate called India is one of the most lively fragrance markets globally. It cited the country’s rapidly changing consumer preferences and growing demand for premium products.

Domestically, Indian online retail giants, such as Reliance Retail, have made moves to capture the growing e-commerce space that has funneled access into beauty. The platform expanded its fashion platform, Ajio, to include skin care, makeup, hair care, and fragrances. The new platform, Ajio Beauty, combines Ajio’s digital reach with the skin care know-how of Tira — Reliance Retail’s omnichannel beauty business. 

Last month, the UK and India officially entered their free trade agreement (FTA). Under the deal, tariffs on beauty and personal care products, which previously reached up to 22%, will either be eliminated immediately or over a period of up to 10 years. The FTA is predicted to lower the price of cosmetics and boost the already accelerating Indian beauty market.