India-based beauty expansion: Unilever subsidiary to acquire Minimalist brand
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced it will acquire over 90% of India-based brand Minimalist. The skin care and hair care brand claims to combine beauty and actives-led science under the tagline “hide nothing.”
Unilever’s subsidiary has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the actives-led beauty brand, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.
Mohit Yadav and Rahul Yadav say they founded the brand in 2020 to introduce a transparent Indian beauty range that was “trusted and loved on a global scale.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve received in India. Now, with HUL’s robust offline distribution network, we look forward to making our products even more accessible across the country. This partnership also paves the way for our expansion into international markets, helping us realize our dream of taking Minimalist to the world.”
Planned expansion
HUL will acquire a 90.5% stake in the company through a combination of secondary buyouts and primary infusion, with a path to acquiring the balance stake in two years. The current Minimalist team led by Mohit and Rahul will continue to operate the business in collaboration with HUL.
The Indian fast-moving consumer goods company, headquartered in Mumbai, expresses excitement for the new addition to its Beauty & Wellbeing portfolio.
Rohit Jawa, CEO and managing director at HUL, says: “This acquisition is another key step to growing our Beauty & Wellbeing portfolio in high-growth premium demand spaces. Mohit, Rahul and the team have created a great brand built on science, product efficacy and transparency.”
HUL highlights that Minimalist has experienced profitable growth since its inception. The brand scaled to cross an annual revenue run rate of ₹500 crore (US$57.85 million) in four years.
Ritesh Tiwari, executive director of finance and IT and CFO at HUL adds, “We are excited to partner with the Minimalist team to unlock value through synergies and scale the brand to greater heights by leveraging our complementary capabilities.”
India’s natural beauty
Earlier this month, Personal Care Insights spoke to Dr. Shuvo Datta, senior manager of tech and innovation at Lucid Colloids, an ingredient manufacturer specializing in guar gum powder, at COSME Tokyo 2025. Datta highlighted India’s natural resources for cosmetic applications.
“Rooted in India, we support guar bean farming through responsible sourcing and cultivation. Guar beans are native to India and generally used as vegetables.”
India is the largest producer of guar gum and guar bean plants are primarily grown in the northwestern parts of the country. Guar gum has inherent binding properties that are used to make emulsions and thicken formulations.
