Nykaa and Estée Lauder collaborate on Beauty&You India 2025

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (ELC) today announced the launch of the fourth edition of Beauty&You India, an initiative designed to discover and propel the next generation of India-focused beauty entrepreneurs. Created by New Incubation Ventures (NIV), ELC’s early-stage investment and incubation arm, the program offers financial support and industry expertise to entrepreneurs shaping the future of skin care, makeup, hair care, and fragrance in India. Under the theme "Beauty Frontiers," the program celebrates bold ideas and emerging talent reimagining India's beauty landscape. Applications are now open through August 24, 2025.

Nykaa, a pioneer in India’s beauty industry, returns as the lead partner for this year’s edition, reaffirming its role in shaping the country’s evolving beauty narrative. The program also features Startup India as a partner, following a Memorandum of Understanding between ELC and the Government of India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), marking a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a global beauty company and Startup India.

Nadine Graf, president, Europe, UK & Ireland, and Emerging Markets, The Estée Lauder Companies, emphasised India's role as a dynamic market and a global force for innovation and entrepreneurship. She stated, “Through BEAUTY&YOU India, we have seen firsthand how ideas rooted in culture and courage can shape the future of beauty. This year, I am especially proud that the program will launch a new Visionary Women’s Award—a tribute to the ambition, ingenuity, and leadership of women founders. Supporting them is more than an opportunity: it’s a responsibility we embrace with purpose.”

Sanjiv Singh, joint secretary, DPIIT, highlighted the significance of public-private partnerships in advancing innovation and strengthening India’s startup ecosystem, expressing pleasure in extending Startup India’s support to Beauty&You India 2025.

Falguni Nayar, executive chairperson, MD & CEO of Nykaa, commented on Nykaa's decade-long role in shaping India's beauty ecosystem, stating, “As lead partner for BEAUTY&YOU India 2025, we are proud to extend that ecosystem to early-stage founders through a program designed to transform bold ideas into scalable, future-facing brands. In collaboration with The Estée Lauder Companies, this initiative offers the resources, network, and credibility needed to empower the next generation of beauty entrepreneurs.”

Rohan Vaziralli, general manager, The Estée Lauder Companies, India, added that Beauty&You India reflects ELC's ambition to actively shape the future of beauty in India, becoming a national engine for beauty entrepreneurship with the support of Startup India and DPIIT.

The expanded prize program offers winners financial support from a prize pool of up to 500,000 dollars across four award categories: Grow (best in-market brands), Imagine (best pre-launch concepts), Breakthrough (leading innovations in beauty), and the new Visionary Women's Award, presented with Startup India, recognizing outstanding women entrepreneurs. In addition to monetary awards, winners will receive one-on-one mentorship from global beauty and business leaders, brand-building and distribution support through Nykaa’s ecosystem, and national visibility and strategic opportunities via Startup India, including participation in Startup Mahakumbh.

Since its launch in 2022, the contest has received over 1,500 applications from more than 150 cities across India and globally, with a majority from women entrepreneurs. Finalists for this year’s program will be announced in September and will present their concepts to a panel of industry experts in October in Mumbai.