Start-ups fuel India's growing love for skincare

[kafa88]

I've used all these slot sunscreens on my sensitive, oily, acne-prone skin. Ask me anything," reads a popular post on r/IndianSkincareAddicts, a Reddit group formed in 2018, which now has nearly 45,000 members.

The accompanying photo features 18 different sunscreen bottles from Indian, Western and Korean brands.Below it is a rigorous discussion on each product's consistency, texture, sweat and water resistance. A far cry from 10 years ago, when sunscreens barely registered in the Indian consumer's mind despite the country's hot summers.

The skincare market in India has been dominated by legacy brands from companies such as Hindustan Unilever, Himalaya Wellness, Emami and Nivea for decades.Western brands such as L'Oréal arrived in the 1990s after the Indian economy opened itself up to foreign players.But the creams and cleansers on offer had little to distinguish themselves from each other besides price, packaging and Ayurvedic roots (or lack thereof).