The D2C beauty space is becoming a beast in India and SEA

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Hi readers,

I am not an expert in cosmetics, but the makeup videos on Instagram always intrigue me.

Now my social media feed is full of direct-to-consumer beauty brands, and I always end up buying a product or two each month just to try them out. In fact, I’ve been buying all my beauty and personal care items from online sources since the pandemic began.

The D2C beauty sector in India means serious business, and companies like Flipkart are now adopting new technologies like a virtual try-on feature for makeup.

There is a similar craze for digital beauty brands in Southeast Asia too. While startups have not been able to raise a lot of venture funds, the opportunity is clearly there.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the D2C beauty sector can become a beast in India and Southeast Asia alike.

— Samreen Ahmad, journalist at Tech in Asia

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