Teens in India have come a long way from occasionally “borrowing” their mothers’ lipsticks to adding ultra-matte hydra-satin bio-glow lip whip to their carts based on their Instagram recommendations.
Make-up is no longer a simple purchase made on special occasions at your nearest beauty store as a rite of passage. Influencers on Instagram recommend it, trends dictate it, and electronic or quick commerce delivers it. Swiss Beauty is trying to ensure that this process remains affordable for everyone.
An Indian brand inspired by beauty standards from Switzerland, Swiss Beauty is known for its trend-first, affordable range of makeup and skincare-infused makeup products. According to Economic Times Retail, the 13-year-old brand reported a revenue of Rs 425 crore in FY24, up 40% from the previous year. The company aims to double its target to Rs 800 crore by FY26.
Shalini Kochar, assistant vice president, marketing at Swiss Beauty, opens up about the brand’s multi-generational appeal, its sub-brand strategy, and why the future of beauty marketing lies in being “relatable” rather than “gimmicky”.
Target audience and sub-brands
Kochar starts by demarcating her target audience. “We cater to Gen Alpha (teenagers up to 15 years), Gen Z (15-29 years), Millennials (30-45 years), and even to a generation ahead of them. So I can safely say people from 18 to 35-plus are who we are catering to right now.”
She also notes that the brand architecture is divided into distinct categories to serve these varied age groups: Swiss Beauty, Swiss Beauty Select and Swiss Beauty Care. Each of these sub-brands has its own dedicated Instagram page.
Swiss Beauty: It “is absolutely operating with a mass base”, catering to a younger audience that has just begun their tryst with makeup. Mainly Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z.
Swiss Beauty Select: A more refined range of makeup products aimed at “someone who has just got their first job or who is now mature enough to experiment with makeup”. This sub-brand is aimed at older Gen Z, around the age of 25.
Swiss Beauty Care: Meant for an audience ranging from age 18 to 45, this sub-brand offers makeup products infused with skincare and skincare products, with a focus on CTM (Cleanse-Tone-Moisturise).
When asked about regional strongholds, Kochar points out that, “beauty generally anyway, has been North dominant. And for us also, whatever trends we have seen in the past few years have been North-centric”.
What it means to be trend-first
Staying ahead of the curve isn’t just a goal; it is Swiss Beauty’s identity, claims Kochar. “Swiss Beauty is very trend-forward,” she promises. “You will see it, and we will have it.”
A prime example of this agility is their viral ‘Jellyverse’ range. “It’s a shimmer stick you can use to put glitter on your eyes. But the beautiful part is that it’s very pocket-friendly and has a cooling impact.”
The brand continues to bet big on the shimmer movement, viewing it as a daily staple rather than a luxury. “Glitter was one of the biggest trends,” Kochar notes, highlighting products like ‘Born to Dazzle Glitter Spray’ as the answer to how an “everyday girl” adds that extra touch to her life.
Looking ahead, she notes, the brand’s roadmap is dictated by the pulse of the market. “Swiss Beauty leads by example,” she adds, confirming that their pipeline is packed with New Product Developments (NPDs) built specifically on “trends, requirements, and functionality – what our customer is looking for.”
Swiss Beauty x Friends
While some iconic TV shows from the past have recently made a brief comeback for nostalgia marketing with anniversary specials, the last time Friends did that was back in 2021, so why a 2026 collaboration with a TV show from 1994?
Explaining the choice of collab for their latest campaign called Swiss Beauty Craze: The One Where We Glam Up, Kochar says, “We wanted to connect with something evergreen. And what’s better than Friends, because it’s iconic and it cuts across generations.”
According to Kochar, since Swiss Beauty is a multi-generation brand, its collaboration with a TV show cherished across generations makes logical sense.
Beyond just a product launch, it’s about creating memorabilia. “We firmly believe that these kinds of properties also give a very collectable offering to our audience, to gift loved ones.”
“This is just a start,” claims Kochar, hinting that there may be other collaborations in the pipeline under the Swiss Beauty Craze umbrella. “You’ll see we are moving into other kinds of collaborations also.”
Media mix and quick commerce for revenue growth
Addressing the evolution of marketing, Kochar observes that even digital platforms like Meta are now “falling under the traditional bracket”. To stand out, Swiss Beauty is pivoting toward a strategy that is experiential first.
“We want to be closer to our audience because I think the audience has become intelligent. Now they don’t want gimmicky ads where you’re just prescribing them something,” she notes, emphasising the need for relatable, high-value content over aggressive push-marketing.
Influencers remain a non-negotiable pillar of this ecosystem. Kochar points out that Instagram specifically has become a discovery engine where “so many brands have grown from and become Rs 100 crore brands”.
By prioritising these partnerships and experiential events, the brand aims to create a 360-degree loop that moves beyond standard ATL (Above The Line) and BTL (Below The Line) marketing activities that target masses and niche groups, respectively.
This digital-first approach is also finding fulfilment in the rapid delivery space. When asked about the brand’s performance on quick commerce, Kochar’s response is “amazing”, citing a high level of confidence from e-commerce and quick commerce partners.
“We are very, very bullish on our online growth,” she says, identifying it as a “critical business lever” to hit the ambitious Rs 800 crore revenue target the brand is currently chasing for 2026.
Swiss Beauty products are available on Swiggy InstaMart, Blinkit and Zepto for as low as Rs 60.
Whether it’s through viral glitter sticks or ’90s TV show nostalgia, Swiss Beauty is betting that the quickest way to a consumer’s heart—and an Rs 800 crore balance sheet—is to stay exactly one click ahead of the next big trend.