In an exclusive interview with BW Retail World, Colors Queen Co-founder Nitin Panjwani discusses the brand’s phenomenal growth, commitment to inclusive beauty, & expansion into new markets
Q: How would you describe the brand’s journey so far—from inception to becoming a recognised player in India’s affordable cosmetics space?
We began in 2014 with just 12 products, building an offline presence from the ground up. Our founding team had deep insights into the pulse of the Indian cosmetics market, especially in understanding colour palettes suited to Indian skin tones.
The success of any makeup brand lies in its colour selection and product suitability for local complexions—and that’s been our mantra from day one. Today, we have around 800 products covering nearly 2,800 SKUs, across face, lip, eye, nail, hair, and skin categories.
From our humble beginnings, we’ve now expanded to 300 cities, and last year, we opened our first company-owned kiosk. For us, the journey has always been about reaching new customers, new cities, and exploring new business channels.
Q: India’s beauty sector is highly competitive, with legacy and new-age D2C brands competing fiercely. What have been your biggest challenges?
You’re right—it’s an extremely competitive category. Our biggest strength, however, has been our consumers and their trust in our product quality. Our D2C website sees a 45 per cent repeat customer rate, which motivates us to innovate every year.
In the early days, the customer acquisition cost was high. But our strong offline penetration—63,000 touchpoints across 300 cities—helped balance that. We have a 400-member sales team that reaches even tier 4 cities.
So rather than seeing it as a challenge, I’d call it a strength—our organic growth and brand loyalty stem directly from consumer acceptance and satisfaction.
Q: Do your sales come primarily from online or offline channels?
It’s predominantly offline for us. About 70 per cent of our business comes from offline channels, while 30 per cent comes from e-commerce and other retail avenues. But our e-commerce share is growing rapidly—we’ve seen nearly 100 per cent year-on-year growth online.
Q: Consumers are shifting towards clean beauty, personalisation, and inclusive shade ranges. How do you see this change?
Indian consumers today are far more aware of what suits their skin. The earlier obsession with “fairness” has faded—now people want the perfect base that matches their tone and texture.
We’ve always believed in offering products that celebrate diversity and empower consumers to express their individuality rather than conform to outdated ideals.
Q: How is Colors Queen aligning itself with this evolving mindset through product innovation and marketing?
Clean beauty has been part of our DNA since 2014, long before it became a buzzword. For example, our first lipstick launch featured Vitamin E and Jojoba Oil, and our nail polish—based on a French formula—has been toxin-free since inception.
In 2018, we expanded into skincare with products like our anti-dust facial cleanser, designed specifically to address Indian environmental conditions such as pollution and humidity.
For us, it’s always been about skin-first makeup, cruelty-free and toxin-free formulations, and keeping beauty conscious and responsible.
Q: What have been the key growth drivers and revenue milestones for the brand?
The lip category, especially lipsticks, remains our strongest driver. Colors Queen and lipsticks are almost synonymous!
Regionally, North India—Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan—accounts for around 40–45 per cent of our business. But we’ve also built a strong presence in South, East, and West India, ensuring a truly national footprint.
Q: India’s diversity in skin tones and climate is immense. How do you ensure your R&D caters to such varied needs?
India’s diversity is our biggest inspiration. Every product we launch is developed with inclusivity at its heart. For instance, our new Cushion Foundation comes in five shades—from fair to dusky—to cater to all Indian complexions.
We never launch a category with fewer than 18 shades, ensuring we cover every tone from reds and plums to nudes and deep maroons. For us, beauty is not one-size-fits-all—it’s “affordable beauty for all.”
Our goal has always been to make luxury accessible—offering high-quality, aspirational products at prices that suit India’s mass market, especially in tier 2 and 3 cities.
Q: What are your expansion priorities for FY26–27?
We’re already present in the UAE, and from 2026 onwards, our focus will increasingly shift toward international markets.
Domestically, we plan to double our offline numbers while expanding e-commerce through platforms like Nykaa, Flipkart, and Amazon, along with our own D2C website, which is extremely consumer-friendly.
We’re also investing in more company-owned kiosks (COCOs) to strengthen brand presence and provide a direct experience to consumers.
