Umashan Naidoo, Head of Customer and Beauty at Westside, talks in an exclusive interview about building a fashion-first beauty business, and decoding India’s fast-evolving beauty consumer
Westside’s evolution from a trusted apparel retailer into a holistic lifestyle destination has been swift and strategic. At the centre of this transformation is its rapidly expanding beauty portfolio. In this conversation with BW Businessworld, Umashan Naidoo, Head of Customer & Beauty at Westside, outlines how the brand is leveraging its fashion DNA, supply chain control and deep consumer insight to build a differentiated, accessible beauty ecosystem in India. Edited excerpts.
Westside has steadily expanded its beauty portfolio. What is the strategic vision behind positioning beauty as a core growth driver?
Westside remains an apparel brand, but more importantly, it is a lifestyle brand—a house of labels that oscillates between contemporary and modern. Fashion is about newness and trends, and our role is to interpret global trends and land them quickly for the Indian consumer.
Beauty was a natural extension. Why should the customer not complete her entire look with us? From apparel to lipstick, kajal or fragrance, we wanted to create a seamless, safe space where she can explore and express herself.
How does Westside differentiate itself in a highly competitive beauty market?
We focus on value rather than price. Value is the overall experience—the store environment, curated collections, ease of shopping and lifestyle integration.
Unlike many brands, we own our supply chain end-to-end. This allows us to control design, formulation and delivery across both apparel and beauty. Our strategy is retail-first; the store is our billboard. We offer consistency and then surprise customers with trend-led innovation.
How did the beauty journey begin, and what were the initial challenges?
Our beauty journey is rooted in heritage. We started with Studiowest, combining in-house developments and external brands.
When I took over, I believed we should fully own beauty just as we do fashion. That meant controlling formulations, packaging and innovation. It wasn’t easy—volumes were high, and scaling required patience. We began with fragrances, which now contribute nearly 40 per cent of the business.
Why were fragrances the starting point?
Fragrance was a no-brainer. In India, deodorants were functional and often lacked aspirational value. We wanted to elevate the category—create beautiful, globally inspired fragrances that felt luxurious but delivered strong value.
We collaborated with leading fragrance houses in the south of France and invested heavily in product development. The response has been phenomenal.
How did Westside approach colour cosmetics and skincare?
We partnered with global experts to ensure compliance and quality. The aim was to democratise beauty—offer products that perform as well as global benchmarks but are accessible.
COVID-19 accelerated experimentation. Consumers became less brand-loyal and more open to trying multiple products. That allowed us to introduce diverse formulations, textures and packaging.
In skincare, we followed trends like Vitamin C and now focus on skin barrier health. Our newer products combine cosmetic appeal with functional benefits—what I call “do-good” formulations.
How important is localisation, especially for Indian skin tones?
It is critical. Understanding Indian skin tones, undertones and preferences was a learning curve. We invested years in getting it right.
Our products are designed to suit Indian consumers—whether it is colour palettes or formulations. That’s one of the reasons we’ve built strong trust.
Zudio Beauty has created significant buzz. What’s driving its success?
Zudio Beauty democratises trends further. It targets Gen Z with highly accessible yet well-formulated products. There’s a misconception that affordability equals low quality—that’s not true.
We apply the same standards—compliance, formulation and manufacturing—as Westside. The difference lies in scale and pricing strategy.
Sustainability and safety are becoming central to beauty. How is Westside addressing this?
We’ve moved towards vegan formulations and are eliminating ingredients like talc. We’ve already launched a talc-free powder and are working on removing other potentially harmful chemicals.
We are also preparing to introduce in vivo testing in a responsible and ethical manner. It’s a complex shift, but we prioritise long-term trust over short-term gains.
With so many private labels entering the market, where does Westside stand?
Many brands rely heavily on advertising and discounting. We offer a consistent experience instead.
We behave like fashion—introducing newness every month. Very few brands operate at that cadence in beauty. Our strength lies in combining fashion sensibilities with beauty innovation.
What are the key trends shaping the future of India’s beauty market?
First, freshness is essential—constant innovation in product, communication and experience. Second, the rise of male grooming. Men are now deeply engaged with skincare and cosmetics. Third, Gen Z’s expectations. They are informed, experimental and want products that respect their individuality.
There are also emerging opportunities—oral beauty (teeth care), pet grooming and sensorial wellness rituals. Beauty is expanding into a holistic lifestyle space.
How do you see skincare evolving in the coming years?
Skincare will become highly scientific and personalised. It’s no longer about one solution—it’s about regimes tailored to the environment, hormones and skin type.
The challenge is to make this science accessible within a fashion retail environment, while delivering instant gratification.
Finally, what is your long-term vision for Westside Beauty?
To create a brand that is accessible to every Indian consumer, across every skin tone, while offering global-quality products.
We want customers to feel empowered—to experiment, play and express themselves without intimidation. If we can achieve that, we’ve done our job.
