Kareena Kapoor Khan Partners SUGAR Cofounders To Launch K-Beauty Brand Quench Botanics

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has formed a joint venture with cofounders of Sugar Cosmetics, Vineeta Singh and Kaushik Mukherjee, to launch a Korean skincare brand Quench Botanics. 

As part of this, Kapoor Khan has pumped in an undisclosed amount of capital in the new venture and has joined Quench Botanics as a co-owner. In a statement, the company said that the investment strengthens the actor’s entrepreneurial objectives. 

Under the deal, Kapoor Khan will work closely with the team at Quench Botanics to scale the omnichannel brand and offer Korean skincare solutions at ‘affordable’ prices. On the other hand, the partnership will also leverage Singh and Mukherjee’s experience in the beauty ecommerce space to build Quench Botanics from scratch. 

“I am delighted to join forces with Vineeta, Kaushik, and their entire team to bring Quench Botanics to the Indian consumer… I believe we have a differentiated product offering that will provide uncomplicated skincare solutions to address diverse Indian skin concerns and climatic conditions, all at an affordable price. I am excited to work with the team to build Quench into a well-respected and loved brand of India,” said the actor. 

Commenting on the development, Vineeta Singh said, “Kareena Kapoor Khan is a true icon in every sense, and we are delighted to build Quench Botanics with her as a co-owner and investor… We are excited to embark on this journey together and look forward to taking Quench Botanics to greater heights of success.”

Quench Botanics claims to be a ‘made in Korea’ skincare brand that is tailor-made for Indian skin and weather conditions. It currently claims to have more than 90 products which are made from 100% vegetarian, toxin-free and natural ingredients. 

The brand is largely focussed on the Gen Z and millennial demographic and aims to roll out more products in the near future. The omnichannel brand is currently available at more than 1000 offline stores across India. It also sells its products on all leading ecommerce platforms and its own website. 

Quench Beauty aims to piggyback on the growing popularity of K-beauty or Korean beauty products in the country which have erupted into massive popularity due to Korean pop culture and usage by influencers online. The beauty regimen focusses on a more holistic approach that offers long-term results, rather than offering instant results. 

As a result, companies from Nykaa to Purplle have been rolling out their Korean skincare offerings to address the growing demand for such products and woo users. 

As per Inc42, the beauty and personal care segment will continue to be the fastest-growing D2C segment until 2030. As smartphone and internet penetration rises, India is projected to be home to more than 122 Mn beauty shoppers by FY25 and the total beauty space expected to offer a market opportunity of $5.6 Bn market opportunity by then.

Singh also added that SUGAR aims to go for the stock exchange listing in the next two-three years. However, the timing will depend on the market conditions. 

Khan’s investment in Quench and joining Singh as an owner of the brand, is an addition to the list of celebrities investing in startups, as well as launching their own ones. 

Khan added that she has been tracking D2C for quite a while now and she is amazed to see that native India has become digitally native, especially in the Tier II and Tier III towns. 

Other than Khan, actor Ranveer Singh has also been associated with SUGAR Cosmetics as both an investor and brand ambassador. 

Samantha Prabhu, Kriti Sanon, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar and many other actors have also ventured into startup space through the launch of their own businesses and making investments.