Reliance Retail Follows Tata’s Footsteps To Foray Into Cosmetics Marketplace

Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) that is responsible for JustDial, Ajio, JIO stores, Hamleys, Reliance Fresh, Reliance Digital, Reliance Trends and Reliance Smart among others, is reportedly venturing into multi-brand and private label cosmetics, competing with online marketplaces such as IPO-bound Nykaa, Sugar, Lush, Purplle and MyGlamm, as well as offline brick and mortar stores such as Sephora, MAC cosmetics, Ulta and Macy’s.

The development comes days after Tata Digital, the subsidiary of Tata Group, is reportedly working on an ecommerce platform to sell cosmetic products. Tata Group, which owns beauty brands Studiowest and Skinn, will also compete with the existing cosmetic online marketplaces amid its super app ambitions.

Maker of the Indian cosmetic line Lakme (fully acquired by HUL in 1998) in 2016, Tata re-entered the beauty biz with Studiowest, its proprietary range of cosmetics, bath products, fragrances and skincare. The products are available to buy via Westside, its apparel marketplace — online as well as offline. The company also owns the fragrance brand Skinn by Titan.

Similar to Tata’s foray into the cosmetic segment, Reliance Retail’s cosmetic venture (marketplace) would mark a foundational foray into the skincare, beauty and fragrance offerings on a dedicated platform, within the portfolio of brands they sell amid its super app aspiration.

The oil-to-telecom conglomerate owns a private label in the cosmetics category under the name Glimmer, women personal hygiene brand petals and body care brand Get Real. The products are available to buy on the digital platforms of Reliance Retail.

Its portfolio of partnerships includes brands to be sold exclusively such as Turkish beauty brand Flormar, and Italian cosmetics brand WOMO as well as general partnerships with Armani, Burberry, Canali, Diesel, Gas, Hugo Boss, Muji, Tiffany & Co and Zegna, among others.

The unconfirmed platform will sell international brands as well as its private labels while maintaining a webstore on Ajio, a fashion and lifestyle ecommerce platform under Reliance Retail, ET reported.

The revenue in the Indian beauty and personal care market is projected to reach $26.8 Bn in 2021, with an expectation of a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% by 2025. The market’s largest segment will continue to be personal care with a market volume of $12.2 Bn in 2021.

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