Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder …. It is not just a saying, “Every Skin is Beautiful in it’s own ways” The Beauty Brand’s take it off as an Inspiration to make every skin comfortable. There are several Beauty Brand’s to choose from and each one of them is better than the other and in its own unique way. So, here in this article we dive to know about one such international Beauty Brand that is as sweet as its name The SUGAR Cosmetics. Get to know the founder details, products details, alongside other details of the Indian Beauty Brand.
Know About SUGAR Cosmetics
SUGAR Cosmetics is an Indian Beauty Brand that was founded back in 2012. The Brand is known for its high quality makeup products that serves a diverse range of Skin Tones, especially for Indian Skin. SUGAR Cosmetics focuses on providing trendy and vibrant products that are vegan and chemical free. Moreover, the targeted audience of Sugar is primarily the Young Women who are looking forward to more trendy options. Overall, it has made a significant impact in the Indian Beauty market by focusing on quality, inclusivity and modern marketing strategies.
Glance It here!!
| Attribute | Details |
| Company Name | SUGAR Cosmetics |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| CEO | Vineeta Singh |
| Business Model | Omni-channel beauty company |
| Revenue FY 2023 | Over 400 crore rupees |
| YoY Revenue Growth | 89% increase |
| Retail Touchpoints | Around 50,000 in over 550 cities in India. |
| Celebrity Investors | -Ranveer Singh invested in 2022 <br> – Kareena Kapoor joint venture for Quench Botanics skincare brand. |
| Strategic Partnerships | Kareena Kapoor is co-owner and strategic investor of the skincare brand. |
| Parent Company | Vellvette Lifestyle Pvt Ltd. |
| Brand Ethos | Cruelty-free cosmetics, not tested on animals; focuses on the needs of independent, bold women; gaining popularity beyond India. |
The Name behind the Success: SUGAR Cosmetics Founder
As said, Behind Every Success lies the hard work of a woman and so is the case of Sugar. Eventually, whenever one may hear the name of SUGAR cosmetics the name of Vineeta Singh doesn’t lie too far away.
Vineeta Singh – CEO Of SUGAR Cosmetics
Vineeta Singh is the Co- Founder and the CEO of SUGAR Cosmetics , a prominent beauty brand in India. She has played a crucial role in establishing and growing the company since its inception back in 2012. Before founding Sugar, Vineeta was involved in various entrepreneurial ventures. She has also co- founder “Fab Bag” a beauty subscription service, which helps to gain insight into the beauty industry and consumer preferences. As CEO of the Beauty Brand, Vineeta is responsible for overall vision and strategy. She has to focus on product development, brand positioning and market strategies that ensure the brand resonates with its target.
However, her brand came more in limelight after her presence on Shark Tank India, where she shares her expertise and invests in the growing business. Her presence on the show has future increased her visibility and of SUGAR Cosmetics as well.
Kaushik Mukherjee – COO Of SUGAR Cosmetics
Kaushik Mukherjee, the co-founder and COO (Chief Operating Officer) of SUGAR is also a TEDx speaker. He joined the company to help scale its operations and enhance its market presence. Moreover, he has a strong Business Management background and operation. Before joining Sugar, he held various leadership positions in other companies which also helped him to gain valuable experience in the consumer goods sector.
Moreover, as COO Kaushik is responsible for overseeing the brand’s day to day operations, supply chain management and strategic planning. Under his leadership, the beauty brand has aimed to expand its product offerings and also reach a wider audience.
Success Story Of SUGAR Cosmetics
The SUGAR Cosmetics was founded back in 2012 which also gave birth to a dream. They Pair earlier used to operate a subscription beauty service. They used to be just competitive with others in the market. But soon, the brand found the major gap in the world of cosmetics especially for the Indian Skin Tone. After deep research they came up with premium yet affordable products. The products used to lie between ₹599 – ₹699. However, this is how they began to carve a niche for themselves in the market.
Soon, they came up with various Digital Marketing Ideas and began to look for the targeted audience. Now, be it Influencer marketing, online or offline marketing or any of the medium SUGAR was able to ace it all. Funding Boosted so did the company’s position in the market.
Name, Tagline and Logo: What Makes it Unique?
Sugar began its journey as an Online Beauty Supplier. Its popularity not only in India but all over the world wide network defines the legacy of the Beauty Brand. Eventually, sometimes the brand gains more attention due to its marketing and unique logo or Tagline. Same is the story of Sugar. The Simple wordmark “S” on the left side of the name written in capital bold letters asks for attention.
The tagline goes as “Rule the World, One Look at a Time”. The tagline here reflects the clean and clear sweet message of the brand as its name: Self – Confidence, Individuality and Empowerment.
The Product Line
SUGAR Cosmetics sells a range of products and has variety in each and every product line. Such as:
| Category | Product Line |
| Lips | Lipsticks, Lipsticks Sets and Combos Lip care products |
| Eyes | Kohl & Kajal Mascara Eyeliner, Eye Shadows Eyebrows |
| Face | Foundation & BB Cream, Compact & Fixers Blush Pallets Concealers & Correctors Bronzer & Contour Primer Highlighter |
| Skin | Moisturizer, Sunscreen, Serum, Masks, Cleanser, Exploiter Lip Cream, Scrubs |
Now, some of the most sold and popular products of SUGAR is as follows:
- Sugar Smudge Me Not Liquid Lipstick.
- Sugar Matte As Hell Crayon Lipstick.
- Sugar Eyeshadow Palette.
- Sugar Face Fwd Primer.
- Sugar Browarden Brow Definer.
- Sugar pop lipstick shades.
SUGAR Cosmetics Financials And Valuation
- Note: Here FY means Financial Year alongside the 2023 and 2024 season.
| Sugar Financials | FY23 | FY24 |
| Operating Revenue | INR 420.3 crore | INR 505.1 crore |
| Total Expenses | INR 505.5 crore | INR 583.7 crore |
| Ad and Sales Promotion Expenses | INR 162.6 crore | INR 161.6 crore |
| Purchases of Stock-In-Trade | INR 156.1 crore | INR 113.4 crore |
| Total Loss | INR -76.2 crore | INR -67.6 crore |
The Investor’s List
The Beauty Brand did not just gather fame but also were able to successfully raise funds and gather the Investor’s attention. The Investor list of the Sugar Cosmetic include:
- Anicut Capital
- Elevation Capital
- L Catterton
- Malabar Investments
- Stride Ventures
- India Quotient
- A91 Partners
- Peyush Bansal
- Graycell Ventures
- IMM Investment
SUGAR Cosmetics Shareholder List
| Shareholder’s Name | Post Round Holding | Net Worth |
| Founder | 26.78% | 813 Cr |
| Fund | 54.05% | 1,640 Cr |
| Enterprise | 8.02% | 244 Cr |
| Angel | 7.13% | 216 Cr |
| Other People | 0.06% | 15.1 Lakhs |
| ESOP Pool | 3.50% | 106 Cr |
| Other Investors | 0.46% | 13.9 Cr |
| Total | 100% | 3,030 Crore |
Shareholder Breakdown
Funding of Beauty Brand
The Beauty Brand had raised up to $90.5 Million in over 7 funding rounds. The overall details of the funding goes as:
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead Investors |
| October 20, 2024 | Secondary Market | $3 million | IMM Investment |
| September 3, 2022 | Angel Round | – | Ranveer Singh |
| May 30, 2022 | Series D | $50 million | L Catterton |
| October 21, 2020 | Debt Financing | $2 million | Stride Ventures |
| October 21, 2020 | Series C | $21 million | A91 Partners, Elevation Capital, India Quotient, Stride Ventures |
| March 8, 2019 | Series B | $12 million | A91 Partners, Anicut Capital, India Quotient |
| June 1, 2017 | Series A | $2.5 million | India Quotient, RB Investments Pte. Ltd. |
Beside Funding the other growth highlight of the brand is:
- The official SUGAR website has more than 2 Million new subscribers each month.
- The brand sells more than 200K product each month.
- One can purchase the products of the beauty brand through various online retail Store or Platform.
Get The Fame: Advertisements And Marketing
Sugar has come up with various socially relevant marketing campaigns and advertisements that remain fresh in minds. Some of the campaigns highlight are:
#ShukarHaiSugarHai
The #ShukarHaiSugarHai TV commercial casted Ranveer Singh and Tamannah Bhatia, with guest appearance of Vineeta Singh. The Ad- campaign highlights the major USP of the brand. Moreover, the addition to such big names added fun elements and relatable stuff for the millennials and GenZ. However, the slogan “Shukar hai Sugar hai” is a way too commonly recognised phrase that also contributes to brand recall.
#TrySugar
The #TrySugar campaign was introduced to attract new consumers with attractive offers and loyalty points. However, during the campaign people who refer to the product and make their first purchase were incentivized. Some get’s discounts on the first purchase and for some it was a free gift or a coupon code. The customers earned rewards for referring the brand to friends and creating loyal customer points. The campaign was run across several Social Media Platform, email marketing, and SMS which also helped the widespread of the campaign and made it successful.
#MySkinMyChoice
Next up and the other big thing from SUGAR was #MySkinMyChoice campaign. The Campaign highlighted and showcased the diverse models with different models. And focuses on the aim that makeup is not gender based or color restricted. Sugar came up with the idea to break the traditional gender construct by promoting makeup for all men and women as well. However, the hashtag went widely popular on social media and people started to share their stories using the same. The campaign was a hit as it resonates with the younger audience and teenagers enhancing the brand value.
#GetThePicture
One more ad campaign that gained attention was #GetThePicture. Here, common people were asked to post a picture with the women they love. Be it mother, wife, girlfriend, Sister or Daughters with faces scribbled or hidden. It was done to promote and make people understand the importance of females in Society. The campaign raised and addressed severe issues. However, the hashtag was used to tell and communicate their story. Moreover, the campaign positioned Sugar as a socially responsible brand and also increased its credibility.
Competitors In The Market
There are numerous Beauty Brand in the market and all claim to be no.1 in the industry. Simultaneously, the competition of SUGAR is also quite huge in numbers. Such as:
- Marico
- Lakme
- Maybelline
- Nykaa
- Plum
- Purple
- Blue Heaven Cosmetics
The Digital Presence
Eventually, nowadays in the generation of Social Media, Business and Brands have made it the most important source to promote or connect with the customers. However, SUGAR Cosmetics is visibly active on various of Social Media Platforms such as:
| Social Media Platform | Social Media Handle | No of Followers/ Subscribers |
| @trysugar | 2.9 Million | |
| SUGAR Cosmetics | 431K | |
| @trySUGAR | 42.7K | |
| SUGAR Cosmetics | 329K | |
| YouTube | SUGAR Cosmetics | 2.08 Million |
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