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Six years ago, Katrina Kaif spotted a gap in India’s beauty market for a high-performance, accessibly priced makeup line. “I’ve often done my own makeup for films that demanded both versatility and authenticity,” says the Bollywood actress (one of India’s highest paid). “That gave me a deep understanding of what high-performance makeup really needs: long wear, comfort and care.”
In 2019, Kaif partnered with Nykaa, India’s largest beauty retailer, to launch Kay Beauty (Nykaa holds a 51 per cent stake). Since then, the brand has become a regional success story, reaching INR 240 crore (approx $28 million) in gross merchandise value for the year ended 31 March 2025 and serving more than 2.5 million customers to date. While several Indian film stars, including Deepika Padukone and Kriti Sanon, have launched their own beauty lines, Kay Beauty has surged ahead — and now has global expansion in its sights. After a move into the United Arab Emirates last year, Kay Beauty will land in British beauty retailer Space NK on 3 September.
CEO Andy Lightfoot lifts the lid on the British beauty retailer’s turnaround, withdrawal from the US and opportunities in its domestic market.
“Kay Beauty is the first Indian brand we’re bringing into our stores,” says Margaret Mitchell, chief commercial officer of Space NK. “We see this as a customer acquisition driver.” And not just South Asian and Middle Eastern consumers, she qualifies — Mitchell believes it will resonate with a wider audience. “We are always on the hunt for the most in-demand brands and the icons of the future. What makes Kay Beauty unique is just how much demand for the brand there is in its home market — clearly, the brand and Katrina have created something that’s caught the customer’s attention. Every launch seems to sell out faster than the last one, and the love for the product — lip oils, the kajal liner, etc — is huge. We know from working with the brand to understand their following that there is significant demand for the brand in the UK, so there is a natural home for it at Space NK.”
The brand will launch in select stores to start, including Oxford Circus, Westfield White City, Leicester and Birmingham Bullring. However, Mitchell says the plan is to roll it out to more stores as awareness and demand grow. “We are expecting the response to be big,” she adds.
Kay Beauty will join the other Indian brands already in the UK market, such as Kama Ayurveda, Forest Essentials and Inde Wild. However, Kaif believes its approach stands out. With the hashtag #ItsKayToBeYou, Kay Beauty champions the idea that beauty is not about conforming. The brand has also kept its growing product line — which now extends to 200 SKUs — accessibly priced. In the UK, products will retail from £6 to £20. “Kay Beauty is more than just a makeup brand, it’s a movement that celebrates authenticity and encourages self-expression,” says Kaif. “From day one, we’ve stood for inclusivity, care and performance.”
The brand will draw attention to its launch with influencer collaborations in both India and the UK, alongside content featuring Kaif herself. Kay Beauty’s strategy is to engage the South Asian community first, and then extend to a wider base.
It comes after the brand launched on UAE-based omnichannel platform Nysaa with over 60 SKUs in April last year (Nysaa is a joint venture between Nykaa and UAE-based fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate Apparel Group). “The response in the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] has been really encouraging,” says Kaif. “We saw that our message of performance paired with care, and of embracing who you are, resonated deeply with consumers there. There’s a shared love for rich pigment, long wear and makeup that performs even in challenging climates. These markets have shown us how ready global audiences are for a brand born from cultural familiarity but delivering international quality.”
For many in the South Asian community, Kay Beauty’s UK arrival is a landmark moment. Aarti Pal, founder of beauty-led platform and consultancy South Asian Beauty Collective, says: “In the UK, South Asian consumers often face a limited range that doesn’t reflect our diversity. Kay Beauty engages with a broad spectrum of South Asian skin tones, ensuring more people find products that suit them. Seeing India’s number one makeup brand, founded by a globally recognised figure like Katrina Kaif, on shelves at a major UK retailer sends a powerful message: our beauty and consumer influence matters on the world stage.”
Kay Beauty’s launch underlines its ambitions to expand globally, while highlighting that South Asian communities still feel underserved by the beauty industry. “This launch not only paves the way for other Indian brands to enter the market, but also highlights the gap with mainstream global brands, which are loved by South Asians yet rarely engage with or represent us,” Pal says.
“The South Asian community in the UK is incredibly vibrant: nearly 7.5 per cent of the population, with a deep cultural connection to beauty and the Indian film industry,” says Kaif. “Many have grown up watching Hindi cinema, where beauty is expressive, emotional and full of heritage. Kay Beauty was created to reflect that spirit. It’s inspired by my own journey, from film sets to real-life moments, and built to celebrate beauty that feels personal and proudly rooted in South Asian identity.”
Though the brand is keeping its next target markets under wraps for now, Nykaa co-founder Adwaita Nayar hints at ambitious plans. “We knew there was space for a brand that combined high-performance formulations with inclusivity and accessibility. Kay Beauty has since built a deep emotional connection with Indian consumers, and we believe it can stand confidently on the global stage,” she says. “Kay Beauty was born in India with a philosophy that blends performance, care and inclusivity — principles that resonate anywhere.”
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