Aastha Aggarwal

3 out of 7 sharks on Shark Tank India season 5 are skincare founders. Previously, it was just Vineeta Singh and Ghazal Alagh holding down the beauty category. Now it's: - Mohit Yadav (The Minimalist - acquired by Unilever for ₹2,955+ crore) - Shaily Mehrotra (FIXDERMA INDIA PVT LTD - ₹400+ crore revenue) - Varun Alagh (Honasa Consumer Ltd. - parent of Mamaearth, The Derma Co, Dr. Sheth's, Aqualogica) ⁠ The representation of D2C personal care on the tank has tripled in just a few seasons. And as someone who formulates and builds in this space, here's why this matters: - The Minimalist proved that transparency and clinical formulations could win in India - not just in the West. - Fixderma created products that are dermatologist-backed. They cracked distribution: pharmacies, clinics, online and built a brand that doctors actually recommend. - Honasa built an entire ecosystem. Multiple brands under one house, each serving a different consumer need. This representation is about what the market directly rewards. D2C consumer brands require: - Deep customer empathy  - Real product innovation  - Supply chain mastery  - Operating in highly scrutinised categories (FSSAI compliance, claims, ingredients) Today, the D2C personal care space isn't just strong,  it's rewriting who gets to be on the Shark side of the table.

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Gen-Z Fashion Brand Snitch Hits ₹2,500 Cr Valuation 👕 . In a major leap for India’s D2C fashion landscape, Snitch has raised $40 million in its Series B funding round, reaching a valuation of ₹2,500 crore. This round was led by 360 ONE Asset, with participation from IvyCap Ventures, SWC Global, and the Ravi Modi Family Office (Manyavar). Known for its trend-driven, fast fashion approach, Snitch plans to use this capital to expand its retail footprint, enter quick commerce, explore new lifestyle categories, and pilot global market entry. The brand, founded by Siddharth Dungarwal, has seen exponential growth, driven by speed, customer obsession, and innovation. With over 55 stores and a strong online presence, Snitch is redefining men’s fashion for the Gen-Z audience. Dungarwal stated, “This fundraise is a backing to our belief that Indian fashion can move with speed, scale, and confidence, and truly compete at a global stage.” As Snitch scales new heights, it symbolizes the rise of homegrown brands that are digitally native, agile, and ready to go global. What are your thoughts on Snitch's rise and expansion plans? Let us know in the comments. 👇 #Snitch #SeriesBFunding #D2CFashion #Menswear #StartupIndia #RetailExpansion #QuickCommerce #GlobalAmbitions #IndianStartups #FashionInnovation

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Rhode Beauty, a 3-year-old brand with barely 10 SKUs is now getting acquired by E.L.F. BEAUTY for ₹8,300+ crore. No retail play. Just D2C and a glazed lip balm. Hailey Bieber’s brand has gone from 0 to approximately ₹1,765 crore in net sales in less than three years. Billion-dollar brands like Rhode didn’t try to do it all. They picked up a lane with lip and cheek stains. Formats most legacy brands have ignored, but they turned into pop culture. They trusted their audience. No big budgets. Just a tight community and one viral phone case that made even the packaging feel like a product. They blended beauty with food cues, glazed donut skin, vanilla gloss, latte blush. And in the world of aesthetic-first brands, food is the most powerful unlock. This deal also broke a frozen market. For the past year, beauty M&A has been on ice. Kosas, Rare Beauty, One/Size, none of them have been able to land buyers. Here’s why even after this broken marker E.l.f. went in hard on this deal: 1. Price point alignment. E.l.f. sells products at an average of ₹540. Rhode sells between ₹1,500 and ₹3,165. The second Rhode enters the portfolio, average order value and gross margins climb. 2. Retail arbitrage. Rhode is now E.l.f. 's ticket into Sephora  US, Canada, and UK. That’s a big leap for a company that’s dominated mass retail but lacked prestige exposure. 3. E.l.f. is not new to this game. They bought W3ll People for ₹225 crore. Naturium for ₹2,958 crore. Every brand in their portfolio grew last year. They invest 24–26% of net sales into marketing, even during downturns. Their international business grew 60% YoY. This is a company that knows how to scale a portfolio. Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber is staying on as Chief Creative Officer. She and her entire founding team are staying. That’s not common, and it’s not a condition you impose on founders who are tired. That’s the sign of a brand still in its prime who are not coasting on hype, but ready for its next chapter.

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The Skincare Founder’s Cost Sheet: Where your first ₹1 Cr actually goes. On paper, ₹1 Cr in sales feels like scale. In reality, a big slice disappears before the money even reaches you. Here’s the real pattern founders face in Year 1 👇 👉 Packaging & MOQs → 30–35% 👉 Marketing & Influencers → 20–25% 👉 E-commerce / Marketplace Commissions → 15–25% (Amazon ~5–8%, Flipkart 12–20%, Nykaa 15–30%, Q-commerce 18–25%) 👉 Offline Credit Losses → 10–15% (60–120 day cycles, defaults eat 5–10%) 👉 Ops & Compliance → 10–12% 👉 Experiments → 5–8% Only ~20–25% of that crore actually builds lasting brand equity (loyal customers, IP, recall). 💡 Smarter founders: ✅Price with commissions baked in. ✅ Treat marketplaces as visibility, not profit centers. ✅ Track ROI ruthlessly. ✅ Protect cash from credit defaults. 💭 Founders — what commission or hidden cost shocked you most in Year 1?

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Breaking Down Brand Strategies — Day 4/10 Minimalist | Building Trust Before Scale in India’s Beauty Market Founded by Mohit Yadav and Rahul Yadav Minimalist is a skincare brand that chose clarity over hype from day one. The brand operates under Uprising Science, which was later acquired by Hindustan Unilever (HUL) signalling strong confidence in its long-term fundamentals. Minimalist didn’t win by promising miracles. They won by explaining ingredients. Let’s break that down 👇 📊 Market Context (TAM → SAM) 1)TAM: India’s beauty & personal care market (₹1L+ crore) 2)SAM: Ingredient-aware, problem-solution driven skincare consumers This is a category crowded with: •Celebrity endorsements •Emotional storytelling •Overpromising claims Minimalist went the opposite way. ✅ What Worked 1️⃣ Transparency as the Core Strategy Minimalist made ingredient lists, percentages, and usage guidance the hero. No jargon. No exaggerated claims. Just education-led marketing. This positioned the brand as honest and science-backed. 2️⃣ Content as Trust Infrastructure Their content focused on: Explaining ingredients Setting realistic expectations Educating consumers before selling This reduced hesitation and built long-term credibility, not impulse buys. 3️⃣ Performance Marketing + Credibility Balance While Minimalist scaled digitally, it never relied on virality alone. Performance ads worked because: The product story was clear The value proposition was rational The brand felt dependable Trust amplified conversion. ⚠️ What Could Be Better 1️⃣ Low Emotional Connection The science-first approach builds trust, but not necessarily love. As competition increases, emotional differentiation may matter more. 2️⃣ Category Crowding Risk The ingredient-led positioning has now become common. Sustaining leadership will require innovation beyond transparency. 📈 Results So Far • Strong repeat purchase behaviour • High credibility among first-time skincare users • Acquisition by a global FMCG leader (HUL) Minimalist didn’t just sell products. They built belief. 🔮 Strategic Outlook Future growth depends on: •Moving from ingredient education to holistic skin journeys •Building emotional resonance without losing credibility •Innovating faster than copycat brands The challenge isn’t trust. It’s staying ahead. 🧠 Key Takeaway In categories driven by skepticism, clarity can be the strongest growth lever. Minimalist proves that when brands educate before selling, trust scales faster than hype. Day 4/10 — breaking down real brand strategies.

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#Update HYPHEN, the skincare brand co-founded by actor-entrepreneur Kriti Sanon and the team behind mCaffeine, has achieved an impressive milestone, reaching over INR 400 crore in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in just two years. This rapid growth, adding INR 300 crore to its gross revenue in the last 12 months, showcases the brand's resilience in a highly competitive market. HYPHEN's success stems from a data-driven "three Cs" approach: Consumer, Category, and Channel. This strategy involves deep consumer understanding, rigorous R&D, and a robust backend. The brand now serves over 19,000 pin codes and has quadrupled its consumer base from 1 million to 4 million in one year. Co-founder Tarun Sharma noted their goal was to hit INR 500 crore by 2027, a target they're now ahead of. Kriti Sanon expressed her fulfillment in building a trusted brand that aims to redefine skincare with simple, innovative solutions. Read the story: https://ow.ly/kraI50WwvmX #SkincareSuccess #HYPHEN #KritiSanon #BeautyInnovation #ARRGrowth #ConsumerDriven #SkincareCommunity #BeautyEntrepreneur #HealthySkin #SkincareGoals

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STYLE BREAKDOWN SERIES: Founders Who Scale Their Presence Scale Their Influence Peyush Bansal & Lenskart.com  When you become the face of a ₹10,000cr brand, your visual authority isn’t optional – it’s equity. Welcome to Part 1 of my Style Breakdown Series – where I decode how India’s top founders (like Shark Tank India's Peyush Bansal) can weaponize their presence. Peeyush’s authenticity is legendary, but with great influence comes greater visual responsibility. Let’s optimize:  THE LENSKART FOUNDER’S CURRENT BLUEPRINT:   - The Trust Factor: Relatable, founder-next-door vibe   - Weight Loss Win: Refined presence = stronger boardroom authority   - Signature Move: "Plain tee statement" power (when your presence > clothing)  UPGRADE OPPORTUNITIES (SCREEN-FIRST STRATEGY):   1. HAIR: From "Safe" to Sharp  • Now: Clean, simple (comfort zone classic)   • Upgrade: Low taper fade + textured crop → adds structure, dynamism & screen dimension  2. FACIAL HAIR: Define the Jawline   • Now: Clean-shaven (softens angles)   • Upgrade: Tight stubble fade/short boxed beard → sharpens silhouette, boosts authority without losing professionalism  3. STYLE: The 10% Premium Tweak • Power Move: Structured layers + intentional color coordination + minimalist premium sneakers   • Why: Amplifies personality on-camera while keeping authenticity intact  KEY TAKEAWAY FOR AMBITIOUS MEN:   > Your appearance isn’t vanity – it’s your visual VC pitch. Every founder’s evolution needs a style co-founder. Peeyush nailed the hardest part: Building trust. Now? Time to match visual gravity to influence gravity.  Here is what you can do - 1. Tag founders/execs who need this breakdown!   2. Comment: Whose style should I dissect next? (Anupam Mittal / Aman Gupta )   3. Want this for YOUR brand? DM “PRESENCE” – I help leaders engineer iconic visuals.  Style isn’t fashion. It’s strategic communication. Build wisely.    #SharkTankIndia #FounderStyle #PersonalBrand #Lenskart #PeeyushBansal #LeadershipPresence #MensGrooming #StyleBreakdown #BrandBuilding #LinkedInVideo 

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Most celebrity brands die in 12 months. Katrina’s didn’t, because she controlled 3 things. 1. Distribution 2. Pricing 3. How fast the catalogue expanded That level of discipline is rare but a lot of indian celebrities dont take that into account. Abroad, celebrities already know their popularity won’t last. So when they get popular on a show, they don’t say, “I’m building a brand for the next 20 years.” They launch a one-season product. A Christmas box or a limited collection. Their name on it. Fully private-labelled. They sell it aggressively, monetise the moment, and move on. In India, celebrities do the opposite. They launch a “brand” and then act surprised when it collapses six months later. They think holding a product and putting their face on it is business, when it’s really just merchandising. I’ve seen this first-hand. We once did a private label with a celebrity. It created a big moment, a lot of noise, and then silence. The popularity moved on, and the product had nothing to stand on. Here’s the uncomfortable truth. Most celebrities don’t want to run a business, they want the outcome of one. Building a real brand means pricing discipline, product obsession, and showing up even when no one is clapping. That’s why limited drops work better for them. P.S. Do you agree?

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Blinkit is no longer a delivery app. It’s the new D2C billboard. From Zomato’s sidekick to its most valuable growth engine Blinkit has quietly become the launchpad for India’s fastest-growing consumer brands. Here’s why that’s a bigger deal than most people think: 📈 The numbers just rewrote the rules: → 70% YoY revenue growth → 127% surge in gross order value → Blinkit overtook Zomato’s food delivery for the first time Zomato’s stock spiked. Analysts raised targets. But that’s just the surface. 🛒 Every brand wants in. From chocolate bars to PMS patches, Blinkit is now where launches happen. Not in retail stores or on Meta. But in 10-minute delivery windows With homepage visibility that outperforms Instagram ads. It’s fast. It’s hyperlocal. And it’s the closest thing D2C has to impulse retail at scale. →  What this means for brand builders in 2025: Discovery isn’t digital. It’s proximity-based Launches aren’t viral. They’re ops-first Growth isn’t just CAC. It’s inventory, logistics, and partnerships I think it’s a category shift in how products meet people. #blinkit #quickcommerce #consumerbrands #strategy #d2c #brandlaunch #growth #founderthoughts

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Day 4 of 75 Brand Marketing Stories 🖤 Snitch: How a Black T-Shirt Became Gen Z’s Loyalty Card From B2B supplier → to a Gen Z cult brand: ✅ Focused on menswear when others went unisex ✅ Shark Tank deal: ₹1.5 Cr for 1.5% equity (2022) ✅ Fastest design-to-market cycle + bold Instagram content ✅ Lesson → Snitch didn’t sell t-shirts. They sold attitude. 🔥 Key takeaway: A strong brand isn’t about products. It’s about the identity people buy into. 👉 Which other Indian brand do you think has cracked this formula? #75DaysOfBrandStories #Snitch #BusinessLessons #StartupIndia #BrandMarketing #SharkTankIndia #GenZMarketing #D2CIndia #BrandStrategy #BusinessInsights

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A D2C brand doesn't compete with other brands; it competes with Netflix, memes, and dopamine. Let me explain. We had this killer limited drop for a D2C client—tight ad copy, pixel-perfect design, budget set, audience primed. Classic direct-response play. Results? Meh. CTRs dipped, bounce rate high, conversions flatlined. The problem? We were selling to a crowd that wasn’t even watching. The scroll has changed. So we pivoted. Next drop, we built an event, not just a campaign: 🎤 A live shopping stream with creators 🎮 Interactive polls + giveaways 🛍️ Real-time product drops mid-stream ⚡ And a hype cycle that built FOMO days in advance The result? 🚀 +68% lift in ROAS 💬 5x engagement 🛒 People stayed through the entire stream and bought on the spot This isn’t a fluke. It’s where D2C media buying is headed: Retail-tainment. We’re in the era where: 📺 Ads are entertainment 🕹️ Shopping is interactive 🎯 Attention is the first KPI If you're still running static campaigns expecting dynamic results, it’s time to rethink the format. This new wave of ad experience is built for: 🎥 Live video 🧠 Participation, not just impressions 📈 Conversion through community

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Big brands aren’t just running ads in 2025. They’re borrowing trust from creators who already own attention. 🎯 Netflix, Nykaa, Mamaearth - all using influencers to win the game. Because trust > impressions. If your brand isn’t using influencers this year, you’re not saving money… You’re losing customers! #InfluencerMarketing #BrandPetal #CreatorEconomy #2025Marketing

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Lenskart.com Secures SEBI Nod for IPO: Vision, Strategy & What It Means for India’s D2C Unicorn For years, #D2C brands raised private rounds, but SEBI nod means consumer brands can now scale via public markets. https://lnkd.in/g_TKU-DF

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🧠Why most influencer campaigns fail before they even begin??? Not because of budget. Not because of reach. But because of *bad briefs. Here’s what we fixed — and how you can too 👇 --- 📍 Problem: Brands send 2-line WhatsApp messages as briefs. “Post kar do, mention kar do, link daal do.” No clarity. No story. No direction. And then wonder why conversions don’t come. --- 📍 What we do differently at DeepFocus Lab ✅ We write the campaign like it’s a sales pitch Not just what to say — but why it matters to the audience. ✅ We explain the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’, not just the ‘What’ Creators aren’t robots. They’re storytellers. Respect their creativity. ✅ We align brand goals + creator strengths This reduces 90% miscommunication *before* production begins. --- 📈 What changed for our clients? * Better content, aligned with brand message * Higher creator satisfaction = better performance * 3x higher engagement + CTRs * Creators became ambassadors, not just ad slots --- 📌 So if you're running influencer campaigns.. Stop writing instructions. Start writing *campaign briefs with clarity*. --- 💬 Want a free campaign brief template? DM me brief and I’ll send you our format. Because structure = scale. 🔖#InfluencerMarketing #CreatorEconomy #MarketingStrategy #CampaignPlanning #ContentBrief #BrandGrowth #DigitalMarketingIndia #CMOInsights #CreatorPartnerships #DeepFocusLab`

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If you're a brand looking to get some communication strategy done, free of cost, read this 👇🏻 By extortion of course... Last year, an Indian fashion house based in Chhatarpur reached out through a third-party recruiter, asking me to build a detailed social media strategy. I took the request seriously, dedicated 7 full days to audit their presence, outline opportunities, highlight gaps, suggest content formats, craft captions, map out a content calendar, and even offer competitor references. The HR was responsive and enthusiastic UNTIL I submitted the strategy. After that? Silence. When I followed up through the recruiter, I was told the brand “didn’t think the assignment was up to the mark.” A month later, I saw my exact strategy; posts, captions, creative ideas, video references, all live on their social media. No credits. No response. No shame. 🤡 This wasn’t an assignment. It was free work, cleverly disguised. It made me reflect on a bigger problem: how many companies are outsourcing their brand building under the name of a "test assignment," only to extract unpaid ideas from professionals? If you have a strong portfolio and relevant experience, remember: your time, your ideas, and your strategic thinking are valuable. An assignment shouldn’t be a shortcut for free consultancy. #brandstrategy #brandcommunication #socialmediastrategy #copywriting #contentcreation #content

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Most Indian founders make the same branding mistake: they try to look Western, premium, and aesthetic… …but their audience buys what feels familiar, not modern. Raj Shamani’s detergent brand Jadugar is the perfect example. When I first saw the packaging, I thought it looked outdated. But that’s exactly why it works. Jadugar isn’t built for Tier 1 India. It’s built for Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural markets—where trust is built through recognition, not design trends. In these markets: • “Modern” often means expensive • “Premium” often means foreign • And unfamiliar brands feel unsafe This is the psychology most founders overlook: Your brand doesn’t need to look international. It needs to look like it belongs in your customer’s home. Because people don’t buy the best-looking product. They buy the product they’ve seen the most. They buy familiarity. If you’re building for India, remember: Your taste doesn’t matter. Your audience does. — If you want more insights on branding, psychology, and what actually works in the Indian market, follow ADvisor.

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Nykaa Beauty Rewind 2025: Virality mattered in 2025, but performance mattered even more. Shilpa Ranipeta digs into Nykaa’s data to find out that, in 2025, India’s beauty market behaved like a dating app. #MustWatch #NykaaBeauty #Rewind2025 #India #Beauty #BeautyProducts #CNBCTV18Digital #Nykaa

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From ₹10 Cr to ₹200 Cr: How Pilgrim Used UGC to Scale Smart, Not Loud 📈 Pilgrim, a skincare brand loved by Gen Z, cracked the growth code using UGC, unfiltered reviews, skincare routines, and creator-led conversations. No hype. No fluff. Here’s what worked for them: - Authentic faces over scripted promos - Boosted user videos > high-budget influencer edits - A community that didn’t just buy, they believed. - From ₹10 Cr → ₹20 Cr in 6 months - ARR now? ₹200 Cr* (*All numbers publicly shared by the brand) This isn’t luck. It’s the power of trust-driven content. And it’s working. #ugc #d2cmarketing #pilgrim #brandgrowth #marketing2025 #skincarecontent #contentthatconverts #linkedinforbrands #creatorstrategy #genzmarketing #d2c #d2cbrands #marketing #influencermarketing #meta #metaads #ugc #ugccontentcreation #D2CIndia #startup #ifsocreatorcommunity #ifso

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