Amazon India is expanding its premium beauty portfolio with the addition of perfumes from Dolce & Gabbana and skincare and make-up products from Laura Mercier and Paula’s Choice to cater to a growing market in the country.
About 100 international brands — some of which are already available online — are set to be launched on its platform through the year, the company said.
Online beauty retail in India is becoming increasingly competitive, with platforms such as Reliance-backed Tira, Nykaa and quick commerce companies deepening their focus on premium skincare, fragrances and cosmetics.
Amazon India said premium beauty is among its fastest-growing segments, expanding 50% year-on-year. West Asian fragrances emerged as the fastest growing at almost 3x.
“Korean beauty and French pharmacy have grown 2x year-on-year on Amazon, and at that base, that kind of growth tells you there is a lot of customer traction,” said Siddharth Bhagat, director of beauty at the e-commerce giant in India.
India’s beauty and personal care market is expected to reach $40 billion by 2030, making it the world’s fourth-largest market, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants. The consultancy said the sector is entering a “structurally accelerated growth phase,” driven by e-commerce expansion, premiumization, quick commerce and rising demand from younger consumers and smaller cities.
It noted that online marketplaces and rapid delivery platforms are removing “traditional geographic and logistical constraints,” helping global beauty brands reach consumers beyond the metro markets.
Bhagat said Amazon typically works with local distributors and marketplace sellers to onboard international beauty brands in India, while also approaching global labels directly after identifying rising customer demand and search trends on its platform.
The company currently hosts about 400,000 beauty brands on its marketplace of which about 200 were premium, industry estimates suggested. Publicly available data for competitor Nykaa showed it had 200 premium brands in FY25.
Changing consumer behaviour
Bhagat declined to share revenue or gross merchandise value figures for the business but said the growth of premium beauty in India is being driven by changing consumption behaviour.
“One of the best things about beauty is that when a consumer gets into this category, their consumption only keeps going up. India’s discretionary spending population is also increasing manifold,” Bhagat said.
The category is seeing growing repeat behaviour, an important metric for e-commerce companies seeking higher-frequency purchases. He said one in three premium beauty customers makes a repeat purchase within a year, while Prime members repeat purchases twice as often.
The strongest growth comes from beyond the country's largest cities. More than 50% of its premium beauty demand now comes from smaller cities such as Thrissur, Dehradun, Patiala, Guwahati and Kolhapur.
“Aspiration was never the problem – access was. Customers in Indore or Coimbatore or Siliguri want the same brands, the same quality and the same experience as the customer in Mumbai or Delhi,” Bhagat said. “Professional haircare is emerging as a key entry point for premium adoption outside metros.”
The trend, he added, reflects how e-commerce platforms are widening access to international beauty products beyond metros through faster delivery and wider assortment.
He said more than half of Amazon’s deliveries are completed within a day. Its quick commerce service, Amazon Now, is being expanded to over 100 cities and also offers premium beauty brands. Soon, customers will hear of lesser-known brands such as Korea’s Biodance, Germany's Eucerin cosmetics, UAE perfumer Riifs, and Australian and Japanese products.
“When consumers are on our quick commerce platform, we see three times more frequency from them because the fulfilment can happen very fast,” Bhagat said.
Growing demand
Beauty has become one of the fastest-growing e-commerce categories over the past few years, driven by rising skincare awareness, younger consumers and growing demand for global brands.
Nykaa, which pioneered beauty-focused e-commerce in India, has expanded into luxury beauty and offline retail while securing exclusive partnerships with international brands. Tira has positioned itself around premium beauty and omnichannel retail, intensifying competition in the segment.
Quick commerce platforms are expanding beauty assortments as skincare and grooming products become more replenishment-led purchases.
“We want to be the best alternative that customers have across every beauty need, whether they are looking for Indian D2C brands, FMCG brands or international premium brands,” Bhagat added.
The company defines premium beauty not merely through pricing.
“The way we define premium beauty is whether the brand has a premium positioning in its home country, whether there is formulation differentiation and whether there is a genuine differentiated proposition for customers,” he said.
India’s beauty market remains underpenetrated compared with Southeast Asian markets such as Thailand and Indonesia, leaving considerable room for long-term growth as e-commerce companies intensify investments in the category.