Unpopular opinion: Kay Beauty and Colorbar are the only Indian makeup brands that feel internationally competitive to me
I genuinely feel like Kay Beauty and Colorbar are two Indian makeup brands that can hold their own against international brands in terms of product quality.
With a lot of other Indian brands, I often feel like the quality doesn't match the hype. The marketing, packaging and social media presence might be great, but when it comes to the actual formulation, texture, performance and overall product experience, I'm often left underwhelmed. Sometimes, I genuinely don't see the value for money.
Kay Beauty and Colorbar, on the other hand, feel like brands that take the actual product seriously. I'm not saying every product from either brand is perfect, or that they can compete with every high-end international brand across every category. But overall, I feel like their products have a level of quality that makes them feel internationally competitive.
I really want to see more Indian makeup brands reach that level instead of relying so heavily on hype and marketing.
I'm curious to hear what you all think. Which Indian makeup brands do you feel can genuinely compete with international brands on formulation and performance alone?