Launched by JRD Tata on the request of Nehru, Lakmé was India's first made-in-India makeup brand that found its genesis in aftermath of our Independence from the British Raj.
The year was 1971 and Pakistan had just surrendered the liberation war, giving birth to a new country — Bangladesh. Banking on the patriotic fervour that was all around her, a 19-year-old Meeta Shah from Bhavnagar, Gujarat, made a case to purchase a homegrown make-up item for her own by asking her father to give her Rs 5 (a big amount back in the day).
"Papa, I want to purchase a compact made by a swadeshi brand called Lakmé….. Did you know the inspiration behind the brand was Chacha Nehru?" she asked.
After about a minute of contemplation, her father willingly agreed to her request.
She added it to her piggy bank, the total amount of which had reached Rs 30, just enough to get Meeta the compact. It took her several months, numerous oil messages to her granny (one massage was equal to 25 paise) and an unimaginable dedication just for a cosmetic product.
How do I know the story you ask?
Well, she happens to be my maternal aunt who is now in her 70s. Reminiscing about her first step to buying a make-up item of her own, she tells me that she was one of the few girls in her colony who took a bold step to invest money in make-up — something that was frowned upon in the past.
But little did Meeta know she was contributing to a fully made-in-India brand — Lakmé, which found its genesis in the aftermath of India's Independence from the British Raj to improve our unstable economy.
In 2017-2018, Lakmé, which is now owned by the Hindustan Unilever (HUL), crossed the Rs 1,000-crore mark in sales in India's Rs 97,000 crore beauty market.
So, how did this desi brand, that has an international air about it, capture the Indian market and make cosmetics affordable for middle-income households?
It's quite a fascinating tale.
The 'Atmanirbhar' India
After India attained independence, its economy was fragile. And like other industries, the Indian cosmetics market also relied heavily on international brands. The burgeoning middle and elite class was splurging on imported cosmetics and this had a direct effect on our foreign exchange reserves.
Alarmed by this, the then Prime Minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, approached industrialist Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata in 1950 to start an indigenous cosmetic brand.
The company was started as a subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills and after much deliberation, it was named 'Lakmé', an English derivative of the goddess of wealth and beauty — Laxmi.
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Source: The Better India