Lakmé is an Indian cosmetics brand owned by Hindustan Unilever. It was named after the French opera Lakmé, which itself is the French word for the goddess Lakshmi who is renowned for her beauty. It was started in 1952 as a 100% subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills, famously after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was concerned that Indian women were spending precious foreign exchange on beauty products and persuaded JRD Tata to manufacture them in India.[1] Simone Tata joined the company as director and went on to become chairperson.[2] In 1998, Tatas sold their stake in Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever[3] for ₹200 crore (US$48.46 million).[4]
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Personal care and Beauty salon |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | |
Key people | Vipul Chaturvedi, CEO |
| Products | Cosmetics, beauty products, and Salon services |
| Parent |
|
| Website | lakmeindia |
Lakmé mainly sells coloured cosmetic products such as lipsticks, eyeliners and skincare cream. In December 2018, it launched its e-commerce platform.[5][6] As of 2021, Lakmé also runs 485 beauty salons under Lakmé Lever.[7] The company is the title sponsor for Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW), a bi-annual fashion week which takes place in Mumbai.[8]
Lakmé has Shraddha Kapoor, Kajol Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, and Ananya Pandey as brand ambassadors.[9][10][11] In the Brand Trust Report 2012, Lakme was ranked 104th among India's most trusted brands, and the following year it was ranked 71st on the list. In 2014, Lakme was ranked 36th among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report 2014.[12] In 2022, it has been ranked as the 27th most trusted brands in India according to the Brand Trust Report 2022.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Make in India: 10 Indian brands at par with foreign brands". India Today. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "Simone Tata". The Sunday Indian. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "Strategic move: HUL transfers licence of Lakme, Ayush to arm". The Times of India. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ Amarnath & Ghosh; Nischinta Amarnath; Debashish Ghosh (2005). The voyage to excellence: the ascent of 21 women leaders of India IncHello. Pustak Mahal. p. 214. ISBN 81-223-0904-6.
- ^ Tandon, Suneera (3 July 2019). "HUL's Lakmé rides on innovations, new product launches to drive growth". mint. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ Vijayraghavan, Kala; Malviya, Sagar. "Fearing a fall in salon footfalls, Lakme Lever may cut headcount". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ Malviya, Sagar. "Lakme Lever sales declined 19%, slipped into losses during FY20-21". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ "Fashion business poised for dramatic growth: FDCI". Times of India. 2 August 2002. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ "India's biggest cosmetic brand signs Ananya Panday as their brand endorser". Mid Day.
- ^ "Top Cosmetic Brands in India". top10companiesinindia.co.in. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "Top 10 Cosmetic Brands in India". mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "India's Most Trusted Brands 2014". Trust Research Advisory. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Brand Trust Report 2022 - All India Listings". trustadvisory.info. Retrieved 12 April 2024.