BEAUTY&YOU India 2026: Laani, Boldpurity and Agapi Sikkim among winners
Representative image: u_04ck14ce7f / Pixabay
Estée Lauder, Nykaa and Startup India named five BEAUTY&YOU India 2026 winners on 15 October, including Laani, Boldpurity and Agapi Sikkim's Rinzing Choden Bhutia.
What Happened
The Estée Lauder Companies, together with beauty retailer Nykaa and the government's Startup India initiative, announced the five winners of BEAUTY&YOU India 2026 on Thursday, 15 October 2026, in the fifth year of the programme that backs Indian beauty entrepreneurs. Sweat and odour-care brand Laani, founded by Nirja Bhatt, won the GROW award for the best brand already on the market. Scientist-led skincare concept Boldpurity, led by Khatija Shabana and Syed Mohammad Fouzan, won the IMAGINE award for the best early-stage idea. Goyam Green Tech took the BREAKTHROUGH award for fragrance innovation, De Icebreaker Creative Studio, founded by Pankti Sheth, won a new DESIGN category, and Rinzing Choden Bhutia of Agapi Sikkim received the Visionary Women's Award.
Key Facts
- BEAUTY&YOU India 2026 winners were announced on 15 October 2026 by The Estée Lauder Companies with Nykaa and Startup India, a DPIIT initiative.
- GROW (best in-market brand): Laani, founded by Nirja Bhatt, which makes sweat and odour control products led by a clear, water-based deodorant stick.
- IMAGINE (best early-stage concept): Boldpurity, a scientist-led skincare concept led by Khatija Shabana and Syed Mohammad Fouzan.
- BREAKTHROUGH (fragrance innovation): Goyam Green Tech, run by Ajaykumar Mehta, Shriya Rambhia and Dheer Rambhia, which uses bio-based materials and green chemistry for fragrance.
- DESIGN (new this year): De Icebreaker Creative Studio, a packaging and brand design studio founded by Pankti Sheth.
- Visionary Women's Award: Rinzing Choden Bhutia of Agapi Sikkim, a Himalayan skincare and lifestyle brand that employs and trains women in Sikkim.
- The programme, launched in 2022, offers funding, mentorship, industry expertise and distribution support.
Why It Matters
Beauty and personal care is a busy space for new Indian consumer brands. Programmes like BEAUTY&YOU give small founders something that is hard to get on their own: access to the know-how, retail reach and investor attention of a global beauty company and a major Indian beauty retailer.
This year's winners show where Indian beauty innovation is heading. Laani addresses an everyday need, sweat and odour, in a hot climate. Boldpurity and Goyam Green Tech come from science and green chemistry, a sign that more founders are building on research rather than only on marketing. The addition of a design category recognises that packaging and branding are central to how beauty products sell.
The Visionary Women's Award to Agapi Sikkim highlights another theme: beauty brands rooted in a region's own ingredients and communities. By training and employing women in Sikkim, the brand links the beauty business to livelihoods in the Northeast, far from the big-city centres where most beauty start-ups are based.
| Award | Winner | Founder or leader |
|---|---|---|
| GROW | Laani | Nirja Bhatt |
| IMAGINE | Boldpurity | Khatija Shabana, Syed Mohammad Fouzan |
| BREAKTHROUGH | Goyam Green Tech | Ajaykumar Mehta, Shriya Rambhia, Dheer Rambhia |
| DESIGN | De Icebreaker Creative Studio | Pankti Sheth |
| Visionary Women's Award | Agapi Sikkim | Rinzing Choden Bhutia |
Impact
Short-term: The winners gain funding, mentorship and visibility with Estée Lauder and Nykaa, which can open doors to retail listings and investors. The publicity alone can lift sales for small brands.
Long-term: Over five years the programme has built a pipeline of Indian beauty founders with links to a global company. If some of them scale up, they could become acquisition or investment targets, and help Indian ingredients and design reach international shelves.
Who is affected: Women and first-time founders in India's beauty and personal care sector; consumers looking for Indian-made, science-led or regional products; designers and packaging studios; and the self-help and craft communities that supply brands like Agapi Sikkim.
Key Takeaway
Laani, Boldpurity, Goyam Green Tech, De Icebreaker Creative Studio and Agapi Sikkim won BEAUTY&YOU India 2026 on 15 October, showing a beauty start-up scene led by women, science and regional roots.
Questions and Answers
Who won BEAUTY&YOU India 2026?
The winners, announced on 15 October 2026, were Laani (GROW), Boldpurity (IMAGINE), Goyam Green Tech (BREAKTHROUGH), De Icebreaker Creative Studio (DESIGN) and Rinzing Choden Bhutia of Agapi Sikkim (Visionary Women's Award).
What is BEAUTY&YOU India?
It is a programme run by The Estée Lauder Companies with Nykaa and Startup India that supports Indian beauty entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, industry expertise and distribution support. It began in 2022.
What does Laani make?
Laani, founded by Nirja Bhatt, makes sweat and odour control products. Its lead product is a clear, water-based deodorant stick.
Why did Agapi Sikkim win the Visionary Women's Award?
Agapi Sikkim, led by Rinzing Choden Bhutia, is a Himalayan skincare and lifestyle brand that employs and trains women in Sikkim.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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