Katrina Kaif’s beauty brand Kay Beauty has taken a visible next step in its evolution: opening an experiential flagship store—Kay Kafe / Kay Beauty—at Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden, Delhi. With café touches, makeup testing zones, skin-tone consultations and curated immersive zones, the store signals a shift from online and multi-brand retail towards brand-owned physical engagement. At roughly the same time, Kay Beauty made its international debut: from September 2025, Kay Beauty’s products became available through Space NK in the UK — placing the Indian celebrity beauty label into leading prestige global beauty counters.
These two moves — home experiential retail plus overseas listing — mark a new phase for a brand that launched in India in 2019 as a joint venture with Nykaa. When Katrina Kaif and Nykaa co-founder Adwaita Nayar first launched the brand, with a founding purpose around inclusive, performance-driven cosmetics for Indian and South Asian skin tones.
Growth, Traction & Business Metrics
In its six-year run, Kay Beauty has built credible scale compared to many celebrity-backed ventures. Key performance markers include:
- By Q1 FY26, Kay Beauty is reported to have crossed a GMV run rate of ~₹250 crore, showing 56% year-on-year growth. NYKAA’s own quarterly results cited this figure.
- The brand is believed to serve ~2.5 million customers in India.
- It offers a portfolio of approximately 200 SKUs spanning lips, face, eyes, blush and complexion categories.
- In the UK via Space NK, the Hydrating Foundation retails at £16, and price bands for other items on Space NK’s site range from £6 to £20.
- On its UK launch, Kay Beauty became the top organic search term on Space NK’s site; average basket size reportedly was ~3.4 units per transaction, and initial sales exceeded expectations by “double digits.”
- Domestically, Q1 FY26 results from Nykaa show overall consolidated revenue growing ~23%, with beauty vertical growth and Kay Beauty’s domestic momentum underpinning the overall figures.
Below is a quick summary:
| Metric | Approximate Value / Status |
| GMV Run Rate (India, Q1 FY26) | ~₹250 crore |
| YoY Growth Rate | ~56% (GMV growth) |
| Customer Base (India) | ~2.5 million |
| SKU Count | ~200 SKUs across foundations, concealers, lipsticks, blushes, eyeliners, and setting powders |
| India Price Range | ₹399 – ₹1,199 |
| UK Price Range | £6 – £20 (Hydrating Foundation ~£16) |
| Average Basket in UK | ~3.4 units |
| Domestic Growth Context | Beauty vertical strong, overall Nykaa revenue up ~23% in Q1 FY26 |
| E-commerce | Available on Nykaa (main platform + app); Amazon India; Nykaa Fashion |
| Nykaa Stores | Present in 237 Nykaa stores across 79 cities (as of March 2025) |
Strategic Positioning & Brand Moves
Kay Beauty’s trajectory reflects two major strategic pillars:
- Inclusive performance: From its genesis, the brand has focused on deep shade ranges, gentle formulations and performance under Indian conditions (heat, humidity). It positions itself as both inclusive across skin tones and aspirational in formulation, with “skin-loving” ingredients such as ceramides, chamomile, and lightweight textures often cited in its communications.
- Phased global expansion with experience retail overlay: Rather than a wholesale blitz abroad, Kay used Space NK as a premium gateway into the UK—a prestige curation partner which offers brand visibility and curated trials rather than mass distribution. At home, the Delhi flagship combines café, trial, and content zones to deepen brand connection beyond pure commerce.
Katrina Kaif, in public remarks, has linked her film set makeup experiences—long hours, shifting lighting environments—to the product philosophy of durability, comfort and adaptability. She has also spoken about the discipline in balancing authenticity, trend relevance, and sustainable product development.
Nykaa leadership has also framed the brand’s UK entry as a validation point for India-originated brands entering global beauty markets. Adwaita Nayar, co-founder of Nykaa, cited that the inclusion in Space NK shelves is not just a brand milestone but a marker of Indian consumer brands with global potential.
What’s Next for Kay Beauty
The Delhi flagship may be the first of its kind, but it marks just the beginning of Kay Beauty’s next chapter. The brand plans to open similar immersive stores in Mumbai and Bengaluru, followed by international pop-ups in the UAE and Southeast Asia. With new product lines in development—skincare, extended colour cosmetics, and fragrance reportedly next—Kay Beauty is steadily evolving beyond makeup and beyond India.
In the near term, several strategic priorities will shape its trajectory:
- Expansion of experiential retail across key metros through flagship and pop-up formats
- Broader product portfolio spanning skincare and fragrance
- Deeper international footprint following its UK debut
- Strengthening of direct-to-consumer presence, potentially through a dedicated brand platform
- Integration of offline and online ecosystems—linking loyalty, data insights, and omnichannel fulfilment
For Katrina Kaif, Kay Beauty represents more than a celebrity venture—it’s a long-term vision to build a credible Indian beauty brand with global relevance. If the brand sustains its current pace and execution discipline, it could emerge as India’s first homegrown beauty label with true international scale and recognition.
