From boardrooms to beauty aisles, Ananya Birla and Bhakti Modi are not just carrying forward legacies—they’re crafting bold, new consumer empires. Their beauty ventures reflect a unique blend of entrepreneurial ambition, brand storytelling, and tech-driven retail.
In a bold reimagining of legacy and leadership, two next-gen scions—Ananya Birla and Bhakti Modi—are rewriting the rules of India’s booming beauty and personal care industry. Armed with vision, pedigree, and a deep understanding of new-age consumers, they’ve taken center stage not as inheritors, but as creators—launching and leading their own beauty brands in one of India’s fastest-growing sectors. This story traces their parallel journeys, brand strategies, and how they’re turning family names into platforms for future-forward entrepreneurship.
In a major strategic shift, Ananya Birla, daughter of Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, has formally stepped into India’s booming beauty and personal care industry as Founder & Managing Director of Birla Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd. The business was set up in July 2023 and marks her bold foray into the ₹2.3 trillion (USD 28 billion) Indian beauty and personal care market, which is projected to grow to USD 48.3 billion (₹4 trillion+) by 2033, according to the IMARC Group.
Ananya Birla’s Beauty Gambit: From Music to Makeup
Birla Cosmetics houses two flagship brands:
- Contraband: A gender-neutral fragrance line that’s already garnering attention for its progressive positioning.
- LOVETC: A premium colour cosmetics brand launched in 2024 with actress Janhvi Kapoor as brand ambassador.
Both brands reflect Ananya’s intent to build inclusive, innovation-driven, and globally aspirational consumer propositions. Her ambitions are clear. As she stated in a prominent media interaction, it’s “Time for an Indian brand to go from East to West.” Birla Cosmetics is targeting 5% market share in the fragrance and makeup segments over the next few years—equating to a ₹6,000 crore opportunity in a space increasingly dominated by Gen-Z preferences.
The rollout strategy is equally aggressive:
- 200 physical stores are planned across India’s top 20 cities in a phased manner.
- The retail expansion will be preceded by online availability through the brand’s D2C platform and third-party marketplaces like Nykaa.
- The roadmap includes scaling into multi-brand outlets and exclusive brand stores across metros and Tier II/III markets.
Ananya’s Broader Legacy: Social Impact & Boardroom Acumen
Despite her youth, Ananya Birla’s entrepreneurial track record is formidable:
- Svatantra Microfin: Founded at 17, it has grown into India’s second-largest microfinance institution, recently raising ₹1,930 crore from private equity.
- Ikai Asai: A high-end interior design and lifestyle label.
- Board Roles: Director on the boards of ABFRL, Grasim, and Hindalco since 2023.
- Social Impact: Founder of Mpower Foundation, one of India’s first youth-led mental health initiatives.
- Recognitions: Named in Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women 2024.
She’s also a global pop artist with three platinum records—embodying a rare confluence of business, creativity, and social consciousness. As she told Femina, “I’m a walking contradiction”—a sentiment reflected in her approach to brand-building: sharp, sensitive, and strategic.
Bhakti Modi & Isha Ambani’s Tira: Crafting India’s Sephora?
On the other side of the beauty spectrum stands Tira, the brainchild of Isha Ambani, where Bhakti Modi has played a pivotal role since its inception and was appointed CEO of the platform in September 2024. While Tira first launched its digital operations and flagship store at Jio World Drive in April 2023, it later opened a luxury flagship spanning 6,200 sq ft at Jio World Plaza, Bandra Kurla Complex, on November 13, 2024
Today, Tira operates 21 stores—20 in malls and one high street location (Kemps Corner, Mumbai)—across cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Chandigarh.
Tira aims to redefine beauty retail in India with:
- AR mirrors, fragrance finder tech, skin analysis stations, and premium sampling.
- Strategic global partnerships like FACEGYM (UK).
- Rapid store rollout with high-quality curation of Indian and international brands.
Bhakti Modi’s Rise: From Fashion Buying to Beauty CEO at 30
Bhakti, daughter of Manoj Modi—a long-time confidante of Mukesh Ambani—graduated in Consumer Psychology from University of Pennsylvania, followed by a design degree from Parsons School of Design.
Her career:
- Started with a stint at AJIO, followed by fashion buying at Reliance Brands for Superdry and Juicy Couture.
- Elevated to CEO of Tira within a year of its launch, she now oversees Tira’s expansion and innovation pipeline.
- Plays a broader leadership role in Reliance Retail’s beauty and fashion strategy, including Sephora India, Kiko Milano, and several private-label launches.
What Lies Ahead
- Birla Cosmetics is eyeing a pan-India omnichannel presence and potential global foray, particularly in markets receptive to Indian-origin beauty narratives.
- Tira, under Bhakti’s leadership, is expected to scale its store count, deepen personalization, and consolidate Reliance’s play in beauty-tech retail.
- With Reliance’s deep pockets and Ananya’s growing brand capital, both leaders are poised to disrupt India’s BPC segment, currently dominated by Nykaa, Tata Cliq Palette, and Sugar Cosmetics.
What unites Ananya Birla and Bhakti Modi is more than legacy—it’s leadership with vision, consumer empathy, and entrepreneurial firepower. As they scale their ventures, India’s beauty landscape is set to get bolder, smarter, and more inclusive—with a distinctly female, future-ready imprint.
