Minimalist’s Rise to a 3000 Crore Acquisition

What if I told you a skincare brand with no celebrity endorsements and no marketing gimmicks and they have crossed Rs. 100 crore in revenue in just 8 months. And it's on the verge of a Rs. 3000 crore acquisition deal with HUL.

Yes, I'm talking about Minimalist.

The Jaipur-based brand started by two brothers, Mohit and Rahul Yadav, that redefined transparency in Indian skincare.

Inspired by Canada's The Ordinary, Minimalist took a science-first approach, listing exact ingredient concentrations like niacinamide and retinol, instead of vague claims. Where most brands pushed 100% natural beauty, Minimalist called out the industry's biggest myth. Everything is a chemical, even water. Chemical-free products don't exist.

And guess what? This radical honesty worked. Minimalist tapped into a new wave of conscious consumers, especially the Gen Z, who prefer authenticity over marketing fluff. So, sales skyrocketed, hitting Rs. 350 crore in FY24.

Even globally, active ingredient-based skincare is booming and is expected to hit $9.8 billion by 2030, growing at 7% annually. No wonder HUL wants in. The FMCG giant is now in talks to acquire Minimalist for Rs. 3000 crore, making it one of India's biggest ever D2C brand acquisitions.

But the real question is, can Minimalist keep its transparency-first ethos under a corporate giant?

And Could this reshape India's beauty industry, or will it lose what truly made it special?