The ‘Best New Brand’ honour in the
Consumer Choice category celebrates Kay Beauty’s effortless rise from a
homegrown success story to an emerging global beauty name
India, June 23 2026: Kay
Beauty, the beauty brand co-founded by Actor and Global Icon Katrina Kaif and
Nykaa, India’s leading beauty and lifestyle company, has been recognized with a
prestigious honour at the CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) UK Beauty Awards
2026. The recognition marks a significant milestone in Katrina Kaif’s core
vision of building a globally relevant beauty brand rooted in inclusivity and a
deep understanding of diverse beauty needs across the South Asian community.
The brand was awarded ‘Best New Brand’ in the Consumer
Choice Awards category, held in partnership with Superdrug. CEW is a
professional organization that promotes the British beauty industry, driving
its dynamic growth in the global beauty economy. Founded in 1954, CEW connects
all corners of the beauty industry via its members worldwide. The CEW Beauty
Awards were launched in 2006 to recognize outstanding product innovation and
creativity. Voted for by over 1,000 CEW members in the UK, including industry
professionals and experts in the field of beauty, as well as consumers’ votes,
the CEW Beauty Awards are recognized as one of the most coveted awards in the
industry.
When Kay Beauty launched with Space NK last year, it
marked a significant moment in the brand's international growth journey and
Katrina's vision of taking an India-born beauty brand to a global audience.
With its highly discerning beauty consumer and vibrant South Asian community,
the UK represented an important market for its global expansion. As the first
Indian-founded beauty brand to retail with Space NK, the launch signalled the
increasing demand for South Asian representation on a global stage. Less than a
year later, this recognition reflects the warm reception Kay Beauty has
received from UK consumers.
Since its launch in 2019, Kay Beauty has championed
high-performance beauty infused with skin-loving ingredients and thoughtfully
developed for diverse skin tones, including the needs of South Asian consumers.
The brand's UK launch with Space NK introduced this approach to a new audience
and has since been met with strong consumer and industry response, culminating
in this latest recognition.
Katrina Kaif, Co-Founder, Kay Beauty said, “When we created Kay Beauty, our vision was to
build a brand that truly understood and celebrated diverse beauty while
delivering products that perform without compromise. From the very beginning,
we wanted to create beauty solutions that were rooted in a deep understanding
of South Asian beauty needs, while being relevant to a global audience. To
receive recognition from both consumers and beauty industry insiders in the UK
within such a short time of launching there is incredibly special. It’s
especially meaningful because it reflects not just the strength of our
products, but the connection we’ve built with our community over the years.
Seeing Kay Beauty resonate with consumers beyond India is a proud moment for
all of us, and we’re grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey.
The CEW UK Beauty Award for the ‘Best New Brand’ inspires us to continue
creating innovative, high-performance beauty that is inclusive, thoughtful and
made with care.”
Adwaita Nayar, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Nykaa
and CEO, House of Nykaa, said “Kay Beauty's journey has
always been rooted in the love and trust of its consumers. To receive the CEW
UK Consumer Choice Award for Best New Brand, less than a year after our UK
debut, is a remarkable milestone for the brand. As we continue to take Kay
Beauty to new audiences around the world, it is incredibly rewarding to see
consumers in the UK embrace the brand and everything it stands for. This
recognition belongs to every consumer who has been a part of our journey and
believed in our vision from the very beginning.”
The award marks an exciting milestone in Kay Beauty's
international growth journey and reinforces the brand's ambition of taking
Katrina Kaif's vision for inclusive, high-performance beauty to consumers
around the world.
Kay Beauty is exclusively available in the UK across select
Space NK offline stores and on spacenk.com, and on the Nykaa app, nykaa.com,
and at Nykaa retail stores across India.
About Kay Beauty
Founded in 2019, Kay Beauty is one of India’s leading makeup
brands co-founded by Actor and Global Icon, Katrina Kaif and India’s leading
beauty and lifestyle company, Nykaa. In just six years, it has emerged as one
of India’s most loved and fastest-growing beauty brands. It has been recognized
with prestigious accolades, including Vogue India’s Beauty Brand of the Year
2022 and several industry awards for innovation. With strong digital engagement
and collaborations with leading beauty experts, Kay Beauty continues to set new
benchmarks in the Indian beauty landscape. Drawing from Katrina’s personal
journey and experiences with make-up, each Kay Beauty product is designed to
deliver results whilst nourishing the skin. Formulated with skin-loving
ingredients like chamomile, marula oil, ceramides, lychee extract, and avocado
butter, the brand’s #MakeupThatKares philosophy ensures a seamless blend of
care, comfort, and long-lasting wear. Kay Beauty is more than just a makeup
brand; it’s a movement that celebrates authenticity and encourages
self-expression.
Built on the pillars of performance, care, and inclusivity,
Kay Beauty champions the idea that beauty is not about conforming, it's about
embracing who you truly are. Because #ItsKayToBeYou. The brand is loved across
the country right from key metro cities, to tier 2 and tier 3 markets,
fulfilling order demands of 2.8 Million+ customers till date in India. Kay
Beauty has also expanded its offline presence, retailing in over 700+ premium
stores across the country. The brand is exclusively available on the Kay Beauty
website, Nykaa website and app, and at all Nykaa stores across India.
Over the past two years, the brand has also strengthened its
international footprint. In 2024, the brand made its international debut in the
GCC through Nysaa, where it has since grown to become one of the top five
brands on Nykaa.com. Building on this momentum, Kay Beauty entered the United
Kingdom in September 2025 through an exclusive partnership with leading beauty
retailer Space NK, with availability both online and across stores nationwide.
This milestone made Kay Beauty the first beauty brand founded in India to join
Space NK’s curated portfolio of global beauty brands.
Find us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaybykatrina/
Website - www.kaybeauty.com
For queries, please contact: mmehrotra@l52.world /
vagrawal@l52.world
About Nykaa
Nykaa’s vision is to bring inspiration and joy to people
everywhere, every day. Born from a desire to make beauty a mainstream choice,
the Nykaa journey began in 2012 as a digital-first, consumer-tech beauty company.
Falguni Nayar’s entrepreneurial leap with Nykaa tapped into an underserved
beauty retail market, disrupting the ecosystem and putting India in the global
spotlight. Today, Nykaa has expanded its offerings to include fashion and B2B,
launching platforms such as Nykaa Fashion, Nykaa Man, and Nykaa Superstore.
Nykaa has also expanded into the Middle East through its omnichannel beauty
offering ‘Nysaa’.
Over the years, Nykaa has steadily captured the hearts of
consumers, serving over 55 million customers (as of 31 March 2026) through its
online platforms and 331 offline beauty destinations (as of 31 March 2026),
while building loyal communities through engaging and educative content.
House of Nykaa - Nykaa continues to build its house of
brands with a sharp focus on innovation and consumer delight. Nykaa Cosmetics,
Dot & Key, Kay Beauty, Nykaa Collections, Nykaa Wanderlust, Nykaa Perfumes,
Earth Rhythm alongside celebrated fashion labels such as Nykd by Nykaa, KICA,
20 Dresses, RSVP, and Gajra Gang, have become household names, consistently
delivering inspiration and high-performing products to consumers.
Nykaa’s unwavering commitment to authenticity and
customer-centricity has cemented its position as the retailer of choice for
international brands looking to enter the Indian market. With Nykaa’s Global
Store, a gateway to some of the world’s most coveted brands, the company
harnesses its powerful supply chain and marketing expertise to create a
flawless shopping experience. Trusted by renowned global names like Chanel
Fragrance and Beauty, SK-II, Nike, H&M, Charlotte Tilbury, Elf Cosmetics,
Urban Decay, Foot Locker, Revolve, and Cider, Nykaa has empowered these iconic
brands to connect with Indian consumers and make a lasting impact in the
market.
Nykaa has been recognized with prestigious accolades,
including a place in the TIME100 Most Influential Companies List and the
Isidoro Alvarez Lifetime Achievement Medal at the World Retail Congress in
Barcelona. Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO, has also won personal honours such
as EY Entrepreneur of the Year and Power Businesswoman by Forbes Asia. For
queries, please contact: pr@nykaa.com
For queries, please
contact: pr@nykaa.com