L’Oreal Reports Strong Growth in India Driven by Haircare, Skincare, and Quick Commerce Expansion

Global cosmetics major L’Oreal announced a significant turnaround in the Indian market during its Q3 CY2026 earnings release on Friday. The company reported that its growth in India has accelerated, primarily driven by the haircare and skincare segments, alongside an increased focus on online channels, particularly quick commerce.

During the September quarter, L’Oreal’s consumer products division in India recorded double-digit growth. Additionally, the company's professional products division noted strong performance across emerging markets, specifically highlighting Brazil, India, and the GCC.

Speaking on the earnings call, L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus noted the progress in the region. 'India, where I was just a couple of weeks ago, is doing a great turnaround there, both in terms of teams’ quality. We create for India much more than we did before. We are accelerating in commerce, with a focus on quick commerce, which is an important part of the e-commerce market there,' he said.

Alongside organic growth, the French beauty company has closed its acquisition of a majority stake in Innovist, a digital-first Indian personal care house of brands that includes Bare Anatomy and Chemist at Play. The acquisition, initially announced in June, is intended to further support the acceleration of L’Oréal’s business operations in India.

In the skincare segment, L’Oreal is expanding the footprint of its dermatological beauty brands, CeraVe and La Roche-Posay. Hieronimus described CeraVe as a fast-growing brand expanding into new cities in India, while La Roche-Posay has also been introduced to the market at a higher price point to cater to a different segment.

Furthermore, L’Oréal’s corporate venture fund, BOLD, recently announced a partnership with Nykaa to acquire minority stakes in high-growth Indian beauty, personal care, and wellness brands.

"L'Oreal's focus on the Indian market highlights the growing significance of quick commerce and digital-first brands in the FMCG sector. By completing the acquisition of Innovist and partnering with platforms like Nykaa through its BOLD fund, L'Oreal is strategically positioning itself to capture the evolving preferences of Indian consumers. This approach demonstrates how established global players are integrating local digital-first brands to drive market acceleration and scale their footprint in high-growth categories like skincare and haircare." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes