When you hear of a celebrity-led skincare brand, you might assume it's just another case of using a famous face for marketing. But HYPHEN, co-founded by Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon, is rewriting the rules of India’s booming D2C (direct-to-consumer) market.
Launched on 27th July 2023, HYPHEN had an ambitious target—to achieve ₹300 crore in annual revenue (ARR) by 2026. What no one expected was that they’d crack ₹400 crore in just two years. And the best part? It wasn’t built on hype—it was built on strategy, ownership, & customer obsession.
Here we will discuss about the case study of Hyphen Brand for skin care which is led by Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon.
🧴 Not Just Another Celebrity-Endorsed Skincare Brand
Kriti Sanon didn’t just lend her face to the brand—she co-founded HYPHEN alongside Pep Brands (the minds behind mCaffeine) and took an active role as the Chief Customer Officer. Her involvement went far beyond promotional campaigns.
She used her social media reach, customer engagement, and real-time feedback from her audience to shape the product strategy, packaging, and positioning. This approach enabled HYPHEN to understand what the Indian skincare consumer truly needs—an insight most brands pay lakhs to agencies for.
🔑 Key Ingredients Behind HYPHEN’s Success
The rise of HYPHEN in the skincare and personal care segment is no accident. Here’s what helped them stand out:
- 📦 D2C Distribution Mastery: Serving over 1 million customers across 19,000 pin codes, HYPHEN capitalised on India’s tier-2 & tier-3 digital boom.
- 💄 Product-Market Fit: With over 30 SKUs, their lip balms emerged as top-selling favourites, driving both visibility and volume.
- 🔁 Customer Loyalty: More than 50% of their sales come from repeat buyers, proving their customer retention strategy is working.
- 📊 Data-Driven Insights: The brand used data not only from Kriti’s fanbase but also from mCaffeine’s journey to craft products that solved real skin concerns."
- 👨💼 Experienced Founders: With Tarun Sharma and Vaishali Gupta at the helm—veterans in the D2C ecosystem—HYPHEN had the leadership to scale fast and smart.
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💡 The D2C Playbook, Rewritten
What truly differentiates HYPHEN from other beauty startups is its operator-led and celebrity-anchored model. Unlike brands that just rely on celebrity clout, this brand listens to its customers, adapts quickly, and maintains consistent product quality.
This is a blueprint for aspiring D2C startups—especially in India, where digital-first skincare and wellness brands are exploding in popularity.
With Kriti Sanon as a co-founder who is actively involved, not just in marketing but in customer experience, HYPHEN has set a new benchmark.
📝 Conclusion: The New Face of India’s Beauty Market
In a space cluttered with flashy ads and influencer-led fads, HYPHEN’s ₹400 Cr milestone in two years proves that consumer trust & brand ownership matter far more than celebrity glamour."
This is the new formula for D2C brand building in India—powered by purpose, performance, and people.
So the next time you think a celeb brand is all gloss and no grit, remember HYPHEN. It’s not just a skincare label—it’s a customer-first success story that scaled with speed, relevance, and authenticity.
