SUGAR SUGAR, AH! MONEY, MONEY

Vineeta Singh's journey is the story of her ambition to grow her company to be young India's favourite and largest makeup brand and then take her proposition to the global stage. So far, she seems to be well on track

- Noor Fathima Warsia

WALKING AWAY FROM a Rs 1 crore pay-pack over a decade ago took guts but it took a whole lot more than that to build a Rs 500-crore company. In numbers, this would be the story of Vineeta Singh, who decided to courageously and passionately follow her dream. In real life though, the impact of her story extends far beyond the numbers. Representing a new generation of young Indian entrepreneurs who are not satisfied with just raking in the moolah, Singh is out to change the narrative of women in India. The story of the co-founder and CEO of SUGAR Cosmetics, is about giving young women confidence, inspiring more to join the workforce and striving to lead.

The Baby Steps

SUGAR's journey technically began in 2012. At the time, international brands were quite the rage, and homegrown makeup products were not the safest bet. "We realised from that experience though that younger women were not being served. They are very different from their mothers. They use two to three times more products. They go to college and work and wanted their makeup to be long-lasting and suited to the Indian weather conditions and skin tones, including the darkest and warmest tones that were neglected by international brands. So, we decided to create a few products and see the response,” recalls Singh.

The "few products" were, in fact, just six including eyeliner, kajal and four shades of lipstick. But within six months, they went viral. Influencers were seen talking about finally discovering the best, long-lasting new lipsticks for younger women. This made SUGAR go for an entire brand portfolio. “We realised we had the opportunity to create young India’s favourite beauty brand. We would educate our consumers on how to use and wear makeup for self-expression to boost their confidence,” says Singh.