After realizing a gap in the Indian beauty market, Karisma Kewalramani decided to launch her own beauty brand that created products for everyone. Her brand, FAE, is all about beauty that is free and equal with the goal of building a community of women who stick together for the long run. Read more about Karishma and her brand that questions the status quo:
Can you tell us a bit more about FAE and why you decided to launch a beauty brand?
I grew up in Bombay, and then went to the US for my undergrad. After graduating from the University of Berkley, I worked at a consulting firm for a couple of years. During my time there, , I worked on quite a few projects for companies in the beauty space. I have also always had a passion for the beauty industry. After a few years in consulting, I left the States and came back to India to pursue a full-time career in beauty. When I came back to India, I realized there was a huge gap in the beauty industry in India. Despite the amount of competition, I learned that there was a lack of brands that satisfied users and their needs. In India, you have your large brands that are exciting to buy, and then you have the smaller organic brands that are just not as fun to shop for. I also noticed how the term “inclusivity” was used as a marketing stunt for many of these brands. After attending the Daniel Bower makeup school, and working a few gigs here and there, I went ahead and started my own beauty brand.
I decided to build a team that believed in the same thing that I did, and we worked on building FAE Beauty together. FAE represents free and equal beauty and is an alternative beauty brand for everyone. Inclusivity is built into our DNA and our story.
What products will you be selling?
As of now, we have launched our lipsticks that are made available through Nykaa.com. We decided to sell our products through an e-commerce channel as it ensures accessibility for anyone and everyone. The five lipsticks we have launched have a buildable matte formula. Essentially, the product adapts to your lips based on your natural skin tone giving you a color that’s customized to suit you the best. The lipsticks are vegan, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and even made with ingredients that are safe enough for you to even eat hahah! We have launched the lipstick in five colors, that best compliment the Indian skin tone.
Can you touch upon some challenges you have faced as a female entrepreneur in India?
Too Many! As I was looking for a manufacturer, it was tough to negotiate, as they would not take me seriously based on my gender and age. Also, because we have just launched, I needed to find a manufacturer that was okay with, initially, just producing a small volume of products. It finally took six months for a manufacturer to say yes, but we could not have been happier.
Another challenge we faced was getting funded. I realized that because the beauty industry is primarily led by women, we tend to get less funding than a male-dominated field or industry.
What does the future of FAE look like?
My goal for FAE is to build a community of women who stick together for the long run. Women should feel liberated and free. That is what the future should look like. It’s not about selling a product, but rather about selling an experience. The day we succeed is the day we help an individual’s journey with beauty.
Picture Courtesy: FAE Beauty
As for expansion, as of now, we are focusing on the Indian market. However, we would love to expand to other countries and target other women of color.
Anything else you would like to add?
Yes! Something cool we are working on is getting together a unique newsletter. This newsletter will condense bits of information that people are interested in knowing and learning about. I would highly request anyone to sign up for this. The newsletter will offer opportunities for discounts and will also be a platform where we can involve our customers in the product development process. If you have a voice and are interested in our brand and beauty, please go check out our website.
Don’t forget to check out FAE here: https://faebeauty.in/
