DPIIT Partners Estée Lauder To Boost India’s Beauty Startup Ecosystem

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has inked a pact with cosmetics firm The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) to boost India’s beauty and personal care ecosystem.

Under the MoU, DPIIT’s Startup India platform will be integrated with ELC’s BEAUTY&YOU India programme to help brands with funding, mentorship, industry insights and access to a global network of beauty experts.

“India’s beauty industry is undergoing a major transformation, and collaborations like this play a pivotal role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Sanjiv, joint secretary, DPIIT.

Additionally, ELC announced the expansion of its BEAUTY&YOU India programme with a new category specifically focused on supporting women-founded startups in the beauty space.

“Through BEAUTY&YOU India, ELC has established a record of supporting founders and innovations that are shaping the future of beauty in India. We are proud to add a dedicated category for female-founded startups, which reflects our longstanding mission to promote women’s advancement and leadership in our business, industry, and communities in India,” said Rohan Vaziralli, general manager, The Estée Lauder Companies India.

Launched in 2022, BEAUTY&YOU India is ELC’s flagship initiative designed to discover and support the next generation of Indian beauty entrepreneurs through grants, mentorship and industry access to help startups scale and innovate.

This collaboration is part of DPIIT’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Indian startup ecosystem across various sectors. In the past three months alone, it has extended strategic partnerships with several organisations, including Walmart, Stride Ventures, Apna, and Bhaane Group to support startups in manufacturing, employment, and supply chain development.

In January, DPIIT partnered with professional networking platform Apna to boost startup-centric employment, offering DPIIT-registered startups access to talent resources. 

In the same month, the department also signed an MoU with Walmart to provide support, mentorship and training to manufacturing startups, particularly those from Tier II and III cities.

The partnership comes at a time when India’s beauty and personal care market is witnessing rapid growth, with several homegrown D2C beauty brands gaining significant market share in recent years.

As of January 31, 2025, India was home to over 1.61 Lakh (1,61,150) DPIIT-recognised startups, according to commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal’s statement in Parliament on March 11. 

Maharashtra led with 28,511 startups, followed by Karnataka with 16,954 and Delhi with 16,356 registered startups. The minister noted that nearly 48% of these startups now emerge from tier-II and tier-III cities.

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