Nykaa Listing: Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif among investors in e-commerce unicorn

E-Commerce beauty brand Nykaa's shares were listed for the first time on the Indian stock exchanges on Wednesday. The company made a strong start as the stock began its trade at Rs 2,054 per share with its IPO price of Rs 1,125 per share. Currently, Nykaa is the largest speciality beauty and personal care platform in the country and is also considered one of the fastest-growing fashion platforms. Along with the customers, the brand has also attracted a sling of Bollywood A-list celebrities who are investing in it. 

Nykaa has Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt as investors

Last year, Dhoom 3 actor Katrina Kaif invested an undisclosed amount in the beauty and fashion brand through a secondary transaction. Her investment came after a year she launched her own beauty line on the platform, Kay Beauty. 

Katrina Kaif said in a statement, "I was familiar with the company’s growing brand equity and market leadership, and becoming an investor is the next logical step in sharing the Nykaa vision. Nykaa has opened new avenues for women to explore and celebrate their own unique idea of beauty."

The 38-year-old was also present at Nykaa's listing ceremony on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) held on Wednesday. Founded by Falguni Nayar, who is married to KKR India head Sanjay Nayar, Nykaa provides a curated range of beauty and fashion products for women. Nykaa currently sells items ranging from exfoliation creams, bridal make-up essentials and to lipstick and nail colours. According to the prospectus filed by the company in March, Nykaa sales surged 35% to USD 330 million in the previous fiscal year. Nykaa is currently the leading unicorn in the market and keeps growing with potential.

In the month of October last year, Highway actor Alia Bhatt also made a personal investment in the omnichannel lifestyle retailer for an undisclosed amount through a secondary transaction.

Confirming her investment, Nykaa's CEO Falguni Nayar had said, "Alia and I had a very interesting conversation about how both she and Nykaa were launched in 2012. She said the three reasons she wanted to invest in Nykaa were because it has Indian roots, it is founded by a woman and Nykaa is proof that the best in India can take on the best in the world."

Before that, in the year 2019, fashion designer Masaba Gupta had also launched a makeup line with the brand. Her collection included a series of twelve shades of lip and nail colours, and a dip-in polish remover, all wrapped in her signature prints. The stunning design also collaborated with the brand to launch six new fragrances in 2020. The collection was an extension of Moi by Nykaa fragrance. 

(Image: Instagram/@aliabhatt/katrinakaif)