Kulfi Beauty Enters the U.K. Market with Space NK

LONDON — The South Asian community is growing at a fast speed, populationally and economically. 

According to statistics from the Office for National Statistics in the U.K., there’s a growing population of more than 5.5 million South Asians across England and Wales and in the U.S., South Asians have a growing population of more than 5.4 million according to a survey conducted by South Asian Americans Leading Together, otherwise known as SAALT.

India is on track to become luxury‘s next frontier according to a 2024 Barclays report. The country accounts for around 2 percent of global luxury sales — Barclays estimates the market will quickly grow at an annual rate of 15 to 25 percent for the next seven years to reach between 23 billion euros and 38 billion euros, driven by a rising middle class.

Kulfi Beauty, the South Asian-founded and -inspired makeup brand that launched in 2021 is already ahead of the curve and its founder Priyanka Ganjoo sees no signs of slowing down.

The brand is already stocked at Sephora in the U.S., spanning across hundreds of stores and now it’s entering the U.K. with Space NK, a go-to retailer for premium beauty.

“One of the things that came up often on our social media or when we looked at traffic on our website, is that the U.K. was one of the markets that was demanding us to come over. It’s a market that was always going to be a strategic priority for us because we know there’s a very large South Asian diaspora there, but it’s also a very vibrant and multicultural beauty market,” Ganjoo said in a joint interview with Margaret Mitchell, chief commercial officer of Space NK.

The founder didn’t want a flash in the pan moment for Kulfi Beauty.

“It was important not to just do a pop-up, but to really show that we’re here for the long term and I really believe that the brand can really build a sustainable business in the U.K., but it was about finding a partner that understood our vision,” Ganjoo said.

Kulfi Beauty has been growing by 200 percent year-on-year in the U.S. and it’s a trajectory that the founder hopes will be mirrored in the U.K. market.

The brand is bringing its full range to Space NK including its latest launch the Double Life Serum Primer, as well as their signature hero items: the Kajal Eyeliner, the Badi Lash Mascara, the 21-shade concealer and the Staining Lip Oil, which has been gaining attraction on TikTok.

“The South Asian diaspora is arguably underserved in terms of complexion shades and colors and just being spoken to. We see a broader customer and frankly, commercial opportunity in terms of serving the South Asian population. When we were connected with Priyanka and the team, we fell in love with how she talks about bringing joy and fun into the brand,” Mitchell said.

She added that during a time when lip products are the centerpiece of every brand, it was refreshing to take on Kulfi Beauty and its focus on eye products.

At Space NK, eyeliners and mascaras are still flying off the shelves, but there’s a low supply coming in from brands.

“Kulfi Beauty is an early stage makeup brand that has a strong complexion [range] and that means it has the potential to really have an element of trends, but also have that long-term repeat customer. Complexion is something that is really important for building a makeup brand with longevity,” Mitchell said.

Space NK’s strategy for the brand is to localize its products across the country rather than keeping it limited to London-centric areas only. They will be stocking it across different cities and university towns in the U.K.

“We have 83 stores across the U.K. and Ireland. We know that London is pretty saturated when it comes to beauty and the customer outside of London still wants to come and touch and feel products to find their shade and experiment with newness and smell fragrance. Anytime we’re thinking about launches or activations, we’re thinking nationally,” Mitchell said.

It’s likely that Kulfi Beauty will resonate quickly with its colorful packaging and bold font — it’s as charming and bubbly as Ganjoo, who speaks with constant cheer.

She named the brand kulfi after the frozen dairy dessert that she grew up with in Delhi, which she calls the “epitome of fun, joy and happiness” after a hot summer’s day playing in a playground. 

“From a brand perspective, what was really important to me was to channel joy because a lot of my formative experiences with beauty have been challenging from a lens of not feeling beautiful or included. I wanted to shift that narrative to be something that’s joyful and playful. We’re very loud and proud about the cultural cues and the makeup we create,” Ganjoo said.

As most beauty brands play with the idea of food and desserts, Kulfi Beauty won’t be branching out into the desserts category or Whole Foods just yet, but she is gearing up for creating more makeup and skin care hybrid products for the near future.