Mila Beauté’s CEO Sachin Chadha On Building An ‘Elevated Mass’ Colour Cosmetics Brand

Mila Beauté’s cofounder and CEO, Sachin Chadha, shared how the company is making accessible and affordable colour cosmetics without compromising on quality

With over 10,000 retail counters across 300 cities, Mila Beauté is building an elevated mass beauty brand focussed on performance, disciplined SKU expansion and repeat-led growth

The brand operates largely in the ₹100–₹300 price band, redefining affordability as value-for-money while prioritising shade relevance and offline productivity

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Have you ever stood at a beauty counter, staring blankly at what seemed a hundred shades of the same foundation, and still walked away confused? 

The high-end options promise perfection – but at prices that make you drag your feet. The affordable ones are easier on the pocket, but often raise questions like whether they suit your skin, whether the ingredients are safe, or whether the shade will oxidise. And, when you finally pick up something, you return without any guarantee that it will actually match.

For millions living beyond metro cities, dependent on local retailers with fewer options, buying colour cosmetics is less about indulgence and more about balancing price, performance and poise. Shopping malls in metros offer a wider spread to consumers ready to splurge on indulgence. 

But, at the end, the confusion is common.  Andit gets deeper as the $34 Bn beauty and personal care (BPC) market expands, unlocking a $10.73 Bn opportunity for colour cosmetics over the next decade. But as the category expands and premiumises, the real gap isn’t just more shades or trend-led launches. It’s reliability – products that match Indian skin tones, work in Indian climates, feel safe to use daily and still stay affordable.

In this confusion, Sachin Chadha found clarity in Mila Beauté’s positioning. Built as a colour cosmetics brand designed specifically for the Indian consumer, Mila Beauté focusses on the everyday price point – largely between ₹100 and ₹300 – while emphasising performance, shade relevance and repeat use. Instead of positioning itself as aspirational luxury, the brand is building what it calls an elevated mass play: accessible, not cheap, and not compromised.

In a relatively short span, Mila Beauté has expanded to more than 10,000 retail counters across 300 cities, building one of the widest offline footprints in the category. Its growth has also made it a standout portfolio company for Rukam Capital, which backed the brand early and has since played a role in sharpening its category focus, strengthening SKU economics and institutionalising systems as the company scales.

In an exclusive conversation with Inc42, cofounder and CEO Sachin Chadha........

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