Ghazal Alagh, a major player in India’s Direct-to-Consumer space, has launched a new brand called Luminéve. It’s a skincare line for nighttime use, based on the idea of skin sleep, and designed to boost skin’s repair process while you rest. Luminéve is launching with NykaaLand, Nykaa’s luxury platform, which will give it a strong start both online and in stores.
In a market where D2C brands are going premium, Luminéve stands out as one of the most interesting new brands in India for 2025.
Instead of focusing on daytime routines like most beauty brands in India, Luminéve sells beauty as a way to relax and restore your emotions, with calming nighttime rituals that help you unwind, instead of rushed self-care. With its midnight-blue color scheme, moonlit designs, simple packaging, and science-backed claims, the brand focuses on restorative beauty rather than just quick fixes. This fits with what we’re seeing in India’s D2C market, where customers are more interested in replenishment, mood-based products, and sensory experiences than just ingredient lists.
This shift also reflects a bigger trend: India’s D2C beauty and skincare market is moving away from mass-market products toward more premium, niche segments. Currently D2C market trends for 2025 emphasize premium products, emotional storytelling, and experiential beauty.
Alagh’s reputation is unmatched. Honasa Consumer Limited, the company behind Mamaearth, has become one of the strongest VC-backed D2C brands to reach profitability in India. In Q4 FY25, Honasa made ₹533 Cr in revenue (up 13% year-over-year), with a total FY24 revenue of ₹1,691 Cr (up 29% year-over-year) and a 5-year revenue CAGR of 103%. Very few top-funded D2C brands in India have done this well. Mamaearth is now the 3rd-largest skincare brand in India, proving that the D2C business model can succeed in India.
The launch of Luminéve shows that Alagh isn’t finished yet. She has her own way of approaching the D2C market: she identifies opportunities early, focuses on the story first, and then builds the brand. Mamaearth promoted ingredient transparency before clean beauty became popular. Luminéve is doing the same with night-time beauty.
This kind of D2C brand building is becoming a model for others. It also shows that new category creation in India’s D2C market is no longer about launching another serum, but about changing behavior through storytelling, rituals, emotional themes, and scientific precision.
Luminéve is expected to be one of the most important D2C startups to watch in 2025, as it represents a new type of beauty behavior rather than just a new product line. This combination of science, emotion, ritual, and omnichannel is the direction of Direct-to-Consumer in India.
