Khaadi and Hira Ali Studios are two primarily fashion brands looking to become lifestyle brands. Internationally, there seems to be a trend with a whole lot more in transition
The global beauty industry is turning out to be quite lucrative for its players and when you break down the numbers it’s skincare that’s driving a lot of those sales. It seems that’s why world over fashion brands are trying to cash in with product lines that have much higher margins. According to CNBC, wellness and health trends are the reason for people gravitating towards skincare; clean eating, latest fitness fads and the no makeup look is all aiding in these sales.
It’s not that Pakistan is not riding the wave of skincare, we have had three prominent skincare lines crop up by established brands or a celebrity in the past month alone. Khaadi has launched an extensive skincare line on the 19th of July after the launch of fragrances in April. Their range of products includes six for moisturizing and hydration, four focusing on cleansing and exfoliating the skin and two products for hair, to nourish and condition. This is coming at a time when the brand is fully looking to diversify into a lifestyle brand, it has already opened a restaurant called Desi Gali in its Karachi store and is working on a ‘Kanteen’ in Lahore.
Hira Ali Studios is another fashion brand that’s launched hemp oil under Hira Ali Beauty and plans to launch two more skincare and one haircare product in the coming year. Komal Rizvi, a singer and actor has also joined the roster of skincare brands by launching her line, Truly Komal. She’s launched three products that she created with a chemist in Canada. There’s a ‘whitening serum’ which is unfortunate in this day and age but such creams still remain at the top of Pakistani mass market’s beauty buys. There is also a sunscreen and a glow serum in her product range, which she plans to slowly expand.
Existing makeup brands are also diversifying into skincare internationally. Too Faced is going from mascara to SPF, Kylie Cosmetics from lip kits to vitamin C serum and Huda Beauty debuting skincare later in the year. Their businesses may be thriving but the makeup category as a whole is sluggish, sales are falling whereas skincare is on the rise all over the world.
Besides the trends in the industry, widening the breadth of products offered can also attract new customers. Those whose aesthetic doesn’t match Khaadi’s kurta and pants can still shop their skincare line because that’s really not dependent on personal tastes. Consumers too intimidated to buy clothes online, can definitely buy a small bottle of hemp oil from Hira Ali Beauty, priced at Rs. 1500. Humza Zafar, CEO at Hira Ali Studios, shares, “We thought long and hard about separating the beauty line or keeping it under Hira Ali Studios but we decided we had built a lot of brand equity so we should keep the name. Besides, we want to cater to all needs of a woman and expand our range accordingly.”
There’s definitely increased pressure to become a lifestyle brand generally and it’s no longer about owning a single category. These labels want to touch all aspects of a woman’s fashion and wellness and they want to start with skincare.
