Aiming to venture into entrepreneurship, Bollywood celebrities have long leveraged their star power for years. Recently, the trends have gone up as A-list celebrities launched their own brands in fashion, beauty, fitness, and lifestyle.
Hrithik Roshan’s HRX crossed ₹1,000 crore revenue mark, and Katrina Kaif’s beauty brand, Kay Beauty, emerged as a profitable venture, while Deepika Padukone’s brand 82°E faced massive loss, reported Storyboard 18.
The success stories:
Among the most prominent success stories is Hrithik Roshan’s HRX, launched in 2013 as a fitness and lifestyle brand, which has now crossed the ₹1000-crore revenue mark. HRX witnessed a remarkable growth trajectory and has become one of India’s leading celebrity-endorsed brands.
Offering a range of products, ranging from fitness apparel and shoes to accessories, the brand had partnership with Myntra which further boosted its market presence.
Second brand that emerged as a profitable venture is Katrina Kaif’s beauty brand, Kay Beauty. It was launched in collaboration with Nykaa and has garnered a loyal customer base, having over 15 lakh customers in its portfolio. It is expected to grow at a rate of 62 percent, added the report.
The third brand in the list is Alia Bhatt’s Ed-a-Mamma, which was acquired by Reliance Retail. Its revenue increased fourfold.
The losers:
Deepika Padukone’s skincare brand 82°E witnessed a significant loss of ₹25.1 crore at the EBITDA level in the first nine months of FY24. Despite Deepika being a global role model, 82°E has struggled to gain a foothold, as report suggests the brand’s high pricing and limited market penetration as reason.
Other brands facing similar issues include Virat Kohli’s WROGN, which witnessed a revenue decline of 29 percent. Shahid Kapoor’s Skult, Anushka Sharma’s Nush, and Sonam Kapoor’s Rheson are grappling with market presence and return on investment issues.
Expert’s take:
Analysing the reasons for brands’ success and failure, Pulp Strategy’s Founder and Chief Strategist, Ambika Sharma, cited that a lack of clear brand identity and overexposure may result in a brand’s revenue declining.
Ambika said, as quoted by Storyboard 18, “When a brand doesn’t genuinely represent the celebrity’s interests or seems like it’s just there for quick gains, consumers pick up on that. Overexposure can also be a killer—if a celebrity endorses too many products, it dilutes their credibility and the brand’s impact.”
