/socialsamosa/media/agency_attachments/PrjL49L3c0mVA7YcMDHB.png)
/socialsamosa/media/media_files/2025/11/12/yearbook-2025-11-12-14-50-28.jpg)
/socialsamosa/media/member_avatars/2024/10/28/2024-10-28t132826548z-whatsapp-image-2024-10-28-at-185743.jpeg )
Follow Us/socialsamosa/media/media_files/2025/11/27/beauty-brands-black-friday-2025-11-27-18-14-27.jpg)
The day after Thanksgiving, now commonly referred to as Black Friday, has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year in the United States. The term gained popularity in the 1980s when retailers used it to mark the point at which businesses moved from operating at a loss, or being ‘in the red’, to turning a profit and going ‘in the black’. What began as a chaotic day in Philadelphia has since transformed into a global shopping extravaganza.
The marketing machinery behind Black Friday has evolved into a massive operation. Last year, retail media spending grew by 92% on Black Friday, nearly doubling from the previous year, while social media ad spend increased by 35.1%, reflecting how fiercely brands compete for consumer attention during this crucial shopping window.
In India, the Black Friday trend remains fairly new. Amazon India and Flipkart introduced Black Friday deals in 2016. Initially, consumers showed some scepticism in a market already saturated with Diwali-season festive sales, but Black Friday has carved out a niche as a strategic year-end sales push. Last year, Amazon India held its inaugural Black Friday event. The e-commerce said the success of the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024 demonstrated the strong appetite Indian consumers have for great value, which encouraged them to bring the international sale to India.
In the beauty and personal care segment specifically, Indian brands and retailers have enthusiastically embraced Black Friday as their own. Last year, beauty and personal care products registered a 2X increase in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) compared to the weekend prior.
The strategic importance of Black Friday for Indian brands
Beauty brands see Black Friday as more than just another discount window. For many, it has become a moment to unlock new customers, drive trial, and strengthen brand positioning before the year ends. They also view it as an opportunity to stand beside global beauty trends while tailoring the experience to Indian consumer behaviour.
Harmeet Singh, Chief Brand Officer, The Body Shop Asia South, says the brand sees Black Friday as a chance to double down on value and purpose-led storytelling — two levers that strongly influence beauty shoppers today. “This year, our objective is to maximise value for consumers while reinforcing our commitment to conscious beauty. We’re using clear, benefit-led communication and strong promotional storytelling that resonates with shoppers seeking quality, ethical products during the Black Friday event,” she says.
For homegrown players like RENÉE, the event is also tied to expansion and consumer discovery. Ashutosh Valani, Co-Founder of RENÉE Cosmetics, explains that the brand’s rapid growth into Tier I and Tier II markets — including launches in Patna and Raipur — has shaped its approach to Black Friday. “Our expansion reflects the growing trust and demand from consumers across different regions. These developments fuel how we frame Black Friday for RENÉE,” he says.
For the makeup brand, the event acts as an entry point for new shoppers beyond metros and helps strengthen its presence in emerging markets.
RENÉE’s decision is also informed by data accrued during prior seasons. Last year, the brand experienced strong traction across essential and giftable items, alongside a discernible increase in first-time customers. These insights, according to Valani, prompted the team to refine their communication strategy this year, employing sharper visuals and clearer value propositions.
Building trust with transparency
Major beauty platforms like Nykaa have created their own spin on Black Friday, positioning it as a marquee moment for year-end shopping. Nykaa’s ‘Pink Friday’ sale has now become a category event in itself. The e-commerce platform communicated to Social Samosa that the previous year’s iteration achieved a 36% year-over-year Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) increase and attracted 55% more new customers, indicating sustained growth for the platform.
Nykaa also appointed Deepika Padukone as its new brand ambassador this year, with the actor leading the Pink Friday campaign. In the campaign, Padukone responds to the substantial deals available on the platform and enumerates the offers in a lively, high-energy style.
Following a similar approach, Tint Cosmetics rebranded its Black Friday promotion as the ‘Teal Friday Sale’, which also marks the brand’s fifth anniversary. Consistent with several other beauty brands this season, Tint has maintained clear and direct communication, explicitly announcing the flat 30% discount available throughout the promotion.
This straight-up, no-frills approach appears to be the broader trend across beauty brands for Black Friday. Valani says, “Black Friday can often be overwhelming for shoppers, so we chose an approach that highlights what truly matters to them: easy-to-understand deals and meaningful savings on products they’ve been wanting to try.”
RENÉE's strategy reflects a broader change in consumer conduct. As value-conscious consumers compare offers across various brands, transparent communication serves as a crucial mechanism for building trust. Valani further asserts, “Clear value at a fair price encourages long-term loyalty.”
The prime marketing channel
For beauty brands, digital channels remain paramount in Black Friday marketing strategies. A majority of brands are focusing on online engagement points to facilitate product discovery, drive conversions, and encourage repeat transactions throughout the intensive sale period.
At RENÉE, this has been established as the foundation of their strategy. Valani elaborates that the digital medium enables the brand to engage with consumers within the platforms they currently utilise. “Digital remains at the heart of our engagement strategy. During this period, we rely heavily on social media, our website, and even direct messaging on WhatsApp to inform consumers about our offers and make the experience seamless,” he says.
The Body Shop is pursuing a similar structured strategy, particularly in light of the scope of its regional operations. Harmeet Singh, Chief Brand Officer, The Body Shop Asia South, states that the objective is to concentrate on channels that drive high-intent conversions. “Our Black Friday 2025 strategy uses a balanced mix of owned channels, paid media, and creator-led amplification,” she notes.
The brand is prioritising personalised communication through email and WhatsApp, supported by performance-driven ads across social and digital platforms.
This emphasis on direct digital channels is similarly apparent among D2C beauty brands. Their proprietary websites, applications, and in-app advertisements serve as the primary communication touchpoints, highlighting discounts, showcasing key products, and facilitating expedited user checkout processes.
/filters:format(webp)/socialsamosa/media/media_files/2025/11/27/nykaa-2025-11-27-17-55-12.png)
/filters:format(webp)/socialsamosa/media/media_files/2025/11/27/tint-2025-11-27-17-56-02.png)
/filters:format(webp)/socialsamosa/media/media_files/2025/11/27/body-shop-2025-11-27-17-56-02.png)
As Nykaa’s spokesperson highlighted, the brand used multiple touchpoints on its app during last year’s sale to create a distinctive shopping experience. Nykaa integrated personalised widgets, express checkout flows, and clear slashed-price indicators. These features were designed to reduce friction, showcase relevant deals, and move users quickly from browsing to purchase.
/filters:format(webp)/socialsamosa/media/media_files/2025/11/27/nykaa1-2025-11-27-17-56-56.png)
Influencer takeover on social media
Influencers are significantly contributing to the visibility of beauty brands this Black Friday. Given the increasingly saturated sale period, brands are tapping creators to maintain relevance and achieve broader market penetration.
For The Body Shop, this approach is fundamentally driven by performance metrics. Harmeet Singh observes that content creators have yielded a significant top-of-funnel impact for the brand. “Social content, whether UGC or influencer videos, has historically delivered high engagement and reach for us,” she says. She further states that while influencers contribute significantly to audience reach, the brand's owned channels remain the primary drivers of conversion, suggesting a hybrid strategy as the most efficacious approach for the Black Friday period.
On the other hand, RENÉE is relying on creators for credibility. Valani explains that creators help the brand bridge the trust gap. “Creators and influencers play a pivotal role because their authentic voice and genuine appreciation for the products help amplify reach and build credibility,” he says. For RENÉE, authentic creator communication often outperforms traditional ads, especially when the goal is discovery.
This creator-first approach is visible across brands. Nykaa, for instance, is using influencers and their signature formats to promote Pink Friday. From Kareema Berry’s iconic ‘boyfriend’s girl best friend’ character listing out deals to lifestyle creators showcasing their wishlists, the brand is tapping formats that already resonate with audiences.
Tira is also leaning heavily on influencer-led communication, involving both micro and macro creators to widen appeal. The content ranges from GRWMs and unboxing videos to quick-hit reels that highlight bestsellers and limited-time offers, all designed to nudge impulse buying.
In addition to influencer content, brands are leveraging their owned social media platforms as proactive sales mechanisms. Internal teams are disseminating comprehensive breakdowns of offers, employing reminders, countdown timers, and easily navigable graphics to maintain the sale's prominence in consumers' awareness.
Black Friday may still be a relatively new retail moment in India, but beauty brands have quickly turned it into a high-stakes marketing and shopping opportunity. With value-conscious consumers actively seeking deals, brands are using this window to attract new shoppers, reinforce loyalty, and close the year on a high note.