Zainab Shaikh, Founder, Luxiora Cosmetics, shares insights on why Indian skin needs its own makeup.
Indian skin has been adapting to makeup for far too long, instead of makeup adapting to it. Most products were created for cooler, controlled climates, not India’s heat, humidity, dust and pollution. When formulas melt, oxidise, or sit heavily, the fault is not the user’s; it’s the design.
Climate Changes Everything
The Indian climate alone alters how makeup performs. Skin is often exposed to heat and moisture for most of the year. Makeup has to hold up through commuting, long workdays, outdoor movement, and sudden weather shifts. Products that look perfect indoors often fail the moment you step outside. This isn’t about higher coverage or harsher settings. It’s about understanding how formulas react under Indian conditions, how they absorb, break down, and settle on skin over time.
Texture Is Where Makeup Reveals The Truth
Many Indian consumers deal with multiple concerns at once. Skin can be oily yet feel tight. Pigmented yet sensitive. Prone to breakouts but still in need of hydration. Ultra-matte products often exaggerate texture and dryness. Very glossy or dewy formulas don’t last and can feel uncomfortable in humidity. What Indian skin needs is balance, not extremes.
Makeup Is Worn For Real Life
Makeup is worn for long hours, through movement, stress and shifting weather. At the same time, people are becoming far more conscious of what they apply to their skin. Makeup can no longer stand apart from skin health. If a product causes breakouts, irritation, or worsens pigmentation, it does not matter how good it looks at first — it simply will not be trusted again.
Building Makeup With Responsibility
From a founder’s point of view, creating makeup for Indian skin isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about responsibility. When products are developed with real Indian conditions in mind, everything feels more intuitive. Shades settle better. Textures feel comfortable. Makeup stops feeling like a compromise. Indian skin does not need fixing. It needs understanding.
What To Look For When Choosing Makeup
Understanding Indian skin also means becoming more intentional about what we choose to wear and when. Start with formulas, not finishes. Instead of chasing ‘matte’ or ‘dewy’, look for descriptors like humidity-resistant, breathable, nonocclusive, or skin-balancing. Products that adapt to skin rather than overpower it tend to wear better over long days. Pay attention to the undertone. A shade that looks perfect at first but turns dull or grey within hours is often reacting to heat and oxidation. Testing makeup in natural light and wearing it for a full day reveals far more than a quick swatch.
Adapting Makeup Seasonally.
In summer and monsoon, lighter creams, serum foundations, soft-focus blushes, and satin finishes tend to sit better and feel more comfortable.
In winter, skin often tolerates richer textures, slightly creamier formulas, and layered products without discomfort.
Choose Wisely.
To conclude, always prioritise skin comfort. If makeup feels heavy, drying, or irritating by the end of the day, it’s not suited to your skin or climate, no matter how good it looks initially. When makeup is chosen with climate, texture, and real wear in mind, it stops feeling like effort and starts feeling intuitive.
