Delhi, July – India’s Gen Z is completely bypassing traditional beauty shopping habits to scan for answers first, according to Inside India’s Beauty Routine, a definitive new report by kindlife built on over 200,000 AI-powered skin and hair scans. Prioritizing ingredient efficacy over brand loyalty to solve data-backed concerns, this generation is actively breaking away from industry assumptions. The real-time data reveals an unmistakable demand for speed, with more than 60% of goal-setters explicitly choosing routines optimized to deliver fast, visible results.
“Young India isn’t asking ‘which product should I buy’ anymore; they’re asking ‘what’s in this, and why does it work for me?'” said Radhika Ghai, Founder and CEO of kindlife. “They’re reading ingredients the way they read reviews. Brands that simplify the science and back up their claims with clear efficacy are the ones that are going to win.”
According to the data, combination skin has emerged as India’s dominant skin type by a wide margin at ~39%, far outpacing oily, dry, and normal. When it comes to skin distress, pigmentation leads as the single biggest concern at ~63%, followed by acne and pimples at ~55% and dullness at ~54%. Because of these widespread concerns, consumer skin goals are clear: achieving glowing skin is the top priority for ~78%, followed by smoother texture, an even skin tone, and deep hydration. This generation is actively optimizing for visible, immediate payoffs.
The report’s sharpest finding is in hair care, where hairfall is by far the most acute concern, affecting ~60% of consumers. Frizzy hair is a close second, while damaged hair and dandruff follow. The high prevalence of hairfall and frizz proves that hair and scalp health are now being scrutinized with the same intensity as skincare, rather than being treated as an afterthought.
Gen Z is moving past single-brand loyalty, building multi-step routines that mix trending, new, and dermatologist-recommended products based strictly on what works – a shift kindlife Labs was set up precisely to decode. By turning millions of data points from its skin and hair analyzer into a clear picture of what the market actually needs, the newly launched research and insights arm is debuting its first of many reports. “Inside India’s Beauty Routine is the first of many reports we plan to publish,” said Radhika Ghai, Founder & CEO of kindlife. “The idea is simple: give the industry a real, data-backed picture of what young India wants, instead of everyone guessing.”
