Announcement
Kay Beauty, the makeup brand co‑founded by actor Katrina Kaif and the Indian beauty retailer Nykaa, was honoured with the ‘Best New Brand’ award in the Consumer Choice category at the CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) UK Beauty Awards 2026. The award, decided by more than 1,000 CEW members in the United Kingdom—including industry professionals and consumer voters—recognises outstanding product innovation and brand impact.
Award Context
CEW, a professional body established in 1954 to promote the British beauty industry, launched its Beauty Awards in 2006. The Consumer Choice segment reflects both professional and consumer sentiment, making the accolade a significant endorsement for a newly launched brand.
Brand Background
Founded in 2019, Kay Beauty has positioned itself as a high‑performance, skin‑loving makeup line tailored for diverse skin tones, especially those of South Asian consumers. Its product philosophy, #MakeupThatKares, incorporates ingredients such as chamomile, marula oil, ceramides, lychee extract and avocado butter. The brand has earned multiple recognitions, including Vogue India’s Beauty Brand of the Year 2022 and several industry innovation awards.
Domestic Reach
In India, Kay Beauty has fulfilled orders for more than 2.8 million customers and is stocked in over 700 premium retail outlets. It is sold exclusively through its own website, the Nykaa website and app, and across all Nykaa physical stores.
International Expansion
The brand entered the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market in 2024 via Nykaa’s Nysaa platform, quickly becoming one of the top‑five brands on Nykaa.com in the region. Building on that momentum, Kay Beauty launched in the United Kingdom in September 2025 through an exclusive partnership with Space NK, offering the range both online (spacenk.com) and in select Space NK offline stores nationwide. This made Kay Beauty the first Indian‑founded beauty brand to join Space NK’s curated global portfolio.
Executive Comments
Katrina Kaif, Co‑Founder of Kay Beauty, said the award validates the brand’s vision of delivering inclusive, high‑performance beauty rooted in South Asian needs while resonating with a global audience. Adwaita Nayar, Co‑Founder & Executive Director of Nykaa and CEO of House of Nykaa, described the accolade as a “remarkable milestone” that underscores the brand’s rapid acceptance by UK consumers.
Availability
In the United Kingdom, Kay Beauty is available at select Space NK stores and via spacenk.com. In India, it remains accessible on the Nykaa app, nykaa.com, and at Nykaa’s brick‑and‑mortar locations.
About Nykaa
Nykaa, founded in 2012 by Falguni Nayar, is a digital‑first beauty and lifestyle platform that has grown to serve over 55 million customers and operate 331 offline beauty destinations as of 31 March 2026. The company’s House of Nykaa houses multiple brands, including Kay Beauty, Nykaa Cosmetics, Dot & Key, and several fashion labels. Nykaa has received accolades such as inclusion in the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list and the Isidoro Alvarez Lifetime Achievement Medal at the World Retail Congress.
Contacts
For media queries related to Kay Beauty, contact mmehrotra@l52.world or vagrawal@l52.world. For Nykaa‑related inquiries, email pr@nykaa.com.