Overview

The Hercules consumer intelligence platform released a new outlook on India’s beauty and wellness market, built on the responses of 7,783 verified Indian consumers from metros as well as Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 cities. The study combines online surveys conducted on the SuperJ app in 2026 with one‑on‑one interviews to uncover what drives product discovery and purchase decisions.

Social Media Influence

Among Gen Z skincare shoppers, 40% look first to Instagram creators for a new skin concern, but only 8% purchased their last product because they saw it there. Instead, 44% bought on the basis of brand reputation and 36% followed a dermatologist’s advice. In the fragrance category, merely 2.3% choose a product based on the brand name, while 42.7% select a scent they like. Every shopper interviewed reported checking reviews from real buyers before making a purchase.

Authenticity & Quick‑Commerce

A separate quick‑commerce segment of 3,000 respondents indicated that 80.9% need a beauty essential or grocery item urgently at least once a week. When ordering within a five‑minute window, 55.5% said product authenticity mattered most, double the share (27.8%) that prioritized speed. Two‑thirds (66.0%) would use a five‑minute beauty delivery service if it launched tomorrow, especially those aged 25‑35, and only 4.2% would cancel an order if the exact shade were out of stock.

Wellness Priorities

A survey of 2,268 urban adults revealed that better sleep is the top health goal for the coming year, chosen by 14.3% of respondents, ahead of building strength (12.1%) and losing weight (10.7%). Most participants (59.3%) have begun their wellness journey within the past year, and 91.8% say an important health need remains unmet. When selecting wellness products, safe and trusted ingredients were the primary driver for 22.7% of shoppers, edging out proven results (21.5%) and price (20.9%).

Skincare Brand Recognition

In a blind test involving 265 skincare shoppers, the average participant could name fewer than two of five popular brands from the packaging alone (1.8 out of 5). Only The Derma Co (51%) and Minimalist (48%) were recognized by roughly half of the respondents, despite all five packs receiving identical appeal scores. Post‑purchase routine adherence was low: only 37.5% of 200 daily sunscreen users re‑applied as recommended, and 64.5% disliked the white cast left by the product.

Methodology

The research was executed through online surveys on the SuperJ app, reaching 7,783 respondents who regularly purchase beauty and wellness products. Each statistic cited originates from a single survey, and the report notes that surveys of 100 people are early signals rather than definitive answers. The full report is available for free at https://hercules.works/ and https://hercules.works/send-me-report.