Overview

Hercules released a consumer intelligence report titled “India Beauty & Wellness Outlook” based on surveys of 7,783 verified Indian shoppers from metros, Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 cities conducted on the SuperJ app in 2026, supplemented by one‑on‑one interviews.

Discovery vs Purchase

  • While 40 % of Gen Z respondents first look to Instagram creators for a new skin concern, only 8 % purchased their most recent product after seeing it on the platform; brand reputation (44 %) and dermatologist recommendation (36 %) were the primary purchase drivers.
  • In fragrance, merely 2.3 % chose a product based on brand name, whereas 42.7 % selected it for the scent, based on responses from 1,500 users.
  • Every participant reported checking reviews from real buyers before completing a purchase.

Quick‑Commerce Authenticity

  • Among 3,000 quick‑commerce shoppers, 80.9 % need a beauty essential or grocery item urgently at least once a week.
  • 55.5 % said product genuineness is the most important factor in a 5‑minute delivery service, more than double the 27.8 % who prioritized speed.
  • 66.0 % indicated they would use such a service if launched tomorrow, with the strongest interest from the 25‑35 age cohort.
  • Only 4.2 % would cancel an order if the exact shade were unavailable.

Wellness Priorities

  • A survey of 2,268 urban adults showed better sleep as the top health goal for the coming year (14.3 %), ahead of building strength (12.1 %) and losing weight (10.7 %).
  • 59.3 % of respondents had begun their wellness journey less than a year ago, and 91.8 % said a significant health need remains unmet.
  • When selecting wellness products, safe and trusted ingredients were chosen by 22.7 % of respondents, slightly ahead of proven results (21.5 %) and price (20.9 %).

Skincare Brand Recognition

  • In a blind test with 265 skincare shoppers, the average participant could name fewer than two of five popular brands from packaging alone (1.8 out of 5).
  • Only The Derma Co (51 % recognition) and Minimalist (48 % recognition) were identified by roughly half of the participants.
  • Post‑purchase behavior showed that 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 primary dataset comprises responses from 7,783 consumers collected via online surveys on the SuperJ app in 2026; each statistic reflects the number of respondents for that specific question.
  • Additional qualitative insights were gathered through one‑on‑one interviews.
  • The report notes that surveys of 100 people are treated as early signals rather than definitive conclusions.

Contact

Media contact: Manasa Rajan (manasa@jupitermeta.io). The release is issued under an arrangement with PNN; PTI disclaims editorial responsibility.