Kay Beauty Steps Into Skincare, Bringing Katrina Kaif's 'Kare' Philosophy Beyond Makeup

Kay Beauty, the makeup label co-founded by Katrina Kaif and Nykaa, is stepping into skincare for the first time - and the brand says the move has been three years in the making.

The new range launches with two products: the Hydra Glaze Essence and the Hydra Base Water Crème, both built around hydration and barrier support. According to the brand, the essence delivers "double hydration" within 30 minutes and locks in moisture for up to 24 hours, while the water crème claims a 138% boost in skin hydration and a 35% improvement in barrier strength from the very first use. Both formulas are fragrance-free, non-comedogenic and dermatologically tested, and the brand says they were clinically tested specifically on Indian women with sensitive skin.

Kaif has spoken about how the idea grew out of her own skin struggles - years of camera-ready makeup, punishing shoot schedules and constant travel that left her chasing the basics: a calm, hydrated, well-supported barrier. That personal experience, the brand says, became the starting point for translating Kay Beauty's "Makeup That Kares" philosophy into a skincare line of its own.

The essence is a lightweight, milky formula built on lactic acid, amino acids and prebiotic saccharide, meant to gently exfoliate while supporting the skin's microbiome and leaving a dewy, makeup-ready glow. The water crème leans on centella asiatica, ceramides and skin-mimetic lipids for a gel-like, non-greasy moisturiser that's positioned as an everyday barrier repair step.

Nykaa's Adwaita Nayar framed the launch as part of a broader shift toward "skin-first" beauty, calling it a natural next step for a brand that has always tied performance to care. The formulas themselves were developed with labs in Korea and Italy, with biochemist and cosmetic futurist Nausheen Qureshi involved through the R&D process.

The Hydra Glaze Essence (30ml) is priced at ₹1,099, and the Hydra Base Water Crème (50g) at ₹1,299. Both go live on August 29, 2026, across Nykaa's app, website and stores, as well as kaybeauty.com.

Since launching in 2019, Kay Beauty has built a following well beyond India's metros, expanding into the UK via Space NK and the GCC through Nysaa. This skincare debut marks its most significant category expansion yet - a bet that the brand's makeup fanbase is ready to follow it into daily skin routines too.