Storefox Exclusive ft. Ahaana Khosla on the Emotion & Business of Beauty Retail

In this exclusive feature, we’re heading down the beauty aisle, not just for what’s on the shelves, but to decode why it resonates and what it reveals about the world we’re living (and shopping) in. To help us navigate the space from an insider POV, we’ve collaborated with Ahaana Khosla - cultural strategist, trend forecaster, contributing editor and writer at Vogue Business, BeautyMatter, Canvas8 - whose work across beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, traces the emotional and behavioral undercurrents shaping today’s consumer.

From the aesthetics of comfort-core to the intimate power of everyday rituals, her insights cut through the gloss of what’s trending to ask: Why does it matter, and what must brands do to stay relevant?

So, if you believe beauty is less about looking good and more about feeling seen; you’ll want to read this one closely.

Beyond Skin Deep: Beauty’s Emotional Makeover

If beauty once sold aspiration, today it sells recognition. Lipsticks may be global, but beauty is deeply, and sometimes stubbornly, local. In 2025, the most culturally resonant beauty brands aren’t just riding a wave of aesthetic trends, they’re responding to a deeper emotional undercurrent: the desire to feel seen.

What’s in a product name, a lingering scent in a store, or the subtlety of a shelf placement? More than one might think.

Beauty retail today is entering a culturally fluent era—one where physical spaces are being reimagined as an experience, not just a product shelf. The shift is driven by more than just consumer preference; it’s powered by demographics, digital behavior, and identity politics. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are growing up with a more expansive view of beauty: one that is gender-fluid, ethically driven, and emotionally intelligent.

In response, brands are moving away from ‘aspirational sameness’ to storytelling that mirrors cultural signals through regional shade ranges, inclusive campaigns, or co-created product lines with local creators.

And the stakes are monumental. According to Statista, the global beauty market is projected to surpass $677 billion in 2025. Meanwhile, the men's personal care market, prompted by evolving ideas of masculinity and self-care routines across both emerging and mature markets, is projected to hit $276.9 billion by 2030, reports Allied Market Research.

But the real story sits beneath the surface of these numbers. Product development is going more than skin deep (cc: purpose-first, planet-aligned, AI-driven). In-store innovation is now leaning into equal parts of tech-forward and culturally coded elements: whether it’s AI-generated shade matching, AR try-ons, smart mirrors, biometric testing or store layouts inspired by regional beauty cues.

Across every aisle, beauty is getting more personal, more perceptive—and far more powerful.

The Hyper-Personal Atlas: What Beauty Looks Like Around the World

According to Mintel’s 2025 BPC Trend Report, brands that build “hyper-personalized ecosystems”—adapting packaging, merchandising, formulation, and even storytelling at a hyper-local level—are gaining the strongest consumer trust and loyalty. The consumer doesn’t want a one-size-fits-all face cream. They want one that speaks their language—literally and figuratively!

Across regions, the rules of engagement are being rewritten. Here’s how it's playing out:

India is fast becoming one of the world’s most dynamic beauty playgrounds. Regional identities, skin tones, and cultural preferences are converging into a pan-Indian aesthetic, shaped by influencers and social media culture.

The demand for credibility is equally high: 85% of Indian consumers agree that beauty brands should back their claims with scientific evidence—whether it’s wrinkle reduction or SPF efficacy.

And right on cue with the sensory-meets-clinical shift is indē wild’s latest launch on International Tea Day - a chai rave with their Masala Chai DLT (Dewy Lip Treatment) - a product that smells like home and performs like a pro. Nostalgia? Check. Science? Double check!!!

North Asia, now the powerhouse of global beauty, accounts for 35% of the market (L'Oréal). K-beauty and J-beauty aren’t just exporting trends—they’re exporting cultural rituals, redefining global benchmarks for skincare innovation and design minimalism.

With a strong lean toward preventative skincare (76% of Chinese adults take this approach), the region sets the standard for innovation. In Japan and Thailand, nearly 70% of consumers prefer environmentally responsible beauty, a cue global brands can’t afford to ignore.

In the Middle East, a dual-consumer model reigns. One craves exclusive luxury steeped in cultural heritage, while the other—a cosmopolitan mix of expats, seeks accessible, inclusive beauty experiences. Retail success in the region lies in personalised luxury that still feels universally inviting. Brands like Huda Beauty and Kayali have cracked this dual model by offering prestige with purpose.

Across Europe and North America, the sterile, clinical era of minimalism is giving way to a sensorial, emotionally immersive retail environment. Take brands like Glossier, Fable and Mane, or The Nue Co., where stores invite interaction, nostalgia, and even rest.

Additionally, as the concept of longevity gains traction, perceptions around anti-ageing are also evolving. 48% of UK consumers want age-specific beauty products, while 62% of Americans are interested in hyper-personalised BPC offerings - with nearly a third willing to pay more for that personalised touch.

At the heart of all this evolution, lies the big question: What does belonging look like in beauty retail today?

Guest Feature: Ahaana on Beauty, Built to Belong

With an eye for detail and a viewpoint for macro shifts, Ahaana is particularly known for her nuanced takes on cultural relevance, retail psychology, and the emotional language of branding.

She has carved a niche in examining how beauty evolves beyond the product. Her editorials and other works on beauty and fashion explore how the industry is shifting from aspirational to relatable, product-first to community-led, and why beauty brands today must answer, not just what looks good, but what feels true.

In this exclusive Q&A, Ahaana gives us a glimpse into the beauty industry as an evolving intersection of identity, emotion, and commerce.

Her take? It’s no longer optional to be locally relevant—it’s foundational. And physical stores? They must double as a sensory escape, evolving into emotive spaces that offer comfort, community, and cultural fluency.

Here’s a quick preview of the key takeaways from our conversation:

• Globalization ≠ Generic: How the best beauty brands aren’t copy-pasting a template; they’re scaling with soul, adapting for markets without diluting their core identity.
• The Rise of ‘Emotional Packaging’: How sensorial storytelling, through textures, scent, sound, and taste - has unexplored potential to redefine product design and shelf appeal.
• Gen Z is Not Your Guinea Pig: How this consumer cohort is calling out superficial diversity, greenwashing, anti-aging panic ads, and rewarding brands that respect authenticity and individuality.
• Retail Rituals Are the New Sampling Strategy: How sensory retail environments, gamified in-store experiences, community-led shopping, are coming through as the new loyalty programs.
• Truth Bombs on Building Brands That Last: Ahaana’s personal take on what it takes to build resonance in a saturated market.

In short, the next decade of beauty retail will belong to brands that think globally, act locally, and feel personally relevant.

Full Interview: Direct Insights from Ahaana

Q: You’ve written about beauty’s shift toward local relevance in global markets. How do you see this playing out in retail design and merchandising strategies across India vs the Middle East vs the rest of the world?

Ahaana: I think it’s no longer an option to be locally and culturally relevant; it’s a necessity. If beauty brands aren’t able to resonate deeply with their chosen target demographics, they will certainly get left behind. The easiest way to instantly engage with your chosen audience is to create culturally and locally relevant spaces and experiences. When it comes to retail design and merchandising strategies, it is important to understand the nuances of each region.

For instance, in India, where diversity plays out in terms of languages and cultures differing within states, brands need to be a bit cognizant of regional differences. However, that being said, there are overarching norms, values and belief systems that remain constant throughout the nation. And with deep internet and social media penetration, these differences are becoming less important, with Indian beauty now beginning to look and speak like one unified voice, shaped by shared experiences, influencer-led-information and trends that transcend regional boundaries. This shift has made it important for brands to cater to broader demographics but still celebrate and appreciate regional differences wherever possible. In retail design and merchandising, this could mean juxtaposing modern, social, community-driven experiences while acknowledging and respecting the rich cultural heritage of India.

The Middle East, on the other hand, is a very interesting market - because it has a very rich, culturally aware local population that values exclusivity, luxury, and personalisation, but the region’s growing expatriate population demands things like convenience, price sensitivity and wide choice. So, for beauty brands to be able to resonate with both these groups of consumers, it is important to respect cultural values and beauty standards but still be universally relatable. Retail design and merchandising strategies need to strike a balance between offering high-end, luxurious, personalised experiences that feel immersive, while also creating stores that feel accessible, convenient and relatable to the growing international crowd. Brands that are able to hit this sweet spot of catering to both these audiences without compromising on their real brand ethos, are the ones that will thrive.

Q: If you had to define the emotional palette of the next retail decade, what feelings will consumers want brands to evoke—and how can physical stores mirror that?

Ahaana: I think in the next retail decade, consumers will want brands to feel like their counterparts, on the same level as them, approachable and relatable—like a friend or an older sister they can look up to. They will demand that brands meet them where they are, not just in terms of accessibility and convenience, but in terms of relatability and feeling human. Consumers will continue to prioritize feelings of familiarity, comfort and nostalgia, while also wanting the brands they choose to be modern, relevant and keeping up with the times.

Q: There’s a growing demand for sensory retail—scent, sound, tactility. Which brands do you think are doing this well, and where do you see the whitespace?

Ahaana: Absolutely, it goes without saying that we haven’t even touched the tip of the sensory retail iceberg yet. I think Glossier, Rhode Skin & even Dove did this well with their Crumbl collaboration. But there’s still so much whitespace, particularly for brands to tap into senses like sound and taste. Taste in particular is one of the few senses that has the power to truly transport someone into a different time and evoke powerful memories. If beauty brands can figure out how cleverly weave taste into their retail experiences, beyond just food driven visuals and special dinners, I think it could add a much deeper, more personal, emotional connection with the consumer, one that triggers nostalgia and builds loyalty.

Q: You often talk about signals vs trends. What’s one signal in consumer behavior you’re tracking right now that could radically reshape in-store retail?

Ahaana: I think community-driven experiences in stores are going to radically reshape in-store retail. Younger consumers, particularly Gen-Z and Alpha, usually shop for beauty products in groups, so finding ways to engage with them as a group, through gamified experiences and interactive displays, will not only increase brand engagement and recall but also play an integral role in brand discovery. If brands can tap into this new desire for collective engagement and a communal sense of belonging, they will have the upper-hand in fostering retention and loyalty.

Q: You’ve analyzed the rise of men’s grooming in India. What do you think this tells us about the changing archetype of the Indian male consumer?

Ahaana: The Indian male consumer is becoming increasingly metrosexual, in the best way possible. He cares a lot about his appearance, not only in terms of how he looks and the way he dresses, but also with regards to looking after himself. Investing in skincare, prioritising health and fitness, and paying attention to overall well-being, the Indian male consumer, is hyper-aware, culturally astute and discerning when it comes to choosing the brands he engages with.

Q: With trend fatigue becoming real, how can retail teams build systems to distinguish enduring shifts from fleeting fads—especially in beauty and fashion? What’s one brand that’s doing it right?

Ahaana: I think it boils down to understanding your consumer wholly. This means really getting into their head and understanding their likes and dislikes, beyond just the industry you’re operating in. I think Glossier in beauty and The Frankie Shop in fashion are two brands that have been able to remain “trendy” and culturally relevant without relying on fleeting trends and fads, by just understanding exactly what their consumers want from them.

Q: If you were building a beauty brand from scratch in 2025, what three truths would form your brand foundation?

Ahaana: The first truth would be purpose-driven - am I building this brand because I want it to be an extension of myself, or am I building it to solve a problem, to fill a gap that I see missing in the market? Neither of those are right or wrong, but they play a huge role in defining what your brand will look like.

The second would be being a community-first brand. This would mean acting as a source of support, knowledge and inspiration for my community, before even selling them a single product. The brand would be built by the community and constantly evolve and adapt based on the community’s feedback. For instance, if they don’t like a product, it will be discontinued; and if they want a product for a particular concern, I will do everything in my power to give it to them.

And the third would be authenticity and transparency. In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly savvy, it is imperative that one builds a brand that is honest and transparent. This means being completely transparent about manufacturing, ingredients, marketing and even pricing. People want to know the real faces behind the brand, so having an open line of communication with your consumers is key to building a future-proof brand.

Q: What is beauty to you today?

Ahaana: To me, beauty today is about feeling your best both externally and internally. It’s about celebrating what makes you you, and enhancing all aspects of your unique appearance and personality. Being kind to your skin and body, and using clean products that work specifically for you.

Decoding Retail: Your Insider Glossary

'Skinimalism'

A blend of ‘skin’ + ‘minimalism,’ this concept advocates a stripped-down skincare routine - fewer steps, smarter products, and a focus on letting the natural skin shine through.

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