Hyaluronic, niacinamide, retinol! Why every beauty shelf feels the same

New Delhi: Walk into any beauty aisle today and the experience borders on déjà vu. Packaging after packaging shouts “Hyaluronic Acid”, “Niacinamide”, “Peptides”, and the elusive “glass skin” promise, often in the same fonts, colours, and clinical tones. The result is a blur of bottles that look and sound interchangeable, leaving consumers with a nagging sense they’ve “seen this somewhere before.”

What was once a marker of credibility is now breeding sameness, and fatigue is setting in fast. For brands, that’s the paradox: ingredients give authority, but when everyone leans on the same playbook, distinctiveness gets lost in the noise.

Rami Itani, Director, L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty, India, believes the clutter can only be broken when science is combined with storytelling. “In today’s beauty advertising landscape, ingredient-led communication like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, etc., is only one part of the equation. What truly breaks through the clutter is when brands combine science-backed formulations with strong, culturally relevant storytelling. This shows that impactful beauty advertising today is not just about showcasing ingredients but about weaving them into stories that connect emotionally, educate meaningfully, and build trust,” said Itani.

Taniya Pandey, VLCC’s Chief Marketing Officer, is more critical of the buzzword trend, calling it short-lived and tactical. “Most campaigns that run on buzzwords are tactical and die pretty fast. It’s simply a reflection of trend-led Beauty and Wellness offerings, backed by trend-riding brands that are flooding the market. VLCC wouldn’t need to do that. We stand out by refusing to milk the client’s impulse-buy need, and we don’t place our services on an over-the-counter FMCG shelf. We stand out because we still communicate on bridges that outlive seasonal trends,” said Pandey.

However, Malini Adupureddy, Deconstruct Skincare’s Founder & CEO, said ingredients help educate consumers, but philosophies define the future. “Ingredient-led communication, like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, or the ‘glass skin’ promise, was a powerful entry point because it educated Indian consumers and gave credibility to science-backed skincare. The real breakthrough lies in pairing ingredient credibility with a clear philosophy. In a crowded market, the next wave of beauty advertising will favour brands that pair ingredient transparency with philosophies like Highly Effective Yet Gentle, using science, storytelling, and dermatologist backing to earn consumer trust.”

For Saka Organics, the real issue is sameness and consumer fatigue. “Most of these campaigns are chasing the same outcome: perfection in a bottle. But real differentiation comes from stepping back and asking: Does this product fit into my life in a simple, sustainable way? Much of beauty advertising has fallen into a formula. Swap in one trending ingredient for another and the campaign looks the same,” said Seethala Karipineni, Founder of Saka Organics.

Karipineni warned that over-reliance on jargon is risky. “It is the easy route, but it comes with risks. When every product sounds like a chemistry experiment, consumers may buy once out of curiosity or FOMO, but not return when the promises don’t hold. Long-term trust comes from consistency, not complexity,” she added.

Brand experts argue that this “hero ingredient” cycle is hardly new. “Hero ingredient cascade is a proven strategy globally in skincare. Every few years, a couple of ingredients are built up as the ‘star’ or ‘hero’ ingredients. It usually starts in the luxury and super-premium products and then cascades down to the Mass end of the market. In India, we are living through the hype cycle of these ingredients. Skincare in India is extremely ingredient-led. So no brand can sell on symbolism and narratives alone. “One or two are trying to make the narrative the centre of their brand, e.g., Global Beauty Secrets,” Hamsini Shivakumar, Founder-Director of Leapfrog Strategy Consulting, explained.

Rumi Ambastha, Vice-President Marketing at Mila Beauté, added perspective on ingredient trends in India. “These are not new buzzwords. Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, and Retinol have been around since 2017-2018. Marketplaces like Amazon were tracking the rising keywords: Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid. Hyaluronic Acid was particularly at the forefront. As per the Nykaa Beauty report this year, also confirmed by Flipkart, keyword searches for Hyaluronic Acid increased by 73% and Niacinamide by 70% over the past three years. This indicates that consumers are actively searching for these ingredients on marketplaces, writing queries like ‘Hyaluronic Acid Skin Cream’ or ‘Niacinamide Serum’. This growth is driven by education over the last seven years and the influx of new brands jumping on the bandwagon,” Ambastha shared.

Yet others warn that overplaying science risks hollowing out brand identity. “Skincare brands need a strong source of authority to be credible to consumers. Initially, the clinical brands like Cetaphil derived authority from being recommended or formulated by dermatologists. Over time, with the democratisation of skincare, the authoritative source shifted from dermatologists to ‘science’. The Ordinary is the brand which redefined skincare through the lens of science by introducing a product range based on actives and a simple, minimalistic approach to branding. After its runaway success, almost all brands have walked the same path. But The Ordinary was imbued with a purpose to bring accountability and transparency to the beauty business, which captured the audience's imagination. Brands copying the approach today lack soul and substance,” Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant and Managing Partner of Bright Angles Consulting LLP, pointed out.

Ambastha also warned against chasing fads without a long-term strategy: “If you launch a brand merely to ride the wave, without a long-term strategy, your brand will die when the trend fades. Trends resurge every decade, so building a brand purely around a fad is risky. The key question is whether skincare infusion is central to your brand, beyond temporary trends,” she added.

“Also, in the single-minded quest for science, the essence of what builds a beauty brand is being neglected. Beauty brands are built on aspiration and empowerment. When L’Oreal said, ‘because you’re worth it’, women across nations could identify and connect. While science is an easy sell, it cannot substitute the hard work of brand building. Without this ‘brand core’, any brand will remain vulnerable to commoditisation and long-term erosion of trust, especially if the brand does not deliver on its claims. Forest Essentials is a great example of a brand that built on the foundation of Ayurveda while leveraging brand experience, superior product sensorial and aspirational branding to charge a premium. It would be great to see more science-based brands learning from their approach,” Sampath added.

Together, these voices mark a turning point for India’s beauty market. Ingredient education has sharpened consumer awareness, but the flood of similar claims has created clutter and fatigue. The next wave won’t ride on the latest trending acid; it will belong to brands that blend science with soul, authority with aspiration, and claims with credibility.

Rumi Ambastha added a broader industry perspective. “The colour cosmetics industry is booming globally. By 2030, it is expected to reach $1 trillion, up from $77 billion today. In India, the market is projected to hit $13–15 billion by 2030–2032. International brands were once aspirational because they weren’t easily available here. Now, global players like H&M are entering India’s beauty market. Celebrity-led brands, such as those by Selena Gomez or Katrina Kaif, succeed when their story aligns with the product, when it feels authentic, relatable, and aspirational. Conversely, celebrity endorsement alone does not guarantee success, as seen with some failing ventures. Ultimately, the core of a brand should focus on solving a real consumer problem and building trust. Consumers are discerning; they research, check reviews, and verify claims before making a purchase. Whether new or legacy, brands must offer authenticity. Simply sprinkling ingredients for trendiness is easily spotted and will not resonate.”