MPW 2022: SUGAR Cosmetics CEO Vineeta Singh is the undisputed queen of D2C

Vineeta Singh’s popularity has skyrocketed, and how. The Co-founder and CEO of D2C beauty brand SUGAR Cosmetics is now a part of Shark Tank India, where she seeks out women-led start-ups to fund. “When I go to the park with my kids, girls who are around six or seven come up and say, ‘I want to become an entrepreneur.’ This is interesting because when I was growing up, I had fewer role models, but today, I’m grateful that through a platform like this, I’ve been able to do my bit,” Singh tells Business Today. 

Post her IIM A degree, Singh, who is part of the BT Most Powerful Women in Business 2022 list, turned down a lucrative job offer to become an entrepreneur. Cut to present, her company SUGAR reported a 75 per cent growth in FY22 sales, and also became a soonicorn (valued above $500 million) last year. While SUGAR is yet to turn a profit, Singh—and her Co-founder husband Kaushik Mukherjee—have grown the brand’s retail footprint to 45,000+ touch points in 550 cities across India.

“Our omni-channel approach led us to being one of the Top 3 cosmetics brands in India, and we’re furthering expansion to international markets such as the US, the UAE, Russia and Nepal,” Singh shares. She adds that the seven-year-old start-up has been able to deliver 117x returns to its earliest investor, India Quotient.

@mittermaniac