The Indian beauty industry has evolved far beyond offering affordable products and attractive packaging. Today’s consumers are more informed, more expressive, and increasingly selective about the brands they choose. They compare ingredients, watch creator reviews, seek authentic recommendations, and expect brands to stand for something beyond functionality.
For beauty brands, this means success is no longer defined solely by product quality or pricing. Building long-term relevance now depends on creating emotional connections, understanding changing consumer behaviour, and staying culturally aligned.
MARS Cosmetics is among the brands embracing this shift. Once recognised primarily for making quality makeup accessible, the brand is now investing in storytelling and brand-building to strengthen its emotional connect with consumers.
In an interaction with Brand Beats, Anmol Sahai Mathuur, Vice President-Marketing, MARS Cosmetics, spoke about the brand’s evolution, the thinking behind its latest ‘Living The Mars Life’ campaign, the changing role of creators, AI in marketing, and why consumer insight continues to be the foundation of every successful campaign.
Building Emotional Equity Beyond Affordable Beauty
For Mathuur, MARS Cosmetics’ journey isn’t about moving away from affordability but about expanding what the brand represents.
He explains that accessibility will always remain central to MARS’ identity, but lasting brands are built through cultural relevance and emotional meaning, not just functional value.
“Accessibility will always remain a core part of MARS Cosmetics. But the brands that endure are the ones that create cultural relevance and emotional meaning, not just functional value. Our ambition is not only to make great makeup accessible but to become a brand that truly understands the aspirations and realities of modern consumers,” said Mathuur.
He believes the brand’s early years were focused on earning trust through quality products at accessible prices. As the brand has grown, however, the opportunity has shifted towards strengthening emotional equity alongside product equity.
Why Every Campaign Starts With Consumer Insight
While creative execution often grabs attention, Mathuur believes the real strength of a campaign lies much earlier in the process.
Before discussing celebrities, creators, production or media plans, the marketing team begins with a single question, what truth are they trying to capture about the consumer?
Explaining this Mathuur said “If the consumer insight isn’t strong, no amount of execution can compensate for it. Every campaign starts by asking ourselves what truth we are trying to capture about the consumer. Once that insight is clear, every creative decision becomes easier.”
He adds that the brand actively validates campaign ideas internally and externally before moving ahead, ensuring the concepts resonate with real women rather than existing only inside meeting rooms.
For Mathuur, authenticity isn’t an outcome of creativity, it’s the starting point.
That philosophy shaped MARS Cosmetics’ latest campaign, ‘Living The Mars Life.’
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Instead of positioning makeup as a beauty enhancer, the campaign explores confidence through different stages of a woman’s life, whether pursuing unconventional career aspirations, navigating workplace pressures, or adjusting to life after marriage.
The campaign deliberately moves away from product-led communication to celebrate individuality and self-expression.
“We wanted to show that makeup isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about helping you express yourself with confidence. Confidence evolves through different stages of a woman’s life, and makeup becomes a part of that journey,” he added.
Mathuur says the campaign reflects brands’ belief that emotional storytelling creates stronger, longer-lasting relationships than focusing only on product benefits.
As marketing metrics continue to evolve, Mathuur believes campaign success cannot be judged through a single number. Instead, MARS Cosmetics evaluates campaigns across four dimensions: reach and awareness, engagement quality, brand health, and business impact.
He places particular emphasis on the quality of engagement rather than vanity metrics.
“Views and likes are only one part of the story. We pay close attention to shares, saves, meaningful comments, watch time, branded search, sentiment, and ultimately whether the campaign strengthens consideration and drives business outcomes.”
Creators Are More Than Media Channels
Influencer marketing has become integral to beauty marketing, but Mathuur believes the industry’s approach to creators has fundamentally changed.
He points out that influence has become increasingly decentralised, allowing creators from smaller cities to shape beauty conversations just as effectively as celebrities.
Rather than treating creators as distribution channels, brand views them as long-term collaborators. Mathuur explained “We don’t look at creators as just a media channel. We see them as creative collaborators and as an important bridge between the brand and the consumer.”
This is why the brand works across macro, micro, nano, and regional creators instead of chasing only large follower counts.
Mathuur says audience relevance, engagement quality, authenticity, and consumer trust matter far more than scale alone. He also revealed that MARS Cosmetics regularly sends products to creators purely for honest feedback, even when there is no content collaboration involved.
He stated “Sometimes their feedback is far more valuable than a reel. They’re users too, and understanding how they genuinely experience the product helps us improve.”
AI Can Support Marketing But Human Insight Still Matters
Like most marketers today, Mathuur sees artificial intelligence transforming the industry.
From identifying emerging trends to analysing consumer behaviour and improving campaign efficiency, AI is already changing how marketing teams work.
Yet he believes technology has clear limitations. “AI can tell us what consumers are doing. But it’s still our job as marketers to understand why they are doing it. Marketing is ultimately about emotions, culture, and human behaviour.”
Rather than replacing marketers, AI enables teams to automate repetitive work and spend more time on strategy and creativity.
“The brands that will win won’t necessarily be the ones using the most AI. They’ll be the ones combining AI with a distinctive brand point of view and a deep understanding of consumers.” said Mathuur.
Where Beauty Marketing Is Headed Next
Looking ahead, Mathuur expects three shifts to define the future of beauty marketing.
The first is greater personalisation, with consumers increasingly expecting products and recommendations tailored to their skin tones, preferences, and lifestyles.
The second is authenticity.
Consumers, he says, have become skilled at distinguishing genuine recommendations from paid promotions. “Trust is becoming an even bigger differentiator than awareness. Consumers expect transparency around ingredients, product performance, and brand communication.” he added.
The third shift is the convergence of content, creators, and commerce.
Rather than separating storytelling from selling, beauty brands will increasingly have to educate, entertain, and drive purchase decisions within the same ecosystem.
“Brands need to create content that doesn’t feel like advertising. It should engage people, educate them, and inspire confidence in their purchase decisions.”
The Biggest Lesson From Over A Decade In Marketing
Reflecting on his career, Mathuur says one lesson fundamentally changed how he approaches leadership. Early on, he believed strong strategies naturally translated into successful campaigns.
Experience taught him otherwise.
He believes, “Great marketing isn’t just about having a great idea. It’s about getting the entire organisation aligned behind that idea”
Equally important, he says, is staying consistently close to consumers. Even the most exciting ideas must ultimately align with changing consumer behaviour.
“Sometimes an idea can excite you as a marketer. But if it doesn’t resonate with your audience, it won’t work. Listening to consumers will always be the most important part of building brands.” he added.
Across the conversation, one theme remained consistent: lasting brands are built through empathy, not just execution. Whether discussing campaigns, creators, AI, or the future of beauty marketing, Mathuur repeatedly returned to the importance of understanding people before chasing trends. For MARS Cosmetics, that means continuing to innovate while remaining rooted in the same promise the brand started with making quality makeup accessible, meaningful, and relevant to everyday consumers.
As Mathuur puts it, “Great products will bring consumers in. But great brands give them a reason to stay.”
FAQs
1. What is Mars Cosmetics’ marketing strategy?
Mars Cosmetics focuses on combining affordable beauty products with emotional branding, consumer insights, creator collaborations, and product innovation to build long-term customer loyalty.
2. What is the ‘Living The Mars Life’ campaign?
‘Living The Mars Life’ is Mars Cosmetics’ campaign that celebrates confidence, individuality, and self-expression, moving beyond traditional product-focused advertising.
3. How does Mars Cosmetics work with creators?
Mars Cosmetics treats creators as creative collaborators rather than just influencers, partnering with macro, micro, nano, and regional creators based on audience relevance and authenticity.
4. How is Mars Cosmetics using AI in marketing?
According to Vice President – Marketing, Anmol Sahai Anmol Sahai Mathuur, Mars Cosmetics uses AI to analyse consumer behaviour, identify trends, and optimise campaigns while relying on human insight for creativity and strategic decision-making.
5. What does Anmol Sahai Mathuur believe makes a successful marketing campaign?
Mathuur believes every successful campaign starts with a strong consumer insight, supported by organisational alignment, authentic storytelling, meaningful engagement, and measurable business impact.
