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Aashka Goradia on beauty innovation, Indian skin tones and why skincare cannot transform your skin overnight
Actor and Co-Founder, Renee Cosmetics, Aashka Goradia, talks about making beauty innovation more affordable and why makeup should be about self-expression.
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Beauty in India has moved far beyond the traditional kajal, lipstick and compact. Consumers today are increasingly looking for products that offer something different, whether it is a new formulation, a multifunctional format or an experience that fits easily into their everyday routines. For Aashka Goradia, Co-Founder of beauty brand Renee Cosmetics, this shift towards innovation and accessibility has been central to her journey.
From a successful acting career, Aashka stepped into entrepreneurship after she saw a gap between innovation and affordability. She says that while consumers had access to established beauty brands, she believed there was room for products that offered a fresh take on familiar categories without becoming prohibitively expensive.
From multifunctional lip products to makeup designed around specific beauty features, her approach has been to look at how everyday products can be made more interesting, useful and aspirational.
Having spent years in front of the camera and maintaining an active lifestyle, she believes that good skincare begins with basics such as hydration, nutrition and movement.
In this exclusive conversation with HT Shop Now, Goradia also addresses the idea of overnight skincare transformations, the challenges of creating makeup shades for India's diverse undertones, and why she does not believe in putting makeup into boxes such as “minimal” or “overdone”. She also shares the beauty trend she would like to see make a comeback, her non-negotiable beauty philosophy and how she balances entrepreneurship with being a mother of two.
Aashka Goradia on beauty innovation, skincare and makeup
Q. When you started Renee, what was the gap in the Indian beauty market that you felt needed to be addressed?
Aashka Goradia: Innovation. I felt there was a gap in how people saw products, what they did for them and how aspirational products could also complement people's pockets. There weren't many options beyond traditional me-too products back then. And if innovative products were available, they often came at a very premium price.
That was the gap I identified — pocket-friendly innovation. Today, with the digital boom, makeup is no longer just about kajal, lipstick, lip gloss or lip balm. We have moved towards feature-specific makeup. Some people love doing their brows; some don't leave the house without mascara and eyeliner, while others love blush. More and more features are now being celebrated rather than just focusing on traditional makeup products.
Q. Established makeup brands were already popular when you started. What challenges did you face while building a new brand?
Aashka Goradia: I don't completely agree that there was no gap because I saw a huge innovation gap. There were lipsticks, but there wasn't a five-in-one lipstick. There was a lip balm, but there wasn't a magical lip balm that turned pink according to people's pH. That is one of our products, Madness.
In every category, there was room for innovation, whether in packaging, formulation, form factor or experience — while keeping affordability in mind. Me-too products always existed. There was always a blush, but was there a cream blush or a liquid blush, or was it only a pressed powder blush?
Innovation was not only about being present in a category but about being present very differently.
Q. How closely are you involved in product formulation and communication?
Aashka Goradia: Totally, 100% hands-on. I'm involved in everything around new product development. Today, Renee has about 1,000 SKUs, and all of those SKUs have my personal attention. We have constantly gone back and forth, taken consumer feedback and improvised what we have, including bringing newness into me-too products.
Q. Is there any Renee product that feels particularly personal to you?
Aashka Goradia: They are all special to me. I have worked behind every single product. I don't think you have a favourite baby, right? You just enjoy different aspects of your babies.
Every product is dear to me in some way. Some products are solving a problem, some of them are boosting confidence, while some are simply there for aspirational factors in somebody's purse. Every product serves a different purpose, and hence they are all special to me.
Q. Do you believe in products that claim to bring a visible change to your skin overnight?
Aashka Goradia: If something can change you overnight, it has to be a godmother fairy visiting you while everybody else is sleeping, with a wand trying to fulfil your wish!
There is something called instant gratification, which consumers enjoy. If that is delivered well within an acceptable range, then yes, there can be instant gratification. But if you are talking about healing, recovery or changing an aspect of your face or features, that cannot happen overnight. Science has made it quite clear that it can't happen overnight. However, a certain amount of care over a period of time can certainly give you results.
Q. What skincare mistake did you make when you were younger that you wish you had avoided?
Aashka Goradia: Not drinking enough water. I think that's your first skincare step. You have to stay hydrated. There is no amount of product that can fix you from the outside if the insides are dry.
Skincare doesn't come just from a product. It comes from the nutrition you eat, the amount of water you drink, and the amount of sweat you create in a day by moving and working out. These are the first steps of skincare.
Q. Does staying active also contribute to your skin's glow?
Aashka Goradia: Movement always helps. Skin glow is a by-product of the movement you do, whether it's running, yoga, gym or CrossFit.
Q. What does your personal skincare routine look like on a busy day?
Aashka Goradia: I'm not even sure that I follow a particular routine. I've always loved experimenting, and probably that is the reason why I have such a love for constantly innovating.
But I make sure that on the inside I stay hydrated and on the outside I stay hydrated. Moisturising the skin, regardless of the weather, is essential. The consistency of your moisturiser can change, but your skin does need to get moisturised time and again.
Q. Are you a fan of seven- or 10-step skincare routines?
Aashka Goradia: It really depends on when you need those seven steps. It's not necessary that you always need seven steps. If you have that kind of time, sure, enjoy it. It's like therapy.
That's why we have a range called Pink Therapy because ideally, the whole thing about skincare is supposed to make you feel therapeutic. It's not a necessity; it's just a therapy.
Q. What challenges have you faced while creating products for Indian skin tones and beauty preferences?
Aashka Goradia: I think it's the most challenging. Even a global makeup brand would find it challenging to get the right Indian skin tones because we have so many undertones. It's not just about a particular shade.
We work with so many different shades. It's complicated, but we eventually find products that naturally sit well with different skin tones in India. It takes work to get the right one.
That's why we don't necessarily have 36 shades. We have the right nine or 12 shades that we really need to serve consumer demand.
Q. What is your go-to makeup look when you want to look polished but not overly made up?
Aashka Goradia: I'm all for being overly made up if you want to be. Makeup is there to be enjoyed, and there is no limitation as to how much somebody should enjoy it.
If you're overly done, awesome. If you like minimalism, that's also great. It's the feature you want to decorate that makes you minimalistically happy.
If you just wear kajal and that makes you happy, awesome. If you just throw on a lip balm and that makes you happy, awesome. I'm not a big person when it comes to saying, “This is minimalistic” or “This is overdone”.
Makeup is art. Somebody does it less and is happy with it, while somebody else enjoys putting on more colours. It's about how you experience makeup yourself. That makes it more correct than somebody else looking at you. It's a personal choice.
Q. Is there a makeup trend from the past that you would love to see make a comeback?
Aashka Goradia: Absolutely. Eyeliners from the 70s and 80s must come back. I would love to see people donning those liners again — especially people who were really open and bold enough to experiment. I think that's what should come back.
Q. Is there any beauty trend you think should go away?
Aashka Goradia: No, nothing should go away. I contradict what I believe in, so nothing should go away!
Q. Can you reveal anything about the beauty categories Renee is planning to launch next?
Aashka Goradia: We are working on two different categories, but I'm not too sure about opening up about them right now. When we are close to it, Jessica can reach out to you again, and maybe we can give you a little preview before everybody else.
Q. If you could steal one beauty secret from a Bollywood actress, who would it be?
Aashka Goradia: There are just so many different things everybody has. I haven't really looked at it like that. Nothing to steal, many to compliment. I don't have a real answer for you on this one.
Q. What is your one non-negotiable beauty rule?
Aashka Goradia: Don't enjoy beauty, makeup or skincare because you have to please somebody else. Do it because you love it so much.
Less is good, more is good, extreme is awesome — I don't know! Just enjoy it. It's a canvas, and you have a paintbrush. You can stop where you want, and you can go on.
Q. What does Ashka do when she is completely off duty?
Aashka Goradia: I'm with my two kids. I have an independent child and a toddler. Every bit of every minute is theirs once I'm not working.
Some Quick Rapid-Fire ones:
Lipstick or lip balm?
Aashka Goradia: Hard lipstick person.
Glowy skin or matte skin?
Depends on the day.
Heels or sneakers?
Aashka Goradia: I fancy heels, but I have to take care of my feet. So, sneakers.
Nude lips or bold lips?
Aashka Goradia: It really depends, but I'm a big bold-lip person. You can absolutely see me wearing a stark red lipstick at noon in another meeting. And that's okay with me because I felt like wearing red that day.
One beauty product you always carry?
Aashka Goradia: My lipstick and my eyeliner.
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