Beauty retailer Sephora has expanded its international reach to India.

The French beauty chain has opened its first Indian store at Select Citywalk. The 3200 sqft store initially offers 14 brands including Stila, The Face Shop, Alterna, Make Up For Ever, Bliss, Boscia, Ouidad as well as Sephora’s own makeup and skin care brands. More brands will be introduced as the trading progresses, it says.

It also houses a shop-in-shop by Forest Essentials, a prestige ayurveda medicine-based brand which is minority owned by Estee Lauder.

The store is directly operated by LVMH-owned Sephora, taking full advantage of the foreign direct investment granted by the Indian government.

“The stage for high growth in beauty in India is coming up now. We’re going to be a big player in the beauty industry,” said Ravi Thakran, group president for LVMH, South Asia, South East Asia and Middle East, who is also regional president of Sephora.

“Beauty in India is very nascent, with a lot of potential,” added Thakran.

Sephora has more than 1600 stores worlwide.

GB