Hyeglo Beauty raises ₹7 crore in seed funding led by Sauce

Key takeaways

• Hyeglo Beauty has raised ₹7 crore in a seed funding round led by Sauce.
• Other investors include Giga Capital, Consumer Collective, The Patient Capital and Reckitt executive Arjun Purkayastha.
• Founded in April 2026, the Delhi-based startup is led by Kanupriya Ahluwalia, a former Nykaa executive.
• The brand combines skincare ingredients with makeup formulations, a concept often described as skinified makeup.
• Its current portfolio includes a tinted moisturiser, lip oil stain and lip-and-cheek balm.
• The company will use the funding for R&D, product launches, brand building and strategic hiring.
• Hyeglo plans to expand its portfolio across colour cosmetics and skincare.

Hyeglo Beauty secures ₹7 crore seed funding

Hyeglo Beauty has raised ₹7 crore in a seed funding round led by consumer-focused venture capital firm Sauce as the startup looks to expand its presence in India’s beauty and personal care market.

The round also included participation from Giga Capital, Consumer Collective, The Patient Capital and Arjun Purkayastha, senior vice-president and managing director for Greater China and North Asia at Reckitt.

Founded in April 2026 by Kanupriya Ahluwalia, Hyeglo is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) beauty brand focused on combining makeup with skincare ingredients. The company is positioning its products around the idea that cosmetics should offer more than colour and coverage.

The startup plans to use the fresh capital to strengthen research and development, introduce new products, invest in brand building and hire employees across key functions.

The funding comes approximately seven months after the brand launched its first products. The company is now preparing to expand its product range and build a stronger presence in the Indian beauty market.

What does Hyeglo Beauty sell?

Hyeglo is developing products at the intersection of colour cosmetics and skincare. Its formulations combine cosmetic pigments with skincare actives and other ingredients intended to provide additional skin-related benefits.

The company describes this approach as skinified makeup. The concept reflects a growing product-development trend in which beauty brands incorporate ingredients traditionally associated with skincare into foundations, lip products, moisturisers and other cosmetics.

Hyeglo currently offers three products through its direct-to-consumer platform.

Product	Category	Listed price
Tintelligence Skin Adaptive Tinted Moisturizer	Face makeup	₹1,350
Better Left Behind Lip Oil Stain	Lip makeup	₹999
The Glow-To Lip & Cheek Glow Balm	Lip and cheek makeup	₹799

The products are designed to combine everyday makeup functionality with skincare-oriented formulations.

For example, tinted moisturisers offer light coverage while providing a moisturising component. Lip oils and balms combine colour with conditioning ingredients.

The company’s broader strategy is to build a portfolio that appeals to consumers who increasingly pay attention to product ingredients, formulation and skin compatibility.

However, ingredient-based positioning does not automatically establish the clinical effectiveness of a product. Actual performance depends on the formulation, ingredient concentration, testing and individual skin characteristics.

Former Nykaa executive Kanupriya Ahluwalia founded the brand

Hyeglo was founded by Kanupriya Ahluwalia in April 2026.

Ahluwalia brings approximately nine years of experience in the beauty industry across India and the Middle East. Her previous professional experience includes working with Nykaa, Kay Beauty, Noon and Namshi.

This experience gives the founder exposure to different parts of the beauty business, including product development, brand building, consumer behaviour and online retail.

Her understanding of beauty consumers has influenced Hyeglo’s positioning around the convergence of makeup and skincare.

Ahluwalia has argued that consumers have become more conscious of the ingredients in their skincare products, while makeup formulations have not always received the same level of attention.

The company’s objective is to address this perceived gap by developing makeup products that incorporate skincare-oriented ingredients without compromising their cosmetic function.

Hyeglo also says its product-development process involves dermatological expertise and professional consultations. Its expert panel includes Dr Sonal Tibrewal Garg, an MD in Dermatology.

How Hyeglo plans to use the funding

The ₹7 crore investment will support four major areas of the company’s expansion strategy.

1. Research and development

Hyeglo plans to invest in formulation research and product development. This includes exploring new ingredient combinations and improving the performance of existing and future products.

R&D will be important because the company’s positioning depends on combining makeup performance with skincare-related formulation benefits.

2. New product launches

The company intends to expand beyond its initial three products.

Its future portfolio will cover additional colour cosmetics and skincare categories. The founder has indicated that the brand wants to introduce products regularly but remain selective about the problems each product addresses.

This approach could help the company build a wider product range while maintaining a consistent brand identity.

3. Brand building

The funding will also support marketing, consumer education and brand awareness.

For a relatively new D2C company, establishing customer trust is particularly important. Consumers need to understand how products work, what ingredients they contain and how they differ from conventional cosmetics.

Hyeglo will compete for attention in a market where established beauty companies and newer digital-first brands are already investing heavily in customer acquisition.

4. Hiring

The company plans to make strategic hires to strengthen its operations.

Potential areas of expansion include product development, marketing, research, technology and business operations. The exact number of planned hires has not been disclosed.

Sauce expands its consumer brand investment portfolio

The funding round was led by Sauce, an investment firm focused on consumer businesses.

Its investment in Hyeglo reflects interest in emerging beauty brands that are attempting to build differentiated products rather than competing only through pricing or distribution.

Sauce partner Yash Dholakia said Indian consumers have become more sophisticated about skincare and are increasingly applying those expectations to other beauty products.

The investor believes Hyeglo’s formulation-led approach and the founder’s industry experience provide an opportunity to build a brand in the skinified beauty segment.

The participation of existing and individual investors also gives the startup a group of backers with exposure to consumer businesses and the wider beauty industry.

However, the company has not disclosed its post-money valuation, revenue, sales volumes or detailed financial performance following the funding round.

Competition in India’s beauty and personal care market

Hyeglo is entering a competitive market that includes established cosmetics companies, skincare brands and digitally native beauty startups.

Companies such as Nykaa, Mamaearth, Sugar Cosmetics, Kay Beauty and several newer brands have built businesses around different customer segments and product categories.

The convergence of skincare and makeup offers another way for brands to differentiate themselves.

Consumers increasingly examine ingredient lists, product claims and suitability for their skin before making purchases. This creates opportunities for brands that can combine attractive formulations with credible product information.

However, Hyeglo faces several challenges.

First, it needs to establish repeat purchases. Beauty brands can attract customers through new product launches and marketing, but long-term growth depends on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Second, it must manage product-development costs while expanding its portfolio. Formulation research, testing, manufacturing and inventory can require significant investment.

Third, the brand needs to establish distribution beyond its own website if it wants to reach a wider customer base. Partnerships with online beauty marketplaces and physical retail channels could become important as it scales.

The Bigger Picture

Hyeglo’s funding highlights continued investor interest in India’s consumer and beauty startup ecosystem. Rather than building brands around cosmetics alone, newer companies are exploring products that combine skincare, personal care and beauty functions. This creates opportunities for specialised brands to target consumers who want more from everyday products.

But the category also has significant competition. Hyeglo will need to demonstrate that its formulations deliver a consistent consumer experience and that customers are willing to purchase its products repeatedly. Its ability to build trust, manage customer acquisition costs and expand distribution will determine whether the initial funding can translate into a sustainable business.

Looking Ahead

Hyeglo plans to use the ₹7 crore funding to expand its product range, strengthen formulation research and build its brand. The company’s next phase will likely focus on launching additional products across colour cosmetics and skincare while expanding its team.

For investors, the important indicators will be product adoption, repeat purchases, revenue growth and the company’s ability to establish a recognisable position in the crowded beauty market. The funding gives Hyeglo additional resources to pursue its strategy, but sustained consumer demand will ultimately determine its growth.