She began when others retired.
What do most people do at 50?
Plan retirement? Slow down?
Falguni Nayar did something wildly different —
She launched a beauty empire from scratch.
At an age when society whispers “it’s too late,” she replied with action. At 50, Falguni left her powerful corporate job, emptied her savings, and bet it all on a dream called Nykaa. A dream not just for herself — but for every Indian woman who ever felt invisible in the beauty aisle.
From Banker to Beauty Boss
Born in 1963, raised in a modest Gujarati family in Mumbai, Falguni always had business in her blood. But her first chapter was corporate — an IIM-Ahmedabad gold medalist, she climbed the ranks in finance and became the Managing Director at Kotak Mahindra Capital.
For two decades, she helped others build companies, raise funds, and shine. But deep inside, she carried a quiet fire:
“What if I created something of my own?”
So, at 50, she did the unthinkable: she walked away from the safe and successful — and stepped into the uncertain and unknown.
The Birth of Nykaa: A Lipstick and a Leap of Faith
In 2012, Falguni launched Nykaa — not from a fancy boardroom, but from a small room, with limited staff, her own money, and no prior experience in tech, beauty, or retail. She built beauty at 50 — not just outside, but from deep within. Now it’s your turn. Subscribe to Seniors Ki Saathi — your daily guide to radiant, confident aging. Get voice-led self-care, easy wellness & skincare tips, confidence boosters, plus daily engagement, emotional comfort, Brain Spark games, tech/health tips, and the Emotional SOS System when you need it most.
Everyone had questions.
“Online beauty in India? Really?”
But Falguni had answers.
She knew Indian women — their needs, their silence, their strength.
Nykaa wasn’t just a store. It was a mirror. A voice. A revolution.
And slowly, click by click, shade by shade, Nykaa became a household name.
Blooming at Her Own Time
In 2021, at 58, Falguni took Nykaa public. It was one of India’s most successful IPOs — and made her the richest self-made woman billionaire in the country.
But she didn’t do it to chase money. She did it to chase possibility. To show her daughter. To show everyone, that your timing is your power.
And it’s never too late to start,
And never too far from greatness, if you’re willing to try.
Follow us on @ageisjustanumbertv for more radiant aging stories, timeless beauty inspo, and daily proof that confidence has no expiry date. Your glow-up isn’t over — it’s just getting started.
