Beauty segment led India's FMCG recovery in June to pre-Covid level

Trend comes as a surprise as consumers remain cautious of spending

India’s Rs 4.3-trillion fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market rebounded in June to pre-Covid-19 sales levels, but a big surprise was that the revival was led by the beauty category.

The data shared by market research agency Nielsen on Friday showed that the category saw a sharp recovery in June versus other contributors to growth, including food, hygiene and rural.

On an index of 100, non-foods, led by beauty, stood at 104 in June as against 72 in May, Nielsen said. In foods, the index was 94 in June versus 78 in May. And in rural, it was 109 in June