Lakmé is an Indian cosmetics brand owned by Hindustan Unilever. It was named after the French opera Lakmé, which itself is the French word for the goddess Lakshmi who is renowned for her beauty. It was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills, famously after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was concerned that Indian women were spending precious foreign exchange on beauty products and persuaded JRD Tata to manufacture them in India.[1] Simone Tata joined the company as director and went on to become chairperson.[2] In 1998, Tatas sold their stake in Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever[3] for inr 2000000000.[4]
Lakmé mainly sells coloured cosmetic products such as lipsticks, eyeliners and skincare cream. In December 2018, it launched its e-commerce platform.