Shweta Pandey is a Senior Content Writer at Hindustan Times, with over 12 years of experience in beauty and wellness journalism, specialising in makeup, skincare, and hair care.
Her career reflects consistent growth, moving from content contributor to senior writer. She now plays a key role in shaping editorial strategy, social media content, and ensuring high-quality, reader-focused content that aligns with evolving audience needs. Shweta’s core expertise spans makeup, skincare, hair care, and holistic health and fitness. She specialises in in-depth beauty product reviews, ingredient analysis, skincare routines, and evidence-based wellness advice. Known for her analytical and data-driven approach, she relies on verified sources, dermatological insights, and expert consultations to ensure credibility. Her field experience includes interviewing Bollywood celebrities, beauty and makeup professionals, tracking consumer trends, and simplifying the top picks. Shweta holds a Master’s degree in Mass Communication, Advertising, and Journalism and has done Bachelor’s in Commerce from Delhi University. She believes in delivering reader-first insights that empower informed decisions while maintaining transparency, credibility, and trust. Beyond her writing desk, Shweta enjoys exploring new destinations, experimenting in the kitchen with delightful recipes, and staying in tune with the latest beauty and wellness trends. The Indian beauty consumer is becoming more curious, experimental and conscious about where they spend their money. For younger consumers in particular, affordability does not necessarily mean compromising on formulation, performance or experience. Rishabh Sethia, Director, MARS Cosmetics, believes this shift has changed the way beauty brands need to approach their consumers. A trend may attract them to a product, but reviews, swatches, ingredients, application and suitability for their skin and routine can all influence the final purchase. In this exclusive interaction with HT Shop Now, Rishabh Sethia, Director, MARS Cosmetics talks about the philosophy of ‘Makeup For Everyone’ and how consumer expectations are changing. Rishabh Sethia: Young consumers want access to the full experience of beauty: good formulations, interesting textures, shades that suit them and products they are excited to own. A limited budget does not mean limited expectations. The gap we saw was that consumers often had to choose between the product they wanted and the price they were comfortable paying. Our focus at MARS has been to bring those closer together. A student discovering makeup should be able to explore beyond the basics. For me, making beauty accessible means giving more people meaningful choices.
She began her professional writing journey in 2011, entering the evolving world of digital lifestyle journalism as beauty and wellness content rapidly transformed in India. Over the years, she has worked with reputed digital media houses like India Today, the Times of India and Skymet Weather, steadily building credibility through well-researched features, product reviews, and trend analyses. From skin-like base products and versatile textures to bold shades and easy-to-use formats, makeup today is as much about personal choice as it is about trends. Today’s shoppers are not simply looking for inexpensive products; they want meaningful choices that offer good value for money, according to him.
Rishabh Sethia: The idea that every face needs correcting. I would happily retire that. There is always another rule about the ideal nose, lip shape or face structure. Makeup becomes much more interesting when people use it to explore what they enjoy about their faces, and hence MARS’ motto of ‘Makeup for Everyone’. If someone loves a dramatic contour, that is their choice. It should not feel like a compulsory step before they can leave the house. It is one of the most loved products ever. I would leave the shade entirely to her. There is no single nude or red that is right for every Indian woman. The most useful product is the one she can reach for confidently, without having to think too much about it. Rishabh Sethia: Double Trouble Mascara would be the confident one. It would arrive ready to make an entrance and probably volunteer to take the first photograph. Lip Fuzz Blurring Lip Cream would be the experimental one; the friend who always has a different idea for the look and convinces everyone to try it. SkinFit Skin Tint would be the understated one. I think they would make a fairly balanced team. Rishabh Sethia: The feedback that stays with me is when someone tells us MARS was their first makeup purchase. What surprises me is how much meaning that first product can carry. When you work on products every day, it is easy to think in terms of shades, textures and categories. The consumer reminds you that it can be a much more personal decision: trying something unfamiliar and discovering what suits them. It makes me think carefully about the beginner’s experience. Is the product easy to choose? Easy to apply? Does it make them want to experiment again? That first experience deserves a lot of attention. Rishabh Sethia: Yes. Consumers have more ways to evaluate a product now. They can watch it being applied, see it on someone with a similar skin tone and hear from people who have used it. That gives Indian brands an opportunity to earn consideration through the product itself. Our advantage is closeness to the consumer: understanding their preferences, budgets and the everyday situations in which they wear makeup. We must translate that understanding into better choices for them. Being an Indian brand can create a connection. Consistent product performance is what turns that connection into trust.
Rishabh Sethia: Undoubtedly MARS’ Edge of Desire Lip Liner (or 4-in-1 Travel Brush). I am a fan of lip balms, and these 5 have become my all-time favourites forever I tried these 5 lipstick shades on my fair skin tone, and 3 of them stood out Tinted moisturiser vs foundation vs skin tint: What’s the difference and how to use each as per your skin type
Quietly put together, dependable, and ready before the rest of the group.
Because they are curious, without worrying that they have spent too much if it does not become their everyday colour, i would like someone to buy an adventurous shade. Rishabh Sethia: I would describe the consumer as more questioning. A trend may introduce someone to a product, but they will then look for swatches, compare reviews and ask whether it will work for their skin and routine. Ingredient awareness is part of that greater interest in what they are buying. I also think value-conscious is a more useful description than price-conscious. Someone can spend more and still be very particular about value. The question is: what am I getting for my money? For a brand, that means explaining the product clearly and delivering an experience that justifies the purchase. Rishabh Sethia: That price is a reliable measure of quality. You understand a makeup product much better by using it: how it applies, how it feels and how consistently it performs. Formulation, sourcing, packaging and distribution all involve choices. The challenge is to make those choices efficiently while protecting what matters to the consumer. An affordable product still must earn its place in someone’s makeup bag. The price should make it easier to try; the experience should make it worth buying again. Rishabh Sethia: I would start with three questions: what does this format offer, will it work for our consumer, and can we deliver it at a sensible price? Then come the details. How does the shade translate across skin tones? Is the texture comfortable in our weather? Can someone use it easily without professional skills? A product can look excellent in a demonstration and still be difficult to use every morning. We test, listen and refine. I have learnt that enthusiasm within a team is not enough to validate an idea. Consumer feedback must influence what we eventually bring to market. Rishabh Sethia: Those two expectations fit together quite naturally. If you enjoy changing your look, you want the freedom to try something without every purchase becoming a major expense. Our job is to make that exploration worthwhile. A different texture or shade should offer something enjoyable and useful, beyond looking interesting in a launch campaign. It should also be easy to understand and use. That freedom is an important part of accessible beauty. Rishabh Sethia: There is interest in lighter, skin-like finishes, particularly for everyday use. People want control over coverage and products that feel comfortable on their skin. But I would separate finish from creativity. A person can wear a light base with a dramatic eye or a bold lip. And someone who prefers minimal makeup during the week may enjoy a full festive look. I see this as consumers expanding their options. They do not necessarily want one signature look for every setting. Our role is to give them textures and formats that let them make those choices.
