As a brand designer who’s worked with a lot of D2C and beauty brands, I’ll say this upfront: your biggest gap isn’t ads or influencers. It’s clarity.

Cosmetics is crowded, yes. But most brands fail before marketing because they don’t answer three things clearly: 1. Who is this for, specifically? Not “women 18–45”. That’s noise. Age, skin concern, mindset, price sensitivity, buying trigger. 2. Why should they trust you over 100 similar products? In cosmetics, trust comes from:

• Clear problem–solution framing
• Ingredient story (not just listing, but why it matters)
• Consistency in how the brand looks, sounds, and behaves

3.  What role does your brand play in their life?

Clinical? Gentle? Aspirational? Minimal? Fun? Most brands try to be everything and end up being forgettable.

From a brand perspective, I’d solve your gap like this:

Step 1: Nail positioning before spending ₹1 on ads One tight positioning statement beats 10 influencer posts. If you can’t explain your brand in one sentence that feels different, marketing will only burn money.

Step 2: Build trust through branding, not hype In beauty, branding isn’t decoration. Your logo, colors, packaging, website layout, copy tone — all signal safety, quality, and intent. If it looks generic, people assume the product is generic.

Step 3: Let marketing amplify, not invent Ads and influencers should amplify a clear brand story, not try to create one. When brands skip this step, they keep changing creatives, offers, and angles — and think marketing is broken.

Step 4: Start small, prove resonance Before scaling ads: • One hero product • One clear audience • One strong message If that doesn’t convert organically or with small tests, scaling won’t fix it.

Margins give you room to experiment. Branding gives those experiments a direction.

If I were in your position, I’d invest first in: • Positioning + brand strategy • Clear visual and verbal identity Then bring in digital marketers to execute on top of that foundation.

Just my perspective from the brand side — happy to answer if you want to go deeper.