How ‘Lakme’ Got Its Name From ‘Lakshmi’

Arvind Vijaymohan, founder and CEO of the art research and advising business Artery India, told a fascinating narrative about Lakme’s origins and its link to JRD Tata in an Instagram video. JRD Tata received a call from his close friend, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, 12 years after taking over the Tata empire, Vijaymohan said. Tata received this call during a busy workday, and the voice was familiar and friendly, but not a usual call.

Since there were no indigenous beauty brands for Indian climates and skin tones, Indian ladies spent a lot on foreign cosmetics, which worried Nehru. Nehru urged Tata to start a cosmetics firm to conserve foreign cash. Tata launched a coconut oil subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO) immediately. The subsidiary got cosmetic ingredients.

A Tata Group team visited Paris to brainstorm brand names with French rivals. They found Leo Delibes’ opera Lakmé, about the Indian goddess Lakshmi, noted for beauty and riches. The team chose Lakme to represent Indian women’s power, grace, and beauty. In a modest Peddar Road facility in Mumbai, Lakme began women’s personal care goods.

Lakme became India’s top cosmetics brand. Lakme sold their joint venture holding in 1993 after TOMCO and Hindustan Unilever merged strategically. In 1998, Hindustan Unilever bought Lakme. Lakme continues to dominate the Indian cosmetics business, setting new norms.