Why is trying makeup before buying still a concern? | The Indian Cosmetics Market Research report

• 23.5% of positive-or-negative opinions about trying makeup before buying are favourable.
• The remaining 76.5% are negative within this small, topic-specific sample.
• The figures do not measure access to testers or the effect of trials on sales.

Trying makeup before buying is described unfavourably more often than favourably in Relvo’s India cosmetics research: 23.5% of positive-or-negative opinions are positive (n=34), snapshot dated 3 October 2026. This is a modest, topic-specific evidence set. It does not explain every barrier to trial.

How to read the numbers: Shares describe selected buying decisions or opinions, with the base shown. Positive-opinion charts include positive and negative opinions only. Separate evidence sets may share underlying accounts and differ in buyer and product mix. Small bases are indicative; bases below 10 are reported directionally.

Trial matters because it can give a buyer information they do not yet have. But the word covers different experiences, from seeing a shade to testing how a product feels or wears. The research does not establish that a single form of trial answers all those questions.

The India cosmetics market research codes trying before buying separately from shade matching and product performance. That helps distinguish access to an experience from satisfaction with the product afterwards. Neither should be inferred from the other.

A useful product or retail test starts with the uncertainty the buyer wants to resolve. What could they learn from the available trial? What would remain unknown? Did the experience provide enough information to make the next decision? Those questions are more specific than assuming that the presence of a tester solves purchase hesitation.

Relvo’s consumer behavior research supplies accounts of trial experiences, not an audit of stores or a controlled test of samples. The chart cannot estimate trial availability across India or show how much additional trial access would improve conversion. It identifies a concern that warrants a closer look.

Questions about the research

Does 76.5% mean that many buyers cannot access testers? No. It is the negative share of sampled opinions about trying before buying. The research does not audit tester availability or measure access for all buyers.

Is this based on sales data? No. It uses coded buyer accounts and opinions. It is not purchase data and not a representative survey.

Related research: The India Cosmetics Market Report, 2026 on NBW Brain examines buyer decisions, product experiences and behavioural patterns, with evidence available through its Market Brain.

Methodology

Source: Relvo cosmetics research, snapshot dated 3 October 2026. Selected India-focused makeup discussions and recent product reviews cover October 2025–October 2026. Records were checked for category and geography, coded to a fixed codebook and reviewed for coding reliability. The discussion evidence is heavily English-language and concentrated in a few sources. Reviews cover selected products and recent experiences; they are not a random sample of purchases. Positive-opinion shares exclude mixed and neutral opinions. Each percentage refers to the event or opinion set named alongside it. Evidence layers may share accounts and are not independent samples. Bases of 10–29 are indicative; bases below 10 are reported directionally. Findings are self-reported, not sales data or a representative survey.