Across India, content creators are stepping into the consumer business space with brands spanning sarees, perfumes, fashion and furniture. Instead of relying entirely on paid partnerships, they are using their understanding of online audiences to build businesses of their own. However, as a recent Mint report highlights, turning social media influence into a sustainable business comes with its own set of challenges. A large following may help a brand get noticed, but it does not guarantee sales, repeat customers or long-term profitability.
Why Are Creators Moving Beyond Brand Deals?
Brand partnerships have become an important source of income for creators. However, campaign-based earnings can be unpredictable, and creators often have limited control over the products they promote. Launching a brand offers a different opportunity. Creators can develop products, shape their brand identity, make business decisions and build a customer base that extends beyond individual campaigns. Their biggest advantage is the relationship they have already built with their audiences. Years of creating content can help them understand what their followers like, what problems they face and what products might interest them.
According to Mint, India’s creator base grew from 9.6 lakh in 2020 to 41.2 lakh in 2025, as reported in a July 2026 study by the Indian School of Business and HashFame. Meanwhile, Kofluence estimated the country’s influencer-marketing industry at ₹3,000–3,500 crore in 2025, with a projected rise to ₹4,500–5,000 crore by 2027. These numbers point to a growing creator economy. Naturally, building a business of their own is becoming an attractive next step for creators looking to expand their income streams.
Several creator-led businesses illustrate how this shift is taking shape across categories.
1. Padmora: Saree Brand
Lifestyle creators Shivani Manchekar and Yash Mathadhikari launched their saree brand, Padmora, on October 11, using around ₹15 lakh from their personal savings. The brand’s initial stock sold out within three days, and the founders reported 180 buyers since launch. The early response demonstrates how an existing audience can help a new brand find its first customers. However, maintaining that demand beyond the initial launch will be an important test.
2. Sarkar: Perfume
Actor and content creator Bhuvan Bam launched Sarkar, a perfume brand, in July 2026. The move adds another example of a creator using an established public profile to enter the consumer-products market. However, recognition alone cannot guarantee that customers will choose a product repeatedly. For a perfume brand, factors such as fragrance, pricing, product quality and customer experience will ultimately influence whether a first-time buyer returns.
3. Underneat: Innerwear and Shapewear
Actor, comedian and creator Kusha Kapila launched Underneat, an innerwear and shapewear brand, in April 2025. The category offers an opportunity to build a business around products that consumers may purchase more than once. At the same time, it requires the brand to deliver on fit, comfort, quality and customer expectations.
These examples show that creators are not limiting themselves to merchandise or products directly related to their content. Instead, they are entering established consumer categories where building a distinctive brand and earning customer trust are essential.
Why Having Millions of Followers Is Not Enough
According to experts quoted by Mint, consumer businesses require significant working capital for product development, inventory, packaging, fulfilment, returns and marketing. Distribution and customer-acquisition costs can also rise as a brand tries to reach people outside its founder’s existing community.
Financial performance across established celebrity-backed businesses further illustrates why visibility alone is not enough. Mint reported that Deepika Padukone’s skincare brand 82°E saw revenue fall 30% to ₹14.7 crore in FY25, while its losses stood at ₹12.26 crore. Virat Kohli’s fashion label WROGN reported losses of ₹75 crore, up 32%.
These figures do not mean creator-led businesses cannot succeed. Instead, they highlight an important distinction: a recognisable founder can attract attention, but the business still needs a sustainable model.
Can Smaller Creators Have an Advantage?
Interestingly, creators do not necessarily need millions of followers to build a consumer brand. Smaller creators often understand their niche communities closely. They may know which products their audiences struggle to find, what price points feel reasonable and which recommendations generate genuine interest. That insight can help them build a more focused product offering rather than launching several products simply to create buzz.
FurnNsteel, a steel furniture manufacturing business founded by beauty, fashion and lifestyle creator Amrita Paul in 2019. The company operates across business-to-business sales and individual consumers. Paul reported 12% year-on-year revenue growth in FY26 and a 100% repeat-purchase rate. Ahmedabad-based Cohort Studio offers another example. Founded in 2024 by fashion and lifestyle creators Vidhisha Patel and Dhruvi Godhani, the clothing label generates 80% of its sales through offline channels, with social media contributing the remaining 20%.
What Should Creators Do Before Launching a Brand?
Launching a product because followers keep asking for it may sound like a promising starting point. However, creators need to establish whether that interest translates into actual purchases. Industry experts quoted by Mint recommend testing demand before committing substantial capital. This can include pre-orders, waitlists, limited product drops, audience surveys and small marketing campaigns targeting people who do not already follow the creator.
Creators should also track more than views, likes and launch-day sales. Conversion rates, repeat purchases, returns and customer feedback can help determine whether a product has genuine market demand. Starting with one strong product may also be more practical than investing in an extensive catalogue from day one. Most importantly, creators need to think beyond themselves. The brand should offer a clear reason for customers to buy the product, even if they are unfamiliar with its founder.