India registered a strong performance at the 2025 L’Oréal SAPMENA Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program, with Pune-based Without and Bengaluru-headquartered Sravathi AI winning top honours. The programme, which spans markets across South Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, is considered the region’s most competitive platform for beauty-tech and consumer innovation.
Both startups will now receive a L’Oréal-sponsored commercial pilot with one of the company’s global brands. The winners also gain access to a 12-month mentorship programme involving senior executives from L’Oréal, Google, Meta and Accenture — a combination expected to help them scale commercially and technologically.
This year’s jury also named Halo AI (UAE) and Heatseeker (Australia) as winners, while Singapore’s Wubble AI received a Special Mention.
India’s repeat performance underlines the country’s growing role in deep technology and applied research. Commenting on the win, Saloni Shah Javeri, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, L’Oréal India, said, “Homegrown solutions are not only addressing real consumer needs but also reinforcing India’s growing prominence as a global hub for innovation.”
The SAPMENA region, home to nearly 3 billion consumers, has become a major driver of beauty-tech modernisation. Vismay Sharma, President, L’Oréal SAPMENA Zone, said the region is emerging as a serious innovation centre. “The centre of gravity for innovation is increasingly diversifying and shifting to regions like SAPMENA where market demand is shaping ideas to impact,” he said.
Industry analysts note that access to mentorship and pilot funding from L’Oréal could accelerate market entry for the Indian winners, particularly in sustainability and science-led product development.
