Nykaa does not have an open seller registration like Amazon or Flipkart. It is a curated retailer. You apply as a brand through the Sell on Nykaa page, a category team reviews you, and only then do you get commercial terms. Commission is not published. This guide explains what Nykaa looks for, what you need before you apply, and where most Indian beauty and fashion brands go wrong.
How Nykaa differs from Amazon and Myntra
Amazon and Flipkart let almost any GST-registered seller list within days. Nykaa works more like a department store buyer. Its own landing page pitches to brands, not sellers, with the line "Grow with India's largest Beauty Retailer". There is no self-serve seller account you can open tonight.
The business model is also different. Nykaa's beauty business is largely inventory-led, meaning Nykaa buys stock from brands and sells it, while fashion runs as a marketplace. At the same time, Nykaa's terms describe the platform as an intermediary between independent sellers and buyers that does not take ownership of goods. In practice, both models exist. Which one you get depends on your category and the deal you sign.
The scale is real but concentrated. In the quarter ended December 2025, Nykaa's beauty vertical did Rs 4,302 crore in GMV across 18.1 million orders, with an average order value of Rs 2,173. Fashion did Rs 1,476 crore across 3 million orders at an AOV of Rs 4,794. Those AOVs are far above mass marketplaces. Nykaa's shopper pays for premium. Price your range accordingly.
Who Nykaa onboards
Nykaa lists 1,900+ brands and over 1.2 lakh products. Look at who it added recently to understand its taste. In late 2025 the platform launched Dolce & Gabbana Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics and Milk Makeup, and described itself as "the preferred launch platform for global brands entering India". Nykaa Fashion added GAP, Guess, Rare Rabbit, Mufti, The Souled Store and H&M in the same period.
That does not mean only global names get in. Nykaa also positions itself as a home for D2C and homegrown brands, and its rapid-delivery service Nykaa Now carries 700+ brands across luxury, FMCG and D2C. What Nykaa wants from a smaller brand is a clear point of difference, clean compliance, and some proof of demand, usually from your own website, Instagram, or another marketplace.
You must own the brand or hold written authorisation from the owner. Resellers of open-market stock are not who this page is for.
Applying to Nykaa Beauty
The entry point is the Sell on Nykaa form at nykaa.com/sellonnykaa/lp. The Nykaa Help Center also has a "Sell On Nykaa" topic. Third-party guides report the form asks for company name, GST number, brand name, social media handles and your marketing budget, and that a category team responds in roughly 5 to 10 working days if the application is complete.
Treat the form as a pitch, not paperwork. Fill in the marketing budget honestly. A brand that says it will spend nothing on launch visibility is a weak candidate. If you have a Nykaa category contact, a short deck with your range, pricing, USP, existing marketplace sales and press helps more than the form alone.
Expect two possible structures after approval. Under the marketplace model you hold stock, receive orders and ship within a tight turnaround. Under the inventory or "JIT" model Nykaa raises purchase orders, buys stock into its warehouses and fulfils orders itself. Nykaa ran 44 warehouses at the end of 2025.
Applying to Nykaa Fashion
Nykaa Fashion is a separate company, Nykaa Fashion Ltd, with its own site and helpline, and a "Sell on Nykaa Fashion" link in its footer. It runs on a marketplace model, so you will usually hold and ship your own stock.
The curation bar is high. Nykaa Fashion calls itself "India's #1 premium online fashion destination" and uses stylist-curated edits and festive stores to drive engagement. Fast-fashion basics priced for Meesho will not get through. Distinct design, good photography and a coherent range do. If you already sell on Myntra or Ajio, say so; it shows you can handle marketplace operations.
Compliance and documents
Have these ready before you apply. Nykaa will ask for them at contracting, and gaps stall the deal.
- GST registration, PAN, current account, cancelled cheque and registered address proof.
- Trademark registration or application for your brand, or a brand authorisation letter if you are the authorised distributor.
- Cosmetics: a manufacturing licence from the State Licensing Authority for products you make in India, or a CDSCO import registration for anything imported. CDSCO requires every imported cosmetic to be registered with pack size, variants and manufacturing premises before import, applied through the SUGAM portal. If you use a contract manufacturer, get a copy of their licence and a loan licence or agreement naming your brand.
- Nutrition, supplements and food-based wellness: an FSSAI licence in the name of the brand owner or manufacturer.
- Appliances such as hair dryers and straighteners: check whether your product category falls under a BIS compulsory registration order before you list.
Nykaa's terms put liability for product claims and trademark issues on the seller, not on Nykaa. Keep your claims to what your licence and test reports support.
Catalogue standards
Nykaa positions itself on authenticity and states that products are sourced directly. Your catalogue has to look the part. Nykaa's detailed image specifications are shared with onboarded brands and are not public, so build to premium marketplace norms: clean white-background packshots, a swatch or texture image for colour cosmetics, ingredient and label shots, and one lifestyle image. Titles should follow brand, product, shade or variant, and size. Fill every attribute field, especially skin type, concern, finish and ingredients, because Nykaa's filters and search depend on them.
Packaging must carry the declarations required under the Legal Metrology(Packaged Commodities) Rules: MRP, net quantity, manufacturer or importer name and address, country of origin, date of manufacture and customer care details. Nykaa's cataloguing team will reject listings where the label image and the listing disagree.
Commercial terms, honestly
Nykaa does not publish its commission or margin structure. Anyone quoting a fixed percentage is guessing. Third-party agency guides put marketplace commission somewhere between 15% and 30% depending on category, and various blogs circulate per-category ranges, but none of them cite a Nykaa document. Under the inventory model there is no commission at all; Nykaa buys at a negotiated trade margin and the discount funding, returns and marketing support are all written into the vendor agreement.
The payment cycle is also not published. The same third-party guide reports settlement roughly 25 days after dispatch for marketplace orders. Purchase-order terms under the inventory model are negotiated.
Budget for more than the headline rate. Expect GST on Nykaa's fees, shipping or logistics charges on the marketplace model, and a marketing or visibility contribution. Nykaa's reported revenue includes "marketing support revenue" alongside product sales and marketplace income, which tells you brand marketing spend is a standing line item, not an optional extra.
Returns: Nykaa advertises a 15-day return policy to shoppers. In practice most opened beauty products are not accepted back for hygiene reasons, and return rates in beauty are far lower than in fashion. Fashion sellers should model returns at Myntra-like levels.
Ads and sale events
Nykaa runs its own ad platform, branded Nykaa Adtech. Sponsored placements, banners and brand pages are sold through your category manager; there is no open self-serve console comparable to Amazon Ads for a newly onboarded brand. Ask for rate cards and expected impressions before you commit a launch budget.
The big event is the Pink Friday Sale in November. Nykaa credited it with driving its largest quarter to date in Q3 FY26, and Nykaa Fashion's Pink Friday brought 31 million visits and 44% year-on-year growth in new customers. Participation means agreeing discount depth and stock commitments weeks ahead. Nykaa runs other sale events through the year, including the Hot Pink Sale; dates change and are announced on the app, so plan from your category manager's calendar rather than last year's dates.
Mistakes to avoid
- Applying with a thin range or no proof of demand. Build sales on your own site or Amazon first.
- Missing a cosmetics licence or import registration. This is the most common blocker for new Indian beauty brands.
- Leaving the marketing budget blank on the form.
- Treating Nykaa like Flipkart on pricing. A Rs 199 product with a Rs 2,173 average basket is invisible.
- Submitting listings with label images that do not match the product title, MRP or net quantity.
- Signing an inventory agreement without understanding who funds discounts and who takes back unsold stock.
FAQ
Can anyone register as a seller on Nykaa? No. Nykaa takes applications from brands through its Sell on Nykaa page and reviews them by category. There is no open seller registration.
How much commission does Nykaa take? Nykaa does not publish this. Third-party guides estimate 15% to 30% by category on the marketplace model. Under the inventory model Nykaa buys at a negotiated margin instead.
Do I need a CDSCO licence to sell cosmetics on Nykaa? Cosmetics made in India need a manufacturing licence from the State Licensing Authority; imported cosmetics need CDSCO import registration before import. Nykaa will ask for these documents.
Is Nykaa Fashion a separate application? Yes. Nykaa Fashion Ltd is a separate entity with its own "Sell on Nykaa Fashion" route. Beauty and fashion approvals do not transfer.
Getting onboarded with help
Nykaa onboarding is a pitch, a compliance check and a negotiation, in that order. Blooprint Automation handles all three for beauty and fashion brands: preparing the application and deck, assembling CDSCO, FSSAI and trademark documents, building the catalogue to Nykaa's standards, and managing category relationships, ads and sale events after launch. See our fashion and beauty marketplace services at /services/fashion-beauty-marketplaces/.