MARS Cosmetics sells a ₹199 lipstick in 24 shades, a ₹349 sixteen-colour eyeshadow palette, and it is a Sethia family business run from Bawana Industrial Area in Delhi.
We read the corporate register, seven product declarations on the brand’s own site and the advertising self-regulator’s records to set out who owns MARS, who makes it and what it costs.
MARS is a budget, family-owned brand — everything we read sells between ₹69 and ₹549. Of seven product declarations we sampled on 2 September 2026, four name a Hong Kong entity as manufacturer and China as origin, two name Indian plants and one a German maker.
Snapshot
- Legal name
- MARS Cosmetics Private Limited, CIN U51100DL2020PTC368670
- Incorporated
- 26 August 2020, Delhi; directors Rishabh and Abhishek Sethia
- Trademark
- “MARS”, held by M/s Rome India — application filed 17 August 2019
- Ownership
- Sethia family; described in press as bootstrapped, no external investors
- Price band
- ₹69 to ₹549 across everything we read, 2 September 2026
- Made in
- China via a Hong Kong entity (4 of 7 products sampled), India (Haridwar, Navsari; 2 of 7) and Germany (1 of 7) — per its own declarations
- Cruelty-free
- Listed in PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies directory
How it started
Five founding years for this brand are in print. The About page says Manoj Sethia founded it in 2006. YourStory reported in May 2024 an offline cosmetics business from 2014 and an online launch in 2016, when son Rishabh joined; Inc42 carries 2015; FashionNetwork wrote in March 2025 that “Rishabh Sethia launched Mars Cosmetics in 2016”. The register records that MARS Cosmetics Private Limited was incorporated on 26 August 2020, with Rishabh and Abhishek Sethia as directors from day one.
The “MARS” trademark application was filed a year earlier, on 17 August 2019, by a different entity. A secondary About page on the brand’s site states the trademark is “wholly owned by ‘Rome India'”, and the website is operated by J3J Ecom Private Limited, incorporated in February 2024 at another Bawana address.
- M/s Rome IndiaOwns the “MARS” trademark; application filed 17 August 2019
- MARS Cosmetics Pvt LtdIncorporated 26 August 2020; imports and markets every product we read
- J3J Ecom Pvt LtdIncorporated 6 February 2024; operates marscosmetics.in
Three entities, all linked to the Sethia family.
Per MCA filings as reported by Inc42, MARS Cosmetics Private Limited reported ₹47.6 crore in FY24 revenue, with ₹3.4 crore profit; that figure covers the one filing company, not the other two entities. A brand and its company being different things is not unique to makeup — Bata India is a separate listed company from the global brand owner — and MARS sets out its own structure on its secondary About page.
What they actually make
None of the declarations we read names a MARS-owned factory. We sampled seven product pages on the brand’s own site on 2 September 2026, each with a full legal declaration. This is what they print.
| Product | Declared manufacturer | Country of origin |
|---|---|---|
| Twist Up Kajal, ₹249 | Schwan Cosmetics, Heroldsberg | Germany |
| Creamy Matte Lipstick, ₹199 | Zebra Brands Limited, Hong Kong | P.R.C. (China) |
| Super Stay Lipstick, ₹279 | Zebra Brands Limited, Hong Kong | P.R.C. |
| Mesmereyes 16-colour palette, ₹349 | Zebra Brands Limited, Hong Kong | P.R.C. |
| Riwaj Liquid Sindoor, ₹129 | Zebra Brands Limited, Hong Kong | P.R.C. |
| SkinFit Skin Tint, ₹399 | Regi India Cosmetics, Haridwar | India |
| Queen of Mattes set, ₹499 | Lamior Pvt Ltd, Navsari | India |
Four of the seven declarations name the same “manufacturer”: Zebra Brands Limited, at 17/F, Strand 50, Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The declarations do not name the plant in China where these products are made. Every declaration carries “Imported by: MARS Cosmetics Private Limited” at the Bawana address.
Of seven MARS products sampled, four declare China as origin, two India and one Germany — the declaration line gives the origin for each product.
On the China-made products we sampled, the declared manufacturer is a Hong Kong address and the factory is not named. The importer, MARS Cosmetics Private Limited, is named on every pack.
The India-made products come from named third-party contract plants: Regi India Cosmetics in Haridwar, whose SIDCUL plot also makes lipstick for a leading beauty retailer’s house brand, and Lamior in Navsari, Gujarat. This is the normal budget-makeup model — Campus, which runs its own footwear factories, is the exception in Indian consumer brands, not the rule.
One product genuinely surprises in the brand’s favour. The ₹249 Twist Up Kajal is declared manufactured by Schwan Cosmetics in Germany — the pencil maker premium brands use. A May 2024 profile described liquid lipsticks and sindoor as produced at a Noida facility; the declarations read on 2 September 2026 name Zebra Brands (China) for the sindoor and Lamior (Gujarat) for the Queen of Mattes liquid lipsticks.
The site describes its products as “Researched, Iterated & Designed in India”. The declarations give the country of origin for each product, and on our sample two of seven name India.
What MARS Cosmetics costs in India
All prices below were read on the brand’s own site on 2 September 2026. The lips collection runs 77 products, everything we read priced between ₹69 and ₹549 — a lip liner at ₹69, a butter-stick lipstick at ₹549 as the ceiling.
| Product | Quantity and MRP | Per gram / ml |
|---|---|---|
| Creamy Matte Lipstick | 3.2 g, ₹199 | ₹62/g |
| Super Stay Lipstick | 2.6 g, ₹279 | ₹107/g |
| Mesmereyes 16-colour palette | 20.8 g, ₹349 | ₹17/g |
| SkinFit Skin Tint | 13.30 ml, ₹399 | ₹30/ml |
| Riwaj Liquid Sindoor | 2 ml, ₹129 | ₹65/ml |
| Twist Up Kajal | 0.35 g, ₹249 | ₹711/g |
The lipstick costs ₹62 a gram and the palette ₹17, but the kajal — a 0.35 gram pencil — works out to ₹711 a gram. By our kajal price checks of 2 September 2026, that is more per gram than Lakmé’s Eyeconic at roughly ₹546–643, though below SUGAR’s ₹996–1,214. Small pencils are priced high per gram across the category, and MARS sits in the middle of that range.
- Twist Up Kajal MRP
- ₹249
- Net quantity
- 0.35 g
- Price per gram
- ₹711
- Checked on
- 2 September 2026
It is also the one MARS product declared made by Schwan in Germany, so the per-gram price buys a well-known maker. Discounting is shallow: the brand site trims about 5% off some eye products, while Purplle carries 198 MARS listings, mostly combo bundles at around 16% off.
Who MARS Cosmetics is actually for
MARS is built for the buyer entering colour cosmetics at general-trade prices — a first lipstick at ₹199 in 24 shades, a full palette under ₹350, nothing we read above ₹549. The company said in May 2024 it was present in about 8,000 general-trade stores, and in August 2025 its managing director set a target of 50 kiosks and an ₹800 crore turnover within three years. The reach claims are the company’s own; the prices are on the page.
The buyer who should check most carefully is the one shopping by country of origin. If “Made in India” is your filter, read the declaration on each product: on our sample it named India on two products of seven.
Reputation and controversies
The Advertising Standards Council of India has decided four complaints about MARS Cosmetics, and upheld all four. Every one was raised by ASCI’s own monitoring of influencer posts, and every one was about the same failure: paid promotion that was not disclosed as advertising.
- 12 July 2023Concealer-palette influencer post — upheld
- 14 July 2024Super Stay Lipsticks influencer post, no disclosure — upheld
- 10 October 2024Instagram ad via influencer — upheld
- 25 September 2025Click Stix gloss lip balm influencer post — upheld
Four complaints, four upholds — all undisclosed influencer ads, none a finding that a product claim was false.
None of the four decisions was about whether a MARS product claim was accurate; all four were about paid promotion presented as ordinary content. ASCI is the advertising industry’s own self-regulatory body rather than a statutory regulator; each decision went to one post in the form it then carried, and nobody has ruled on what the brand or its influencers publish today.
The product claims are a separate question. The Twist Up Kajal page says it “stays put for 24 hours” and does not cite a test method or report for that figure. The Super Stay Lipstick page gives three durations: “6–8 Hour Wear”, “12-hour long-lasting” colour and “10-hour Indian weddings”. The SkinFit Skin Tint page states SPF 30 and does not cite a test method for it. The kajal page does publish its full ingredient list, which many budget rivals skip.
Two smaller points, both worth a line. MARS Cosmetics has no connection to Mars Incorporated, the American confectionery company, beyond the name. PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies directory lists MARS Cosmetics as cruelty-free; the site’s “100% vegetarian” line is the company’s own, and PETA’s page does not address it. The “over 2.5 million customers”, 200-plus team and kiosk counts are likewise company-stated, with no independent figure published.
Buying it in India
MARS sells through its own site, Purplle, quick-commerce apps and a wide general-trade network — the same kirana-and-kiosk channel that moves budget footwear like Sparx, where MRP stickers matter more than invoices. At these prices discounting is shallow, so the MRP is close to what you will actually pay. One oddity from our read: the SkinFit page printed a manufacturing date of July 2027 — ten months in the future — so treat the dates on the physical pack, not the webpage, as the record.
Read the declaration before the slogan
Every pack must name a manufacturer and a country of origin. On MARS, that line tells you whether your product is from Germany, India or China.
Find the net quantity and divide
₹249 sounds cheap until 0.35 g makes it ₹711 a gram. Thirty seconds of arithmetic re-ranks most makeup shelves.
Note who imports it
On imported SKUs the importer’s name and address is a legal requirement. MARS prints its Bawana, Delhi address; a pack without an importer line is a warning.
Weigh wear-hours against what is published
The kajal page states 24 hours and the lipstick page gives three durations; neither page cites a test method. Shade and price are the things you can check before buying.
Check the ingredient list is present
The Twist Up Kajal page publishes its full INCI list. Expect the same from any product going on your waterline, on the pack or the page.
Common questions
Is MARS Cosmetics an Indian brand?
The company is Indian — a Sethia family business incorporated in Delhi in 2020, run from Bawana Industrial Area. The products are mixed: of seven declarations we sampled on 2 September 2026, four say Made in P.R.C., two Made in India and one Germany.
Who owns MARS Cosmetics?
The Sethia family, with no outside investor on record — press describes the brand as bootstrapped. The structure has three parts the brand discloses in its fine print: Rome India owns the trademark, MARS Cosmetics Private Limited imports and markets, and J3J Ecom Private Limited runs the website.
Is MARS Cosmetics related to Mars, the chocolate company?
No. We searched published Indian court records for any dispute between the two on 2 September 2026 and found none involving this brand. The Delhi makeup company and the American confectionery group simply share a word.
Is MARS Cosmetics cruelty-free?
PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies directory lists MARS Cosmetics Private Limited as a company that does not test on animals, which is the directory-backed half of the claim. The “100% vegetarian formulations” line is the brand’s own statement; PETA’s listing does not speak to it. Animal testing of cosmetics has also been illegal in India since May 2014.
Is the ₹249 Twist Up Kajal good value?
Per gram, no — 0.35 g makes it ₹711 a gram, dearer than Lakmé’s Eyeconic at our 2 September 2026 price checks. What you do get is a pencil declared made by Schwan Cosmetics in Germany, a maker premium brands also use.
How we research and verify brand audits: our methodology.
References
- ZaubaCorp company record, accessed 2 September 2026 — legal name, CIN, incorporation on 26 August 2020, Bawana registered office, directors Rishabh and Abhishek Sethia
- MARS Cosmetics, About us, accessed 2 September 2026 — the 2006 founding telling, Manoj Sethia, customer, team and kiosk claims
- YourStory, 10 May 2024 — 2014 offline start and 2016 online launch, the Noida production line, 8,000 general-trade stores
- Inc42 financials profile, accessed 2 September 2026 — FY24 revenue ₹47.6 crore and profit ₹3.4 crore per MCA filings as carried by Inc42; bootstrapped; founded 2015 per Inc42
- FashionNetwork India, 5 March 2025 — 2016 launch credited to Rishabh Sethia
- MARS Cosmetics, secondary About page, accessed 2 September 2026 — trademark “wholly owned by ‘Rome India'”, site operated by J3J Ecom Private Limited, “Researched, Iterated & Designed in India”, cruelty-free and vegetarian claims
- Trademark application 4267451, accessed 2 September 2026 — “MARS” word mark, applicant M/s Rome India, filed 17 August 2019
- InstaFinancials, J3J Ecom Private Limited, accessed 2 September 2026 — incorporation 6 February 2024, Bawana DSIDC address
- Twist Up Kajal product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹249, 0.35 g, Schwan Cosmetics Germany declaration, 24-hour claim, full ingredient list
- Riwaj Liquid Sindoor product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹129, 2 ml, Zebra Brands Limited Hong Kong, “Made in P.R.C.”
- Creamy Matte Lipstick product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹199, 3.2 g, 24 shades, Zebra Brands declaration
- Super Stay Lipstick product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹279, 2.6 g, the three wear durations, Zebra Brands declaration
- Mesmereyes palette product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹349, 20.8 g, Zebra Brands declaration
- SkinFit Skin Tint product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹399, 13.30 ml, SPF 30 claim, Regi India Cosmetics Haridwar declaration, the July 2027 date as printed
- Queen of Mattes set product page, accessed 2 September 2026 — ₹499, 13.5 ml, Lamior Pvt Ltd Navsari declaration
- MARS lips collection, accessed 2 September 2026 — 77 products, price band ₹69–549
- ASCI Complaint Outcomes database, searched 2 September 2026 — four MARS Cosmetics outcomes, all upheld: 12 July 2023, 14 July 2024, 10 October 2024, 25 September 2025; all influencer-disclosure matters
- PETA Beauty Without Bunnies listing, accessed 2 September 2026 — MARS Cosmetics Private Limited listed as animal-test-free
- Indian Kanoon search, 2 September 2026 — no matter between Mars Incorporated and this brand on the record
- Purplle MARS brand page, accessed 2 September 2026 — 198 listings, combo bundles at around 16% off
- Indian Retailer, 21 August 2025 — Rishabh Sethia as managing director, 50-kiosk plan, ₹800 crore three-year target
At the price, MARS earns its shelf. A ₹199 lipstick in 24 shades at ₹62 a gram, a ₹349 palette at ₹17 a gram, a PETA-listed company, and a ₹249 kajal made by the same German pencil house the premium brands use — that is real value, honestly ticketed, with shallow discounting that means the MRP is the price.
What a buyer should know: on our seven-product sample, four declarations name China as origin, two India and one Germany, so origin varies by product. The kajal is dear by the gram, and the product pages do not cite test methods for their wear-hour and SPF figures.
Good value for a first lipstick or palette on price and shade — and if origin matters to you, read each product’s declaration line before you buy.
