Marketing Strategy of CosIQ in 2025: Growth, Campaigns & Case Study Insights

Brand Overview 

Founded in 2021 by Angita & Pritesh Asher, CosIQ is an Indian skincare brand redefining how young India approaches skincare.

With a science-first mindset and a promise of clean, transparent labelling, CosIQ stands out for putting facts before fluff - a refreshing change in a market crowded with big claims and buzzwords.

CosIQ primarily reaches its audience through its own D2C website and trusted marketplaces like Amazon and Nykaa, making smart skincare easy to access anywhere in India.

A major turning point for the brand was its winning pitch on Shark Tank India Season , which gave CosIQ instant credibility, national buzz, and a springboard to grow even faster.

Marketing Objective or Business Challenge

As a new skincare brand, the biggest challenge was to compete in a largely cluttered market of well-established brands and their recall value among customers. 

The key challenges include gaining organic trust from the consumers, educating the indian audience about ingredient-based science-backed skincare. 

According to the research, the brand has a traffic of 1.5L views monthly, but the brand faces a high bounce rate that is 50-60%. The session time on the website for mobile users is 10seconds, which is certainly low, and for desktop stands at 50seconds. 

The objective is to gain high-intent traffic on the website and other marketplaces and reduce the bounce rate, using various paid media strategies. The aim is to convert the maximum traffic into buyers and ultimately into loyal consumers by educating them about smart, science-backed skincare and building trust through clear, honest communication. Also, increase the session time of a viewer by using various marketing strategies. 

Marketing Channels Used by CosIQ

CosIQ follows a smart, digital-first marketing strategy that blends performance marketing, organic content, and trust-building collaborations and UGC content to stand out in India’s competitive skincare market.

The brand focuses on: 

1) On-page SEO and ingredient-rich product pages: CosIQ optimises its website with clear, keyword-focused product descriptions, ingredient details, and structured data to rank for relevant skincare searches

2) Google Ads: It runs targeted Search and Shopping campaigns to appear when shoppers actively look for effective, science-backed skincare.

3) Meta Ads: CosIQ invests in Instagram and Facebook ads to boost reach, retarget visitors, and connect with young, skincare-savvy audiences.

To build trust and authentic buzz, CosIQ partners with micro-influencers like dermatologists and skincare content creators who share honest reviews and real routines, adding credibility to the brand’s science-first promise.

Additionally, the brand amplifies user-generated content (UGC) by featuring customer stories, testimonials, and genuine results, strengthening community trust and social proof.

Together, this strategy helps CosIQ reach, educate, and convert India’s growing community of ingredient-conscious skincare buyers.

CosIq Marketing Strategy Breakdown 

1. Media Mix: Performance (SEM) vs. Organic (SEO)

Performance Marketing:

• CosIQ runs Google Search and Shopping campaigns targeting high-intent skincare queries
• These ads focus on ingredient-specific keywords such as “SPF 50 Sunscreen Serum” or “Skin brightening in 15 days”, “Vitamin C Serum”; these keywords not only have high search volume but also have a higher search intent
• The brand also runs Meta Ads on Instagram and Facebook, using static posts, reels, and retargeting campaigns to reach audiences who have earlier visited the product pages but not yet converted
• CosIQ also does SEO optimisation to strengthen its organic presence primarily through optimised product pages with clear, ingredient-focused keywords, FAQs, and customer review
• While CosIQ does not currently maintain a dedicated blog, its detailed product descriptions act as a content bucket to capture long-tail search intent keywords
• On third-party marketplaces like Amazon and Nykaa, CosIQ ensures product listings are optimised for platform-specific search algorithms, boosting discoverability among ingredient-aware buyers

2) Social Media Marketing

• CosIQ’s primary digital platform is Instagram, which acts as the engagement channe
• The brand has a content bucket of educational posts, promotional posts, and relatable reels that help and try to simplify skincare information for a curious audience
• Content pillars include short reels explaining active ingredients, myth-busting infographic
• User-generated content (UGC) plays an important role in their social journey, customer before-and-after photos, testimonials, and genuine reviews are frequently reposted to build community trust
• While Instagram remains the strongest channel, the brand has started to explore YouTube Shorts for concise ingredient explainers and various dermat review shots to strengthen its educational presence beyond just one platform

3) Influencer Marketing

• CosIQ’s influencer marketing is highly intentional and rooted in credibility
• The brand prioritises partnerships with nano and micro-influencers (5,000–50,000 followers) who maintain high engagement and trusted recommendations within their communities
• Influencers typically share authentic product usage routines, discuss real skin concerns, and explain why specific actives work, which aligns with CosIQ’s mission to make skincare choices more informed
• Discount codes or affiliate links are used to track conversions and measure return on influencer investments

4) Messaging & Tone of Voice

• The brand messaging is consistent, “intelligent skicane”, which talks about its science-driven, transparent positioning
• The brand avoids generic or exaggerated claims and opts for clear, factual statements about what each product does and how its ingredients work
• Taglines and campaign lines used by the brand reinforce this mindset, for example: “Smart Skincare for Smart People”, “Isme nimboo nahi - only proven actives.”, “for the skin that glows from within”, “intelligent skincare essentials”, and many more! 

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What Worked & Why

CosIQ’s marketing approach has proven to be effective because of its prime focus on building credibility and trust in a market where misleading claims and vague labels are common. It has been keeping its messaging honest and ingredient-focused, something that CosIQ stands for.

Key factors that made the strategy work:

• Smart Targeting: Instead of competing broadly, CosIQ focused on long-tail, ingredient-specific keywords like “vitamin C serum”, “niacinamide serum”, and more, as well as high-intent search queries like “shrink pores in just 3 weeks “buy skin brightening serum”. This helped attract shoppers who were already looking for science-backed solutions, improving conversion rates
• Balanced Paid & Organic Mix: The brand did not rely only on paid ads. Rather 60% of the traffic on the website is organic by optimal optimisation of product pages, clear positioning and targeting of active ingredients, CosIQ improved organic visibility while controlling ad spend
• Micro-Influencer Partnerships: The brand collaborates with trusted dermatologists and micro influencers and relies heavily on UGC content. Audience started trusting real product trials and routine videos more than generic celebrity endorsements
• Use of UGC: Sharing authentic customer experiences and before-and-after results made the brand’s claims feel real and relatable, which strengthened community engagement
• One of the things that worked the best for the brand was securing a deal on Shark Tank Season 1 from Vineeta Singh, owner of Sugar Cosmetics. It helped the brand boost its awareness and sales

What Did Not Work & Why

While the brand has a strong online presence today, it has been facing difficulty expanding offline. This means potential buyers who still prefer to “try before they buy” might hesitate, limiting trust-building for new customers.

Despite healthy monthly traffic, CosIQ’s high bounce rate (50–60%) and short average session time (10 seconds on mobile, 50 seconds on desktop) indicate that many visitors leave before engaging with content or completing a purchase. This suggests gaps in site experience, navigation flow that need improvement.

Even if the brand has a well-optimised product page with extensive detailing, it is still missing the opportunity to leverage a blog hub on the website. The brand currently has a few insightful blogs, but they are mentioned at the bottom of the page, limiting the opportunity to capture users' attention.

IIDE Student Recommendations: Key Areas for Brand Improvement 

1. Campus Ambassadors & Micro-Influencers

• Partner with college students as brand ambassadors who can promote CosIQ through word-of-mouth, college fests, and social media
• Leverage micro-influencers in the student community who already create content around skincare, wellness, or sustainability

2. Student-Friendly Product Bundles

• Launch affordable skincare starter kits designed for students (daily-use essentials at budget prices)
• Offer subscription models with student discounts for convenience and affordability

3. Skincare Awareness Workshops

• Host online/offline sessions in colleges about skin health, sustainable skincare, and self-care routines
• Collaborate with dermatologists or experts to make it more credible

4. Collaborations with Student Communities

• Partner with college clubs (fashion, lifestyle, wellness, entrepreneurship) to create experiential campaigns
• Sponsor college fests, hackathons, or sustainability events, positioning CosIQ as a youth-driven brand

5. Gamified Engagement & Rewards

• Launch challenges on Instagram/TikTok (e.g., “7-Day Healthy Skin Challenge”) where students can share routines and tag CosIQ
• Reward active participants with free samples, discount vouchers, or feature them on the brand’s social pages

7. Exclusive Student Discounts

• Offer student ID-based discounts or tie-ups with student platforms like UNiDAYS/Student Beans
• Introduce limited-time exam season bundles for stress-care or quick-fix skincare