Indian cosmetics brand Recode Studios (Recode Studios Limited) entered quick commerce on September 11, 2026, through Nykaa's 60-minute delivery service "Nykaa Now." The rollout covers seven major cities. What stands out is that rather than building its own warehouses or delivery network, it obtained an instant-delivery channel by riding on Nykaa's existing supply and logistics. This entry approach — capturing delivery speed alone while holding down capital investment — is a practical model for Japanese companies wanting to build a sales channel for beauty and daily goods in India.
Recode put its own products on Nykaa's 60-minute delivery service, "Nykaa Now," and began offering it in seven major cities. Chairman and Managing Director Dheeraj Bansal said the policy is to build a wider, more diverse omnichannel distribution network while holding down capital deployment. Recode is also strengthening its penetration into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets using Nykaa's B2B wholesale arm, Nykaa Superstore, positioning itself to use Nykaa's infrastructure on both the instant-delivery and wholesale fronts. Through this expansion, the company says it is targeting roughly 50% revenue growth from FY27 onward.
In quick commerce, building your own dark stores and inventory drives up upfront costs. What Recode chose was to entrust that heavy part to Nykaa while focusing itself on supplying product. Because it borrows an existing supply and fulfillment base, no additional investment is said to be needed, letting it deliver the new experience of delivery speed to customers while keeping capital tight. Rather than a beauty brand building its own dark-store network alone, riding an established instant-delivery platform gives it an edge in how fast it can launch in each city.
Recode's move doesn't stop at urban instant delivery. While meeting demand quickly in seven cities through 60-minute delivery, it also goes after shelf space at regional retailers through its B2B wholesale arm, Nykaa Superstore. The former plays the role of capturing the "I want it right now" segment, and the latter captures the broad trade area of Tier 2 and Tier 3, using the same Nykaa infrastructure in two directions. Using one platform's infrastructure as both an instant-delivery and wholesale engine is a realistic solution for a brand wanting to widen distribution with limited capital.
Bansal emphasized a stance of expanding the distribution network while keeping capital deployment disciplined. What this announcement disclosed was the framework of city count and growth targets; it does not name the seven target cities specifically or state how many product lines Recode carries. The trend of beauty brands using instant-delivery platforms as a new channel continues, and the technique of gaining speed without holding logistics in-house is spreading as an option for mid-sized brands that prioritize capital efficiency.
If Japanese cosmetics and daily-goods makers want to speed up distribution in India, Recode's model suggests asking first whether they can ride an existing instant-delivery or wholesale platform, before building their own store network or logistics. The case of Yves Rocher entering India for the first time through an exclusive partnership with Nykaa and The trend of quick commerce expanding into fashion and beauty delivery show a path of using a platform like Nykaa as the entry point. Securing delivery speed alone through a platform first, then adding direct-owned touchpoints once brand awareness has grown, reduces wasted capital.
Instant delivery, which started with food and groceries, is broadening its shelf space into beauty and daily goods. The trend of Blinkit and Zepto growing on the strength of 10-minute delivery shows that operators with category-focused instant delivery, like Nykaa, are becoming a new entry point for brands.
Recode expanded its sales channel without holding its own logistics, riding on Nykaa's 60-minute delivery and wholesale infrastructure. The first move Japanese companies wanting to sell beauty and daily goods in India should take is to put their main items on an existing platform like Nykaa before building their own dark stores, and test the response to instant delivery in a limited set of cities. Once they see which cities and categories get traction, they can then move into the capital-heavy step of building their own touchpoints.
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