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Product cover image for Yaan Man: Who Gets to Define Beauty?

Yaan Man: Who Gets to Define Beauty?

Neha Sharma

Product #:W46398
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:Marketing, Strategy
Setting:India, 2025
Details:Case (PDF) • 15 pages • 2026-03-17

Subjects:

Marketing strategyBrand positioningMarket segmentationConsumer behaviorBrandingSales and marketingMarketing

Industries:

Goods, trade, and consumer services

Geography:

IndiaAsia
Your Price:$10.54

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Indian start-up Yaan Man, which entered the market with unusual visibility after appearing on Shark Tank India, launched India’s first dedicated men’s makeup brand. While most male grooming brands stuck to safe categories like face washes and beard oil, Yaan Man took a bold step by launching concealers, BB creams, and other makeup products specifically designed for men. By June 2025, the brand had gained visibility and sparked online conversations, but now had to determine how to grow. Should it stay true to its disruptive identity and focus on changing cultural perceptions? Or should it pivot to appeal to a broader, more conservative audience that may not be ready for new ideas around male beauty?

Learning Objectives

This case works well for graduate courses on consumer behaviour, strategic marketing, and brand strategy in emerging markets. It can also be used in core marketing modules when discussing segmentation, psychographics, or social innovation. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:

  • Understand how cultural norms and gender schemas influence product adoption.
  • Evaluate the role of personality traits and social pressures in shaping consumer behaviour.
  • Develop marketing strategies that align with or challenge socio-cultural contexts.
  • Analyze how digital media and influencer culture shape perception in taboo product categories.
  • Appreciate the challenges of category creation in culturally rigid markets.
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Case Study: Yaan Man: Who Gets to Define Beauty? (English version) | Ivey Publishing