Luscious Cosmetics is Pakistan’s first makeup brand, founded in 2007 by Mehrbano Sethi. But the real story is bigger, more global, and a lot more fun than “local beauty brand.”
Here are five things you may not know about the brand that helped put Pakistani makeup on the map.
1. Luscious is Pakistan’s first makeup brand
When Luscious launched in 2007, Pakistan did not really have a makeup category of its own. The market was mostly imported brands, cosmetic dumping, expired stock, fake replicas, and defective products that would never have passed stricter international regulations.
Luscious changed that.
The idea was simple: Pakistani consumers deserved high-performance makeup made with their complexions, weather, routines, and beauty culture in mind.
For founder Mehrbano Sethi, the story had started years earlier in a Boston dorm room, where she mixed custom makeup shades for herself and friends who could not find products that matched their skin tones. That instinct became the foundation of Luscious: makeup made for the women who were being ignored by the global beauty industry.
2. Luscious took Pakistani makeup global
Long before “South Asian beauty” became a global conversation, Luscious was already being sold internationally.
The brand became the only Pakistani-origin makeup brand to sell through global platforms including Sephora Asia, Amazon, Riley Rose, Lookfantastic, Beauty Bay, Noon, and major retailers worldwide.
Not bad for a brand founded by a 25-year-old in Lahore.
3. Luscious has been loved by beauty editors
Luscious has caught the attention of international beauty media, including Allure, one of the world’s most respected beauty publications.
Allure featured Luscious as the brand expanded toward the U.S., highlighting its inclusive approach to makeup for a wide range of skin tones.
For a Pakistani makeup brand, that kind of global beauty-editor attention was not normal. It was a signal that Luscious belonged in a much bigger conversation.
4. Luscious helped pioneer beauty collaborations in the region
Before makeup collaborations became standard beauty-industry currency, Luscious created a full Master Makeup Collection with Ather Shahzad.
The collection was built around professional artistry, signature shades, and the idea that customers should be able to recreate editorial-level makeup at home.
The News called it the first partnership of its kind in South Asia where an entire makeup collection was created by a celebrity artist.
5. Luscious has always been made for South Asian skin tones
This was never a trend add-on. It was the starting point.
From complexion products to lip colors, contour, blush, highlighters, eye makeup, and tools, Luscious was built around shades, textures, payoff, and wear that make sense for South Asian skin tones and Pakistan’s climate.
That commitment also goes beyond shade ranges. After seeing the horrific effects of unsafe whitening creams and unregulated beauty products being sold in Pakistan, Mehrbano Sethi became a global cosmetics safety activist, advising international bodies and governments on stronger cosmetics safety regulations.
That is why, nearly two decades later, Luscious remains Pakistan’s makeup authority since 2007.