It's 2026, and no one expected Shah Rukh Khan to feature in a skincare advertisement. He is fronting Foxtale's Let Your Glow Through campaign, and the internet hasn't stopped buzzing since August.
Whether you like the brand's advertisements or have questions about it, the idea that a 60-year-old man should lead a skincare campaign is a genius move, especially when that man is none other than the Badshah of Bollywood.
Skincare has long been associated with women. Actors in their 40s and 50s have led several skincare and beauty campaigns, but they are often positioned alongside promises of youthful-looking skin.
Over the last decade, celebrities across age groups have sold women vitamin C, niacinamide, peptides, retinol and hyaluronic acid through ingredient-loaded creams, serums, body washes, sunscreens, oils and more, even though skin concerns such as acne, dark spots, dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles are not exclusive to women.
While Romita Mazumdar, Founder and CEO of Foxtale, revealed that the partnership with Shah Rukh Khan should not be viewed as an announcement of men's skincare, the casting does speak volumes and casts a wider net for the audience.
This is also not the first time the actor has appeared in advertisements within the beauty space. He has previously featured in campaigns for Lux, Denver for Men, Cinthol, Joy and Godrej Magic Bodywash.
Why 60-Year-Old Shah Rukh Khan Fronting A Skincare Campaign
According to the International Market Analysis Research and Consulting (IMARC), the Indian skincare market grew from $9.06 billion in 2025 to $10.32 billion in 2026. Looking at the numbers, it seems Foxtale struck while the iron was hot.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Romita Mazumdar revealed that after four years in business and with more than 10 million consumers, she envisioned the brand's next phase as something much bigger.
"It is about building a brand with a point of view that can travel much further than a single product or category," she said. That is why Shah Rukh Khan is leading Foxtale's latest skincare campaign. She added that Foxtale did not choose King star because he is 60. However, his age does challenge the narrow idea of who gets to represent beauty and skincare.
There are things you can communicate through a 25-year-old celebrity because they represent aspiration. There are other things you can communicate only when someone has lived through change, scrutiny, success, failure and reinvention in public, and has still managed to remain recognisably themselves.
"That distinction matters to Foxtale. Matters to me. Matters to most of us," Romita Mazumdar asserted.
With the latest campaign, the brand is trying to communicate that good skincare is not about constructing a new face on top of the one you already have. Instead, it is about understanding what is happening beneath the surface, addressing issues at their source and allowing what is already there to come through.
She believes that the definition of beauty has always extended beyond young women, but it has largely remained in the shadows.
"For a long time, beauty was built around a fairly narrow template: young, predominantly female, highly aspirational, and, frankly, quite edited. That model worked because the industry was largely speaking to consumers. Today, consumers are much more comfortable speaking back," the CEO pointed out.
According to her, people now care about ingredients, efficacy, skin concerns, and whether a brand actually understands them. "They are also much less willing to accept that age, gender, or appearance should determine whether a product or a conversation is meant for them," she added.
Mazumdar further noted that most consumers do not think about whether a particular skincare product is meant for men or women. Instead, they focus on their skin concerns and look for products that can help address them.
"That is a much healthier way for the category to evolve," the founder said.
What Shah Rukh Khan At 60 Conveys About Beauty
Foxtale's new campaign is not about anti-ageing, which immediately turns the conversation into, "How do I look younger?" Nor is it about ageing well. Instead, it is about understanding your skin better.
The founder shared that the campaign was not built around selling any single product. The brand has run product-focused campaigns in the past, centred on specific products or new launches. Those campaigns typically highlight the product, its ingredients, how it works, and the concerns it addresses.
With Shah Rukh Khan, however, Foxtale is building a broader perception for the brand's next chapter. "The point of view here is quite simple: don't just treat what is visible. Find the source of the problem and work from there," Romita Mazumdar told NDTV.
Across the campaign, the Pathaan star is not seen promoting a specific product or talking about ingredients. "We weren't looking for him to sell a moisturiser. We were looking for someone who could carry a much larger brand idea into culture," she said.
The CEO further shared that Foxtale was not specifically targeting men or older consumers through its latest campaign. Instead, as the brand continues to grow, it hopes to reach people who have never thought of skincare as anything beyond correction and the pursuit of a youthful glow.
Social Media Reactions To SRK Campaigning For Skincare
Social media has had mixed reactions since the first Foxtale advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan dropped. Paromita Deb Areng, a Pune-based digital content creator, argued that celebrity marketing does not work the way it once did.
She said, "There was a time when celebrities could create familiarity and trust almost by themselves," but that does not stand true today.
Another skincare influencer said that the brand could have spent the money used to bring SRK on board on creating better campaigns for its products. She added that there is a disconnect between the skincare brand and the actor.
Sharaddha Chhetri, who helps founders build personal brands, questioned whether Shah Rukh Khan, a celebrity with a multi-crore fortune, would ever use a skincare product priced under Rs 500. She argued that people today are aware that celebrities consult dermatologists and other professionals before applying anything to their faces.
Pallak Bareja, an influencer, made an interesting observation. She said that Foxtale made a genius move by signing Shah Rukh Khan as its new brand ambassador. Not only does it break stereotypes around beauty and skincare and create visibility, but it will also open up many men to the idea of skincare, broadening the spectrum of audience for the brand.
While social media is abuzz with influencers decoding the campaign, Romita Mazumdar believes that as long as people are talking about it, the campaign has entered the cultural space, and that is a good thing.
"What has been interesting to me is the range of people discussing this campaign. Consumers, founders, people in the entertainment industry, advertising and creative communities, everyone seems to have something to say. Some of those conversations are positive, some are critical, and some are simply curious. That's fine," she added.
Mazumdar believes brands make a mistake when they expect cultural relevance without inviting cultural scrutiny. The two go hand in hand.
By placing Shah Rukh Khan at the centre of a skincare campaign, Foxtale has challenged long-held assumptions about beauty, age, and who gets to participate in the category.
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