Khushi Kapoor Becomes Co-Founder of Nail Brand nailinit

By Daniel Okafor

Actor Khushi Kapoor has joined Indian nail care brand nailinit as Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. She sits alongside existing founders Shubham Singhal and Tanishq Ambegaokar. The move turns a personal interest in nail art into an operating role, not an endorsement deal.

What does the new role actually involve?

Kapoor has worked inside the business, not just around it. Her remit has covered product development, vendor selection, material research and the brand's creative direction. One priority sat at the center of the product itself: press-on nails that fit comfortably and hold reliably with adhesive, while offering an alternative to conventional nail extensions. She also helped develop nail care products and the instructions for application, preparation and removal.

The glue problem explains the brand's positioning. Press-ons live or die on adhesive. They must mimic the grip of acrylics without the damage acrylics cause. Kapoor pushed that balance personally.

"One conversation that really sticks with me is the one I had with Tanishq about the nail glue," she said. "I was very particular about wanting press-ons that would stick well and stay put, almost like acrylics, but without the damage. I really wanted us to get that balance right. It was important to me that we weren't just creating something that looked good, but something that worked well, too."

How did the deal come together?

Kapoor had been weighing starting a business of her own for some time. Her habit of experimenting with nail art pointed her toward a gap: a brand that makes it easier for women to try different nail styles. Conversations with Singhal and Ambegaokar about their plans for nailinit converted that idea into a co-founder seat.

Speaking about the decision, Kapoor said: "I've always wanted to build something of my own, something that reflects my personality and is in a space I genuinely connect with. With nailinit, I feel like I've found just that. I'm really excited to partner with Shubham and Tanishq, who share the same vision of creating a brand that is fun, expressive and relatable. More than anything, we want nailinit to be a brand that girls everywhere can connect with, enjoy and truly make their own."

The scope of her involvement goes beyond product. Kapoor framed the offering as an experience rather than a single item. "I didn't want us to just sell press-ons," she said. "I wanted us to think about the whole experience, including how you prep your nails and care for them."

Why launch with a slumber party?

Kapoor introduced the venture through an intimate slumber party in Alibaug. She invited followers to apply for a chance to attend via an Instagram video. The video reportedly drew approximately 25,000 applications. A select group of guests joined the event, which mirrored her idea of a relaxed get-together where beauty and conversation go together.

"The idea of a slumber party came from what a girls' night really means to me," she shared. "It's where you share your biggest secrets, have the most random conversations and talk about all the dreams you're hoping to make a reality. A lot of the time, those nights become the space where you feel most comfortable being yourself."

She explained the choice of format as deliberate. "Building a brand was a huge dream of mine, so sharing this with some of my closest people in that kind of setting just felt right," she said. "I wanted the announcement to feel personal and intimate, rather than like a conventional announcement."

What has Kapoor learned on the operations side?

The venture has pulled Kapoor into the mechanics of running a company: manufacturing, sourcing, warehousing and team-building. The learning curve surprised her.

"Honestly, I've learnt a lot more than I expected to," she said. "There's so much that goes into building a company that you never really think about as a consumer. It starts with understanding the materials that go into a product and goes all the way to decisions like whether to outsource warehousing or manage it in-house."

That sentence captures the gap between a consumer brand's surface and its supply chain. Material choices sit at one end. Warehouse decisions sit at the other. Kapoor has now touched both.

For Kapoor, the venture extends her career beyond the screen. "It wasn't just about associating with a brand," she said. "It was about building something I genuinely believed in, something that could do more for girls and change the way they experience nails. I finally found something that was mine to build."

The signal for the beauty market is plain. A celebrity name attached to a co-founder title, with reported input on adhesive performance and sourcing decisions, marks a deeper commitment than a licensing deal. nailinit now competes in press-on nails with a founder whose audience showed up to the tune of roughly 25,000 applications for one event. The test ahead is whether grip and comfort, the factors Kapoor prioritized, keep customers after the launch attention fades.