Kohl hard truths: When nostalgia meets no-smudge tech

Beauty brand Renée Cosmetics launched a campaign that breathes new life into a timeless family tradition with a sprinkle of Bollywood’s 80s charm, and you're in for a playful surprise. In a humorous, retro-style video, the mother-son duo steps into the frame.

The son, returning home with his first paycheck, follows the time-honoured tradition of handing it over to his mother. In an instant, she goes to apply a traditional ‘nazar ka tikka’ —a simple, emotional gesture to ward off the evil eye.

However, to her surprise, the kajal won’t smudge! Why? Because it’s Renée’s Midnight Kohl Pencil—designed to stay put, no matter what.

This unexpected twist of the classic ritual offers a moment of laughter and a showcase of the product’s unique, smudge-proof quality. Featuring the iconic Supriya Pathak, whose comic timing adds just the right touch of humour, the campaign effortlessly blends tradition with innovation.

Aashka Goradia Goble, co-founder and chief marketing officer of CMO of Renée Cosmetics, commented with confidence, “We don’t just create cosmetics, we create experiences that stay with you. This campaign showcases the high performance of the Midnight Kohl while bringing a refreshingly emotional and innovative storytelling approach to the forefront. We’ve crafted something truly distinctive — a narrative that blends sentiment with style, unlike anything the beauty industry has seen before. Midnight Kohl is made for the bold, the expressive, the drama-tic and those who speak volumes with just their eyes.”

Campaign’s take: Renée Cosmetics’ latest ad for its Midnight Kohl isn’t just selling eyeliner—it’s selling a moment. Dipped in 80s Bollywood nostalgia and a touch of maternal magic, the campaign brings to life a familiar rite of passage: the first salary ritual.

A son hands over his paycheque, and mum instinctively reaches for a kajal-tikka to ward off evil. Only this time, the ‘nazar’ (evil eye) trick falls flat. Why? Because the kajal won’t smudge. Enter: Renée’s long-lasting, waterproof Midnight Kohl.

It’s a clever sleight of hand. While you’re chuckling at the mother’s puzzled expression, the brand slips in its product promise—this kohl stays put, come sentiment or sweat. No lectures on formulation. No beauty jargon. Just a universally relatable moment that ends in an unexpected product demo.

The campaign uses humour to turn an emotional ritual into a memorable sales pitch, capturing the staying power of both the product and the emotion it taps into. For brand marketers and creatives, it’s a textbook example of how nostalgia can be used not as a crutch, but as a catapult—modernising tradition while making the brand message stick. Smudge-proof kajal, meet memory-proof storytelling.