India's first cosmetics brand Lakmé was founded in 1952 by JRD Tata, as a subsidiary of the Tata Oil Mills. The business tycoon, born on July 29, 1904, was requested by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to manufacture beauty products in the country. The brand was named after the French opera Lakmé, the French form of Indian Goddess Lakshmi.