The $12-billion company has launched its colour cosmetics range under the brand name `Maybelline' with 86 references in Delhi. Over 90 per cent of these references are priced below Rs 100, a senior company official said.

Taking on global names like Oriflame and Revlon, already present in the Indian market besides Lakme, which is the leader in each price segment, the company has used "affordable prices with unique features" as its positioning platform in India.

"We've been studying the Indian market for colour cosmetics for the last 18 months and realised that Maybelline, with affordable prices and unique product features would certainly satisfy the Indian consumer's value-for-money quest," said Indelor India Pvt Ltd managing director Geoff Skingsley.

Indelor India is awholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oreal Paris.

For the first time, non-smudge lipsticks and fast drying nail enamels besides mascaras suitable for contact lens wearers would be available in India via Maybelline at prices which address the mass buyer.

Admitting that India was a "tough" market, Skingsley however stressed: "We aim to be number one, no matter how long it takes."

Maybelline, a United States' cosmetics company which was fast losing market share there, was acquired by L'Oreal Paris in 1996 and since then, the brand has become the largest selling colour cosmetic name in the US market, Skingsley said.

L'Oreal Paris set up a 100 per cent subsidiary in India in 1991 called Indelor India Pvt Ltd to manufacture and market its entire range of skin care, hair care and now colour cosmetics.

While announcing the colour products' launch, Skingsley refused to divulge either the parent company's investment in India or details about its manufacturing plant.

"All the colour range launched today is beingmanufactured by our plant in Gujarat," was all he was willing to reveal.

L'Oreal set up two separate divisions in India in 1991 - consumer and professional (salon) divisions. While the former launched products in the skin care, hair care and hair colour range, the latter catered exclusively to beauty parlours.

The hair care and colour range is being sold under the brand name Ultra Doux (from Laboratories Garnier, Paris), the skin care range is being sold under brand name Synergie.

The professional or salon division of the company has been catering to the training needs of parlours in hair cutting, colouring and styling.