Smiles at the attractive young woman at the counter, and produces a long list, saying he needs all the items listed. The girl scans the list, looks at him and incredulously asks: "All this?". He says yes, and before she could ask, says that he has the all cash needed in his bag. The girl rushes off, only to return with the store manager.

On questioning by the store manager, the middle-aged man tells a strange tale that traverses two cities. He is a driver for a upper class household in Delhi. His madam has asked him to go to Mumbai and buy the list of cosmetics listed for the upcoming wedding in the family. He has parked his car at the Delhi airport and had come to Mumbai to pick up the items listed (or should we say, fill out the prescription), only to fly back to Delhi by the noon flight. In time for the evening Sangeeth function.

The story, as incredulous as it may sound, filtered upwards in the organisation and is part of the store's folklore. Are up market women willing to go that far for a brand of cosmetic, when we have been taught that cosmetics are but skin deep? We may forgive the fact that cheap airline tickets may have led to that wasteful travel, but sending the driver all the way to Mumbai, to pick up a couple of hundred thousand rupees worth of cosmetics, does sound a little farfetched.

Is this the way the other half lives? Is this the ultimate in conspicuous consumption that we read about in the glossies? Or is it just a random incidence that will never happen again? If you were to do a simple analysis of the type of cosmetics sold, you would find identical products being offered by brands across very different price points. So a skin moisturizer is available from price points of Rs 350 to Rs 3,500. Are they really that different? Or is it just marketing, packaging and communication at work?

Cosmetic marketing, experts tell us, has transformed in the last two decades, with the marriage of pharmaceuticals with cosmetics, leading to the birth of a new science that goes by the name 'cosmeceuticals'. Do consumers really know the difference?

Cogito Consulting, DraftFCB Ulka's consulting arm, decided to explore this uncharted territory, speaking with 30 'uber uber' class women across the top four cities of India. The interviews were conducted in a non-research environment, through executives, and not the run of the mill field interviewers. Blame it on the internet, on the growth of upper end women magazines, or the higher levels of education of the uber class women, but these women know what they want. There was active absorption of information, especially about cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. Cosmetics continue to play a key role in letting these women 'feel good' about themselves. And the more they spend the better they feel.

 These women are quite knowledgeable about the various upmarket brands, and usually have a small basket of brands that they trade across. They normally do not go outside their basket.

The women insist that 'efficacy' is the top criterion for their selection of their brands. Trial takes place usually through word of mouth from friends or beauticians, but repeat is driven by performance of the brand.

For these women performance is key, in addition to packaging, branding, form, colour, etc. These women are willing to pay a 500% premium, but give me a 50% extra performance. This harks back to the age-old traditions of our country. Ingredients like sandal oil are highly treasured, are rare and command a high price premium. Indian brands have claimed exotic ingredients like diamond ash (Bhashma), powder of real pearls (did Angeleina Jolie learn to apply caviar on her skin from our ancient scriptures?) and even 24 carat pure gold.

The word cosmetic has its origin in the Greek word 'cosmos' which does not mean beauty, but means 'order'; by beautifying we are bringing ourselves nearer the cosmic orderly truth. The British did not approve of cosmetics, with Queen Victoria banning the use of cosmetics by ladies, so we get a different take from the modern Oxford English dictionary: Cosmetic n. a substance for beautifying the complexion etc. adj: improving the appearance; superficial.

It was Charles Revson, the legendary founder of Revlon cosmetics who said: "In the factories we make cosmetics, in the drug stores we sell hope." Well, women want to buy a lot more than just hope.

It is apt to remember the words of Claude Hopkins, the legendary copywriter, who is reported to have said this about OTC medicines: "We don't sell medicines, we sell results."

Now that the difference between cosmetics and medicines has been bridged, may be the day is not too far that medicines will be sold as 'hope'.