‘Unambiguously welcome every symbol of faith, culture’: Lenskart issues updated in-store style guide for employees

MUMBAI: Eyewear retailer Lenskart shared a new in-store style guide for employees, clarifying that the firm permits religious and cultural symbols, including bindi, tilak, sindoor, kalawa, mangalsutra, kada, hijab, and turban.

Amid a row over the eyewear retailer not allowing bindi and tilak for its in-store employees, the firm has issued a standardised style guide, saying that it welcomes every symbol of faith and culture.

In a statement on April 18, the eyewear firm said, “We have heard you. Clearly and openly. Over the past few days, our community and customers have spoken — and we have listened. Today, we are standardising our In-Store Style Guide and sharing it publicly and transparently: https://lenskart.com/style-guide-lenskart-stores.

“These guidelines explicitly and unambiguously welcome every symbol of faith and culture our team members carry — bindi, tilak, sindoor, kalawa, mangalsutra, kada, hijab, turban, and more. Not as exceptions. As who we are. Lenskart was built in Bharat, by Indians, for Indians. Our 2400+ stores are run by people who bring their beliefs, their traditions, their identity to work every day. That is not something we will ever ask anyone to leave at the door”, the company added.

We have heard you. Clearly and openly. Over the past few days, our community and customers have spoken – and we have listened.

Today, we are standardizing our In-Store Style Guide and sharing it publicly and transparently: https://t.co/lC8KlLLUZm

These guidelines explicitly and…

— lenskart (@Lenskart_com) April 18, 2026

The Lenskart team also apologised in case workplace communication affected its team members’ faith. “If any version of our workplace communication caused hurt or made any of our team members feel that their faith was unwelcome here, we are deeply sorry. That is not who Lenskart is, and it is not who we will ever be. We make a commitment today — not just in words, but in the document we are publishing — that every policy, every training material, and every communication that carries the Lenskart name will reflect these values. We remain committed to applying these guidelines fairly and consistently, and will continue to review and improve our processes. We will do better. And we will keep earning your trust”, the statement from Lenskart read.

On April 16, Founder and CEO Peyush Bansal clarified that an outdated internal training document was making rounds on the internet, and the “incorrect” policy regarding bindi and tilak was removed in February 2026. Taking responsibility for the lapse, Bansal reiterated that Lenskart does not restrict any respectful religious expression.

In an X post, the Lenskart CEO said, “I have listened to your concerns, and I understand your sentiment around this. I want to add more context to my earlier post. The document currently circulating is an outdated internal training document. It is not an HR policy. That said, it contained an incorrect line about bindi/tilak that should never have been written and does not reflect our values or actual practice. When we discovered this on February 17, well before this became a public conversation, we immediately removed it.”

He added, “But I should have caught this earlier. As Founder and CEO, the responsibility for such lapses is mine. I have asked my team to bring all such materials under stricter review, and I will personally ensure this is addressed going forward. We are also looking into how this found its way into our training content.”

“Let me be absolutely clear. Lenskart does not and will never restrict any form of respectful religious expression. This includes bindi, tilak, or any such symbols of faith. Our team members have always been, and will always be, free to express their beliefs with pride. I also want to thank everyone who raised this. Your voice helps us improve and stay true to what we stand for,” the X post read. (ANI)