It was named after the French opera and was started in 1952, famously because the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was concerned that Indian women were spending precious foreign exchange on beauty products, and personally requested JRD Tata to manufacture them in India.Name this Indian cosmetics company

Lakme is the correct answer. It was founded in 1952 by JRD Tata at the request of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was concerned about Indian women spending foreign exchange on imported beauty products. The brand was indeed named after the French opera 'Lakme' by composer Leo Delibes. Lotus, Shernaz, and Ayur are Indian brands but do not have this origin story.