The document, circulated on X (formerly Twitter), appeared to outline restrictions on visible religious expressions such as bindis, tilak and burkhas, while also referencing items like turbans and hijabs, along with guidelines on tattoos, hairbands and caps.
The authenticity and context of the document could not be independently verified.
Posts sharing the screenshot claimed the policy created an apparent distinction between religious symbols — suggesting that items like the hijab were permitted under certain conditions while symbols such as bindi, tilak and even kalawa (sacred thread) were not.
The viral post described the document as part of Lenskart’s internal “style guide” and even referenced specific page numbers, fuelling claims that it was an official employee handbook.
Some posts also alleged that other traditional markers such as sindoor and sacred threads were restricted for customer-facing staff, while religious headwear like hijabs and turbans were allowed with conditions.
Responding to the controversy, co-founder and CEO Peyush Bansal said an older version of the policy contained language that did not reflect the company’s values.
In a now-deleted post, he wrote: “An older version of our grooming policy had language that didn’t reflect our values. When it came to my notice in Feb this year, we got it fixed immediately, much before this conversation. Lapse was in language, intent was never in question. I should have caught this sooner. That’s on me.”
Later on April 15, around 10 pm, Bansal posted on X that the document being circulated was inaccurate and did not reflect current guidelines.
Hi, all. I’ve been seeing an inaccurate policy document going viral about Lenskart.
I want to speak directly that this document does not reflect our present guidelines.
Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we…
— Peyush Bansal (@peyushbansal) April 15, 2026
“Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we continue to review our guidelines regularly,” he said, adding that outdated versions do not represent the company today. He also apologised for the confusion and concern caused.
The issue drew criticism from some users on X, with a section of them calling for a boycott of Lenskart, while others urged verification of the document before drawing conclusions.
