With a goal toward improving its market share and customer base, global skin care and cosmetics company Mary Kay has announced a slew of India initiatives, including freezing prices.

“We will try to maintain prices for the next five years so that our products will become affordable to the mass middle class consumer,” says KK Chua, president, Asia pacific, Mary Kay Asia Services.

The Dallas-based company believes, this strategy will pay off against its rivals who may hike the prices of their products on account of rising prices of input cost.

Three years into exploring the Indian market, Mary Kay is competing against Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) and L’Oreal amongst others.

To ensure respectable sales for itself in India in the wake of negligible presence, Chua says Mary Kay would invest $9 million in India over the next 3 to 4 years to boost its infrastructure, technology transfer and training.

Already Mary Kay invested $20 million in the country. The company’s global turnover in 2009 was $2.5 billion.

“Our products are in the masstige (mass-prestige) range and we will continue to expand all our category portfolios with unique products for our Indian consumers,” Chua says.

With an eye on future graduates to build their customer base, Mary Kay is hosting a one-day workshop during job interviews in campuses across the country soon.

To keep its sales force on toes, Chua also announced the launch of the company’s reward system in India called the Career Car Program, where its consultants with outstanding performance will be able to earn a Mary Kay branded Swift DZire car.