Sultans of the SALON INDUSTRY

A decade is a long time, especially if it is a crucial one for the entire industry. Professional Beauty India has been part of the Indian beauty industry for the past ten years, bringing good business, strong network and long standing relationships, for every stakeholder.

With Professional Beauty Exhibition’s 10th anniversary under our belt, we are now proud to present the second anniversary edition of Professional Beauty x Hairdressers Journal. In this special edition, we present to you an array of stalwarts who have made their mark in the salon industry with their stellar achievements such as putting India on the global map. Kanishka Ramchandani and Priyanka Parshurami team up bring top notch names that have brought fame to India’s salon sector to participate in our anniversary celebrations.

The experts mentioned in this feature are not placed any particular order or hierarchy nor are indicative of the achievements of those not mentioned here. This list is compiled by our editors based on pre-decided criteria.

I always prefer black when it comes to my wardrobe but there is no limit to my preference when it comes to my client's hair.

The journey: Learnings. I want to be a student and keep learning for the rest of my life.

The turning point: I was bored of my desk job. I finally found my passion in hair and a professional that I am proud of. I don’t have Monday morning blues. It was a leap of faith!

The passion: Hairdressing is more than just a profession. It is my passion for hair. The world is a museum where hair is our canvas and you don’t have to buy a ticket to see the masterpiece.

The dream: Standardising the hairdressing education system!

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

• Digital hero for 2021

• Best educator in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016 Schwarzkop Professional India.

• Best hairdresser in 2021 by IFL

• Jury members for Mrs India 2016, 2017 & 2018

•July member for Golden Flame Awards at Sri Lanka 2015

•Represented India at the Schwarzkopt professional SABC awards at Beijing 2019

The turning point: Mumbai has always been a city of big dreams. Coming here was a turning point for me, and I’ve never looked back since. The energy and opportunities in this city are unlike anywhere else. If you want to make your dreams a reality, mimbai is the place to be.

Global approach: Regularly showcasing your work - not just to those in your immediate area, but to a global audience - is key to success as a hairstylist. And the best way to do that in today's world is through digitals platforms.

Global standards: I miss the level of detail that used to be prevalent in our country. It seems like now it's all about quantity over quality.

Advice to hairdressers

Your career should always come first, especially if it’s something you’re passionate about. Don’t compromise your dreams for your family - they will be proud of you once you’ve made something of yourself.

In men’s colour, the salt and pepper look as well as funky hues are ending. Sleek cuts, like the American gangster look, is also in.

“One of the most important things I’ve learned as a hairdresser is that time is everything. So, it’s important to make the most of every day as a hairdresser - learning new techniques or practising what you already know.”

"I'm not a big fan of Instagram looks or before/after images and typically super enhanced or altered for shock value."

The turning point: Moving from Australia most certainly was one of the biggest things for me both personally as well as professionally. Everything I knew, I had to start again but it was the most liberating experience and I have learnt a lot since then.

The challenge: Having no fall back and no plan b it was up to me to make things ork out. It has been the most amazing time of my life both personally and professionally

The passion: Education on personality development - it’s one thing to be able to do something but another to have the strength of character and understanding when to say no. The hairdressing industry still has a long way to go to get that individuality of thought which would help dramatically with growth and development India has so much to offer and whilst it has dramactically improved in the last 10 years we still have a long way to go.

The turning point: To teach is to learn twice - this I believe has changed me, from gaining a list of high profile clients to working on shoots for magazine covers and films. What really changed and shaped my career is reaching that point when I realised that education is what I love doing and teaching and sharing my skills and creative thought process has really shaped me and helped shape my personality.

Awards and accolades

• Under his leadership, Placid Salon won the Welia Trendvision Colour Trophy (India), and represented India at a global level

• Wella Creative artist India 2004 to 2009

• Sebastian design artist India 2010 to 2014

• Wella Passionista ( creative artist ) 2019 to 2022

• HBS Jury for hair competition for the last 3 years

• Official Mrs World India Hair expert to groom contestants for world pageant

• Head Hair trainer for Daniel Bauer make-up and hair academy

Colour trends

The best hair colours for Indian skin tone are shades of brown, red and burgundy. It all depends on how you place the colour on your hair - how much of your hair you colour and how much you leave natural.

FOREVER IN VOGUE Long hair for Indian women -Face framing layers-Long bob or lots

Describe your journey from inception till date in one word?

Evolving/Re-Inventing

“We are actively working on something that we hope will benefit and even fundamentally transform the entire industry. Watch out for a few exciting announcements soon!"

What is the ‘Bina Punjani’ system of hairdressing?

“Our USP is that we are the only brand in the country that follows a specific hairdressing system that is mandatory. We completely retrain external hires in our system before letting them work on the clients. This gives our entire team a common ramework and allows them to provide quality hairdressing across the board. The customer ends up coming to the brands,rather than an individual hairdresser, It also makes knowledge sharing and skill development easier and faster.

The journey: I spent my first six years working in London and Dubai with a brand in which all hairdressers worked in the same system. When I moved to India, I found it trustrating that salons were largely aggregators of hairdressers working in different ways. Training, if any, was piecemeal and was mixed up with what the hairdresser already knew.Since there was no brand that worked the way Iknew and valued I decided to start my own brand.

The global approach: Indian hairdressing revolves around individual hairdressers orking their own ways. Even the most reputed salons fail to get their team embers to work in a uniform manner. Learning is primarily piecemeal and tends o be look and learn. This is not how hairdressing is done internationally. Typically, a assoon hairdresser works in the Sassoon system. Here, each hairdresser takes a bit of his and a bit of that, and ends up doing their own thing. So, the customer ends up oing to an individual hairdresser and not to a salon or brand.

The change: I am working on something that will hopefully change the way the ntire industry works, especially in the area of skilling and upgradation. ‘Good’ airdressing is currently the domain of very few hairdressers, who are in the metros, nd who command a huge premium, making quality hairdressing accessible only to he very well to do. I am hoping to democratise this and bring a much higher quality of hairdressing to people across the country.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE WORD

Conscientious

Favourite hairstyle

Geometric Bob

What does the industry need today?

Professionalism

Your take on the Indian hairdressing industry

It’s ever changing and will always evolve with changing times.

The turning point…

When I decided to give up my Company Secretary studies and started looking into the salon started by my grandfather.

Elisha the stylist or elisha the owner of the Beauty Gamified app?

“I think Elisha as a stylist is the foundation of the ambition for ‘Elisha the owner of the amified app. Elisha as a stylist earns more points and she is like a 10 on 10 because he is the foundation.”

The journey... A significant point in my life which helped me shape my career and personality would be when I was doing my corporate job and I finally saw my family business. That is when I decided that I wanted to enter the beauty industry and manage it. However, as we all know, I did not only end up managing a business, I ended up learning the skill. which I proudly enjoy today.

The global approach… In the US, hairdressing is very structured because of censing. The number of hours is fixed. You have to give a certain number of hours wards health, chemicals, hair texture, cutting, and colouring. This structure builds a undation in the minds of hairdressers that’s so strong, they seldom have gaps.

The India picture: In India, because there is no foundation in the first place, people ho have been working for 20 years only get exposed to the clientele that is around em and they learn on the go. They make mistakes and then learn. If they were ught from day one about acid and alkaline, they would do it right.

The change: To elevate the credibility of hairdressers and make-up artists. I wish here was more acknowledgement for people who are excellent. There needs to be a more structured way of defining their niche so that they are not on the same l as other people.

I feel the capability of Indian hairdressers and make-up artists is immense."

The turning point: My time spent at the HOB Salons and Academy in Camden, UK! Being with the HOB Creative team, watching how celebrated names in the Industry work and create.

Making a difference: The lives I touch through my craft ensures that I keep expanding my client base - many of whom are from the jet-setting Indian diaspora, and who wear my work and carry it on them globally!

Global trends: I am hoping that the global trends will be set here - in India. I would like to see the entire seasonal approach to colouring trends being applied here! Subtle but definitive shade changes that mark the beginning of Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. This will also be a challenging approach to colour, one that expects the craftsperson to know the scientific aspects of colour.

Awards and accolades

• State registered senior hairdresser and a state registered barber with the UK Hair Council

• Arecognised Master Craftsman with the UK Hair Council

• Part of Kevin Murphy’s India Dream Team

• Brand Ambassador for the International Hair Care Brand Kativa

• State President of the WICCI West Bengal Skill Development Council

• Awarded the Bharat Nirman 2017 for her Contribution to the Beauty Industry

• Awarded the Joy Michael Award for the Creative Arts from the AIAIA, 2022

• Awarded Boss Lady in Business 2022 at the Global Homepreneurs Summit

• Awarded the Bharat Dignity Award September 2022

• Awarded Iconic Woman Achiever Rotary Benevolence Chapter, 2021

• Erstwhile Brand Ambassador for ITC Fiama Di Wills care division, Brand Essensity of Schwarzkopf Professional, Keo Karpin and ITC Sunrise Spices

• Beauty columnist with Telegraph, Bartaman Patrika, PBxHJ India, Femina Bangla, etc

• Acted in two films - ‘Outhouse,’ was nominated for the Srinivas Gollapudi Award

“After all is said and done, and done, and done, it is your passion for your craft that will keep you invested and interested.”

Advice to hairdressers: Education! Wherever, whenever! Don’t be timid about being imaginatively creative, it is what will set you apart!

On the global map: I am proud to have given good Indian hairdressers to the world. My students are happy that while working in another country they are asked ‘how are you so good at hairdressing, have you trained here?’ And they say, no, we were trained in India. Training our students as they go for international competition like WorldSkills is also a moment of pride for us. Within India, too, my students have gone on to work with iconic salon names and hair brands such as Loreal. Another contribution that i hold close to my heart is designing syllabus for international examinations.

Experience at global events: When you are competing it is important to know where you are and which brand you are pitched against. Once you know that, you will create a look that is perfect and relevant to the competition. When I teach hairdressing, I make my student understand what is required from them at that point in time. My biggest contribution is in teaching my students the relevance of a particular result. You don’t just do a cut or style but you also understand the value of it in india, we lack trainer's training ' i love to share my knowledge with people who want to become trainers.

Global trends: I would love to see more short haircuts like pixie and variations of the bob in India. The Indian face is quite versatile and all versions of the bob are suitable for it.

Awards and accolades: I experienced what I would like to call a ‘spiritual storm,’ after which I threw away all my awards and trophies, barring only a couple. Awards don’t change who you are. Your work and achievements always stay with you. My students and the people who love me are the best awards for me.

Trainer Speak: While I am a hairdresser and a colourist, my forte is training and education. After the pandemic I decided to shut down my salons and I chose to join Enrich because they always put people first. I joined forces with them and now I have a wider base of students. Our joint effort is called Enrich AHA. I couldn’t have asked foe a better oppurtunity.

Hairdressing is one of the best professions to be in. You have to make it worthwhile for yourself here.

“Advice for hairdressers Invest in yourself. Don’t stop growing. Don’t stop learning. Stay humble, stay open. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.Don't replace confidence with attitude."

“One major change is that branding has become all important in the Indian beauty industry. Beauty companies concentrate on building up brand loyalty and brand identity through innovative promotions and value added offers"

What defines Shahnaz Husain?

Shahnaz Husain is the pioneer and internationally acclaimed icon of the Ayurvedic Beauty Movement.

The journey: Five decades ago, when I started my career, I rejected the existing concept of beauty and adopted my own. At that time, superficial beauty reatments and hairstyling were ‘treats’ women went in for, without realizing that eauty is actually the outcome of long term care. No heed was paid to the health f the skin and hair and the potential dangers of chemical treatments. In fact, there as hardly any awareness of other detrimental effects like exposure to UV rays, nvironmental pollutants, etc. The ‘back to nature’ trend had not yet begun.

At that time, the beauty industry in India, including the beauty services industry, as largely unorganised and fragmented. Only some basic beauty products like cold reams and shampoos were available on cosmetic store shelves. The word cosmetics mainly implied make-up items. Herbal beauty care, as we know it today, did not exist.

Today, I am known as the pioneer of herbal beauty care. In fact, it is herbal beauty care, which has driven the growth of the beauty industry in India over the l st few decades. While the beauty product business grew at the rate of about 20 per cent, the growth rate of the herbal beauty business is higher – at 40 per cent. Today, awareness of beauty products and treatments is at an all time high. This is attributed to exposure to global trends and lifestyle changes, higher disposable i comes and the trend towards fitness and youth. Today’s Indian consumer is aware of quality and the ingredients in products. Many kinds of beauty products, for varied urposes, are now available, even based on individual skin type.

India’s contribution to the beauty world

“One of the most important contributions of India in the international beauty arket and development is the trend towards a holistic system of beauty. This is ue to the interest in the Ayurvedic system of natural and herbal healing. The trend owards nature and all things natural increased the interest in our holistic system of erbal healing. People abroad are well aware of the harmful effects of chemicals nd hence they are relying heavily on holistic and organic systems, like Ayurveda. ur contribution has also been towards the interest in therapeutic products for kin problems, like acne, pigmentation, premature ageing, scars, etc., which are lso related to beauty. Our contribution has been towards beauty and wellness,including spa treatments.

Advice for skin therapists

Students of beauty and skin therapy should ensure that they enrol in courses, here they acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills, and also have the pportunity to do beauty diplomas and advanced courses that include specialised reatments, business management, salon management, client handling and so n. Training in beauty should enable one to gain employment not only as beauty therapist but also as electralysis and laser therapist, aeromatherapist etc.

Awards and accolades

World’s Greatest Entrepreneur Award by Success, a US business magazine

2020: New York based IWEC Foundation Award for Global Woman Enterpreneur

2020: Iconic Entrepreneur Award from Ficci FLO

2020: Kotler Excellence Award from World Marketing Summit

2019: Ayurveda Excellence Award in the British Parliament.

2018: Confluence Excellence Award in the British Parliament for Pioneering Ayurveda Worldwide

2018: London Award for Excellence for her innovation of Chemoline Range for Cancer Patients – Shashikant Patel, Treasurer BJP Overseas

2014: Golden Peacock Entrepreneurial Leadership Award in London from Theresa May, former UK Prime Minister.

2006: Padma Shri Award

“Participation at WorldSkills is a huge commitment. It requires you to have passion, patience, perseverance, ability to better oneself continuously, hard work, and most important mental agility. It’s not only about learning the skills, learning new things but to be able to rigorously practise them. Get a proper base in education and skills."

The journey: The satisfaction of making a difference in people’s life was my strong ason to come into training. ifference to society.

Awards and Accolades

•Elected as a Chief Expert for WorldSkills Lyon 2024

•Appointed by NSDC as an expert to represent India at World Stage since 2013

Best Mentor Award, Best Teacher Award and Best Training School Award at various forums

•Our students represented india at world stage and win lourels for the country

Leadership roles

•Founder Director at LTA school of Beauty

•Governing Council Member of B&WSSC

•Member of the NOS committee

• Competition Head/Jury Head at many com

Chief Expert for Beauty Therapy Skills

“One of the responsibilities of this role is to develop marking teams, work on the quality and development of marking and assessment, and arrange training sessions for experts. I would love to do similar sessions for Indian experts and mentors.”

TIPS FOR SKIN EXPERTS

• Be at the top of the game in your field!

• It’s important to continue to learn and practice.

• Constantly raise your own standards.

• Every professional should invest in continuous professional development (CPD). Explore and adapt good practices from across the globe.

Evolution of skincare industry in India

• The pandemic has shifted consumers’ focus on home care.

• Consumers and clients have started understanding their skin behaviour.

• They are opting for sustainable products that are vegan, paraben free, gluten free and free of artificial fragrances and colours.

• They have become more ingredient savvy and tend to opt for multitasking products.

• They tend to choose targeted treatment products/serums to treat skin problems and maintain good skin health, instead of multiple products.

• With an increase in educational communication being shared with consumers, moisturising sunscreens with problem-solving ingredients are becoming an essential part of an individual’s skin care routine

ADVICE FOR ASPIRANTS

“With a tribe of over 100,000 professional skin therapists with industry-leading expertise to help people live in their healthiest skin, we as a brand believe that staying on the lookout for market trends and updating one’s self on consumer demands is key to success. Always keep the focus on your customer’s skin needs and goals.”

“I believe in investing for the future of my skin health by using products that are customised for my skin, as very skin is unique. At the end of the day, healthy skin looks beautiful on its own."

“As a brand, Dermalogica is rooted in education, personalisation and the human touch, which is why we have launched products that are clean, free of artificial fragrances, cruelty-free and vegan, and backed by science to help our customers make the right choice.”

We need to look at our roots, and not turn away from them. We should look at creating consistent and more effective products.

The journey: I returned from the US in 2009 after finishing my studies of cosmetology in New York at Christine Valmy. From 2010, the industry started to change with beauty exhibitions coming to India. I worked with many international brands, such as Eminence Organic, where I was the national trainer. In 2014, I became part of B&WSSC, one of the best platforms to spread knowledge and information in the industry. With awards and recognition, I kept moving ahead as it kept me motivated. I think in that way my journey was super smooth. I was passionate about my work and I ever felt that the journey was a struggle for me. In 2018, I started my own enture, which includes a consultancy and academy.

The trends: Organic and natural products for skincare are still trending, but oday people need faster results. So, they are pairing it with devices such as he LED Face Mask and microdermabrasion. Hydrafacial and Beauty Glow acial are also trending. Certain devices like the Derma Pen are tricky to se at home and are best used by trained professionals.

The India story: I visit almost every international expo. I used to be happy hat international brands are coming to India but today, I am happier that dian brands are going to international markets. Ayurvedic and natural roducts are our domain, as is seen by Shahnaz Husain and Dr Blossom occhar’s products. But we still need to strengthen our position in the global arket. So, we need to look at our roots, and not turn away from them. We hould look at creating consistent and more effective products.

Need of the hour: Government authorised and licensed beauty academies and training centres.

Advice to aspirants

My advice to upcoming therapists is a strong word of caution - if you do ot have the right knowledge, don’t get into the market, because now here is a high competition. You should know how to prioritise your skill nd you should become multifunctional. You cannot just have just one skill nymore because there are so many things that are coming up. Education the key in the B2B industry.”

Awards and Accolades

Excellence in Esthetics Customer Service in individual category by Indian alon and Wellness Congress (Franchise India) in 2016.

Beauness By Arpita was awarded the ASSOCHAM Start-up of the Year 2018 t the 2nd edition of Beauty, Wellness & Personal Care Awards Nite and in 020, was awarded Beauty & Wellness Consultant Of The Year by them.

Received the Face Rashtriya Gaurav Award 2021 as Cosmetologist, eauty & Wellness Consultant from Certified by Registrar of Newspaper of dia, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. Of India.

Honoured as ‘Consultant of the Year’ by Beauty & Wellness India Awards, rganised by Industry Life.

Part of the Panel Speaker of International Conference & Expo - estination Punjab: Medical Tourism, Organised by (ICSI) International chamber for service Industry.

The industry witnessed a huge conversion from being an unorganised sector to becoming an organised one. Throughout these years, I have given and received so much from the industry. I have gotten a lot of exposure s apart of this B2B market. Today, I can say that India now is at par with the international market and I am happy that I was able to contribute to its growth.”

“Today’s customer is aware and informed, who understands their skin type, its specific needs, and research on trends and ingredients that will work for them before making a purchase. The market is exhaustive and has products accommodating the needs and budget of every customer, new or existing."

The journey: Looking back, I see a lot has changed in the past 25 years. I believe we have come a long way when talking about the evolution of training and education, which has grown dramatically over the years. The availability of education, courses and learning material is a lot more now than 20 years before, thanks to the digital era we are living in. This has also captured people awareness and now they are willing to make a career out of it.

The turning point: When I qualified for the world’s most prestigious qualification in esthetics and beauty -CIDESCO - from Mumbai. It opened new doors for me in e industry and made me believe that I can learn and contribute much more to it. here’s still a long way to go! kincare then and now…Today, women are more focused on anti-ageing and are sing innovative and scientific ingredients that are going to give them a healthy, diant and youthful complexion. Another area of interest for modern women is electrical skin devices that use unique technology to cleanse the competiotion deeper than a traditional tool would.

Awards and Accolades

•Internationally certified by Casmara Spain

•CIDESCO certified, Mumbai

Advice for aspirants

The skincare industry is one of the most crative ones in the world. Currently, xperts predict that it will be worth around 200.25 billion by 2025. That’s an incredible pportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs interest in starting a skincare line!

From brightening toners to a DIY face mask that ives an instant glow, my a -time favourite ingredient turmeric. It’s the ultimate solution for tackling all skin unn."

Defining skincare: Skincare is life. Your skin reflects how your daily life is. If one cares about his or her life, they will care about their skin too.

Awards:

Yardely best cosmetology Award Gold Medalist

Daily Skincare Routine Follow a daily routine every morning and evening

Cleanse, tone and moisturise as per your skin type and condition, twice a day. Avoid harsh chemicals and never experiment with your skin. Stick to your routine and enjoy healthy clawless skin everyday.

Advice for aspirants

It’s an ever-evolving and ever-growing industry. New research and new technologies introduced by various brands have taken skincare to the next level. So, keep updating your knowledge and keep learning.

Healthy Skin comes with healthy routine. Follow our individual skincare routine religiously, eat Healthy and follow a healthy lifestyle.”

“The biggest and most serious mistake skin therapists make: learning from YouTube instead of attending a proper teaching institute"

The journey: I started my practice in Muscat/Oman in an era when aesthetic kincare was unheard of in the ‘80s. I was interested in introducing skin and hair care’. I had no competition -Iwas the only one. I was not sure if it would be ccepted by the ladies there.

When and now: The difference is that ‘Skincare’ took off so well that the medical traternity now look at it as essential. Many hospital now have aesthestic area.Most dermatologists have invested in aesthetics.

The turning point: The turning point in my career came when sophisticated achines were introduced. I introduced the first German microcurrent machine for anti-ageing in 1989 and semi permenant make up RPF for Germany for a few years later. It was unheard of in those days!

Making global local: I introduced semi permanent make-up (now popularly referred as available here. I also introduced non-chemical peels from the UK.

Awards and accolades: My biggest achievements - my work with the alopecia support group of Vancouver; when the royalty invited me professionally; and when I can make a difference in someone's life.

Advice for skin therapists

•Do not stop learning.

•Pay more attention to hygiene.

•Have a more professional approach to your career.

I want gentle skincare for pregnant women and those suffering from cancer.

We follow a very innovative and continuous product + service development approach.

Expansion plans: We are planning to launch 10 more salons. These will be a ombination of a franchise, partnership plus co-owned model. 2023 will see us cusing on the western and southern states of India.

Company-owned vs franchise: I personally favour a combination of a franchise owned with a company-operated model because of its feasibility. In this case expertise in operations and salon management continues to be delivered via company-trained managers.

Staff management: JCB Salons continue to create and develop internal alent and talent on the bench. Being a highly aspirational brand, salon talent ets the best working environment, exposure to continuous learning and skill development a multi brand approach with a prestigious customer base. Recruitment has never been a challenge for us.

jCB’s contribution to the Indian salon industry: JCB Salons have consistently ffered our clients a variety of new age and latest brands along with services hat meet international standards. We follow a very innovative and continuous product + service development approach. Our successfull launchesodels of business model like Trica Hair Clinic and JCB Home services are one-of-a-kind.

JCB’s vision: As thought leaders, JCB Salons is always scouting for new eauty concepts that deliver efficacious results but also transform how clients iew beauty. Women today have taken over the reins and are leading the ransformation in the beauty and wellness space. And of course, the economic uccess couldn’t be more evident. JCB Salons looks forward to partnering with ome-grown brands led by women entrepreneurs.

Salon Business in 2023 is going to be…

ROCKET! We see a bright future with the pandemic behind us, a substantial duction of WFH, and revenge spending and travel on the rise coupled with the positivity in the Indian economy.

"We are moving positively in the direction of international standards. The number of players is so arge that the best practices take a while to be followed. ut if you see the salon industry five years ago and ompare it with today, you will see a gargantuan shift in the positive direction."

The journey: Veena, my wife and Founder of Naturals Salon and Spa, was lways passionate about beauty. She started Naturals in 2000 in Chennai. Being housewife who never wanted to be at home and wanted to do something on er own, Venna’s refusal to continue as a homemaker gave birth to the brand aturals. Irritation is the source of energy, her irritation to find a clean and neat alon paved the way for her venture. Veena decided to start her salon with good ygiene, which was a formidable task two decades ago. Post struggling for funds, ot earning the desired profits, she left no stone unturned and believed that it as the calm before the storm. Her hard work paid off as Veena and I opened he second salon, too, and gradually opened 6 salons. This paved the way for ranchising the business, starting off with Chennai and then moving to the rest of Tamil nadu and other states including Karnataka,Andhra pradesh, kerala ,odisha,west bengal and Delhi.

We are poised to take the lead to change this industry.

Staff acquisition and attrition Staff acquisition and attrition is a challenge in this industry, which is still at the ascent stage in India. It was considered as a community based profession. Now ’s moving to be creative arts. The need is to go down to the grassroot level to hange the mindset of parents who may not send their children to this profession. education was like this about four decades ago, but some private training ompanies took the initiative and changed this. We are poised to take the lead to hange this industry.

We have some good HR policies by providing salary, incentives, overtime and ther perks for performances of the staff. We give them regular training and pgrade their skills in hair, beauty and skin keep them motivated.

Awards and accolades

•India’s Favourite Salon by NDTV India

•Best franchise by Franchise India

•IIndian Retail Forum Award for Best Health & Beauty

•Images Retail Awards for the Most Admired Salon

•CII southern Region Emerging Enterpreneur awards

•Best Salon by Franchise India

•SAM EVE Sooper Lady Award

•Gold Trophy -Best Small Scale private org award

•Promising Retail Brand

•Best Workplace

•Inspirational Business Icon

•Retail Icons of India

•Women on a Mission award

•BCN Award

•Hall at Fame for the best Franchising company of the year by Franschise India

Salons should learn to keep the HR cost to a manageable level, increase the AVB and do more digital and regular marketing. Give the best services to their customers and their business will grow multifold.”

“Our peer salons have gone on record to say that their franchisee model is an adaptation of the Lakmé franchisee model. So, the way Lakmé went about creating entrepreneurs from 1999-2000 onwards, we lead in and teach how a franchisee network is run.”

Salon Business in 2023 is going to be…. Fantastic and Funtastic! I think it will be a lot of fun

Expansion plans

In 2023, we want to get back on the expansion routine of 2019, when we added 100 salons. By pushing productivity and driving innovation and education, we have emerged as a stronger brand p adding two salons per week.

Company-owned vs franchise

We are not in a race to achieve it fast. We bring backstage expertise from Lakmé Fashion Week and trends in hair, skin, make-up and nails to our consumers. Right now, there is a market for this across all of India. A franchisee brings entrepreneurial energy and a certain connect with the team as well as with consumers, which in a corporate structure, it is possible to do but it’s a little difficult to penetrate beyond a certain point. So, we are expanding with both the formats.

We talk to the consumers all the time. So, we know the consumer’s unmet needs a vailable.

Taff management

At Lakmé, the difference between company-owned and franchisee is fairly dministrative. We’ve a thorough process in the selection of our franchisees. For very 10 people who apply to become a franchisee of Lakmé Salon, one or two et in. Because we’ve got a pretty strong screening process for them to come in. e almost treat it like a mid-career recruitment.

At Lakmé, we always tell our prospective employees that you don’t have o worry about a job, as we give you a career. You grow along a structured athway. You upgrade your skill, your designation, your remuneration and so on. e have the Backstage Heroes programme, following which you can qualify to e atrainer. Today, 26 Lakmé salons across the country are owned by people who used to ork in Lakmé. At Lakmé Academy powered by Aptech, we’ve trained more than 0,000 students. That is a captive pipeline of talent, of well-trained people with the ight soft skills and personality. The key is to be able to get good talent ahead of

Akmé’s contribution to the Indian salon industry

Lakmé started salons in 1980, when there weren’t too many salons. Lakmé was a ioneer in the salon business. Lakmé has always been committed to talent; we have 60-member training team dedicated to Lakmé salons. We believe in upgrading the uality of talent, their remuneration, their growth, and ensuring that they have all the

Aeting international standards

We launched a facial called Beauty Sutra, which was priced at Rs 6,000. That’s n expensive, especially for a private label service. But it took off really well. We ot good feedback from customers, great repeat rates, and a lot of demand. o, we spread this proposition across other services as well, including manicure, pedicure, a body spa, and a hair spa. Beauty Sutra is exclusively available at akme salons. When you are using high quality ingredients and very strong SOPs, nd therefore pricing it at a premium, our consumers are open to it.

ASghlights for lakmé in 2022

2022 was a near normal year. Our net promoter score is north of the 90s. We’ve xpanded reasonably well. We will end the year with 60 plus new salons. On e innovation front, we launched a bridal collection in collaboration with top shion designers in India.

“Creative styling and innovative marketing - this is what keeps Indian salons from scaling up to international standards.”

Ex pansion plans

Marie Claire Paris salons have aggressively launched 23 salons over the last two ears, so 2023 will be more about co unch of 6-7 new ones.

Company-owned vs franchise

We prefer franchise owned as it is a faster way to grow the brand, provided you brand.

Staff management

Our recruitment numbers in tandem with our expansion plans. We would be starting ur first academy in India in Bengaluru, cruitment process.

Marie claire’s contribution to the Indian alon industry

We are just four years young. Being a fairly ew brand in India, we still have proved that ou do not have to compromise on the service nd experience, when you offer services at an

023 is going to be very exciting with the consumers getting ore demanding. and spoilt or choices with new brands opening up.Differentiation is the key in 2023 to attract and retain

Highlights for Marie claire in 2022

Our new salons have quickly established themselves as the preferred salon destination in the catchment area. The fact that Marie Claire is the highest rated salon chain on Google with an average rating of 4.75 / 5.0 across 11 cities of India is a testimony that at Marie Claire we go out of the way to make the client feel at home.

Industry evolution: Since our inception in 1989 a lot has changed in terms of fashion, people in the industry, mindset of how the business should run and, yes, a lot of learning from everyone. And everyday till date.

Consistent service and quality: Well, this is tricky! I would say when we have too many doors to handle, the quality tends to go off the shore. But we ensure it with our team and by being consistent with training on the floor and in our academy. One needs to do that to maintain the quality. Keeping the same vision towards our

Awards and accolades: There are many feathers in our cap such as Color Trophy, Salon Business Awards, Salon Management Awards to name a few.

Tip for salon owners Just have patience! You will get there what you have planned, just focus on your team and their growth. As they grow, you will definitely grow bigger, too.

How to manage salon expenses

Expenses are the fixed daily ones and the unnecessary ones. One needs to understand and segregate them and analyse how and what all we can minus from our daily spendings. Focus on what is necessary and control that. Best tip on how to handle money is to first learn to save it.

"It feels really great to be art of this industry and lead the game with our in-house talent.”