Looking bright and rejuvenated seemed to be the people's priority in 2015. Whether it was skin-brightening or hydration services, there has been a rise in the demand for solution-specific beauty services in the country, with several anti-ageing and rejuvenation treatments topping the favourite salon service list, say the experts.
Consumers today are particularly "empowered". Technology and innovation for most part has enabled this fundamental shift. The beauty and wellness industry has also witnessed this change, where customers advocate the need for constant innovation from service providers, shared Disha Meher, national expert - skin and nails, Lakme Salon.
"There has been a growing demand for solution-specific beauty services; 43 percent of the volume consumed from our skin care portfolio at Lakme Salon (through the year till September 2015) has been skin-brightening services, across India, followed by hydration services," Meher told IANS.
Among the popular services consumed is Lakme Perfect Radiance - Ramp-ready Ritual with specific benefits. Then there is Lakme Luminance 3+ Ritual which offers 3+ benefits of collagen booster, whitening, spot reduction and radiance.
Beauty and hair expert Shahnaz Husain said the treatment varies from region to region.
"In cities like Mumbai and Chennai, where the climate remains warm and humid, Pearl Facial, Clean-up, Acne Treatment, Anti-tan Treatment, Diamond Facial and Platinum Facials are more popular, while in cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru, the demand differs according to seasonal differences. Normal Facial, Gold Facial, Plant Stem Cells are popular during winter," Husain, a Padma Shri award winner, said.
Husain also said that awareness is so high now and that there are so many jobs where appearance of a person counts, that a cross section of occupations are seen among clients - from the corporate world, hotel industry, marketing, fashion and television jobs and many others. Housewives, too, make a good customer base.
"Today, along with greater awareness, there is higher disposable income among women. There are more and more women of higher age-groups who are going in for salon treatments, especially since there are several anti-ageing and rejuvenation treatments. Teenagers, on the other hand, opt for acne or oily skin clean-ups. Anti-tan treatments are popular among most age groups," she added.
Makeover expert Aashmeen Munjaal says maintaining and beautifying tresses continues to be important.
"Mithyic Oil hair ritual has been the most popular treatment among all. The reason behind its popularity are the results and less usage of chemicals which has become topmost preference by clients. There has been a severe drop in products which are high in chemical content; henceforth people respond in a very positive manner to treatments like these," said Munjaal, who's also the director of Star Salon and Academy.
People's battle with hairfall has still not ended.
"There has been a rise of customers this year as compared to last year for hair problems. Every passing day, the number of people of both genders losing hair is increasing. The total rise has been of 15 to 20 percent this year," Sanket Shah, CEO and managing director of Advanced Hair Studio, India and Middle East, told IANS.
"Also, the age group is getting younger. As many as 85 percent of our clients are aged between 20 and 40," he added.
He says the cost of procedures can be as low as Rs.2,000 and as high as Rs.500,000.
In the year gone by, it seems like Indian consumers were more keen on looking for solutions for their growing beauty problems than just maintaining their looks.
Highlights:
* Solution-specific beauty services on the rise.
* Climatic conditions influence demand for beauty services.
* Greater awareness and higher disposable income among women encouraging them to splurge on treatments to improve their appearance.
* Preference for products that use less chemicals.
* Rise in hair problems and expenditure on the same.
(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)
