Salon Industry in India

India’s salon industry is valued at $3.5 billion as of 2015 and grows 20% annually. About a fourth of the sector is comprised of 5,000 franchises totaling $1 billion in value; the rest is composed of independent stores and small to mid-sized chains.

Mumbai-based Shahnaz Husain Beauty Parlour is an established in Indian provider of herbal beauty care and cosmetics. Its salons specialize in haircutting and styling, facials, waxing, and threading. Its services include waxing, threading, hair coloring, and haircuts. Several other salons chains are driven by Indian hair care celebrity stylists such as Blossom Kochar and Jawed Habib. Kaya Skin Clinic has locations in Hyderabad and Nagpur and specializes in anti-aging treatments, hair loss treatments, and skin brightening. Monsoon Salon & Spa is located in Delhi and Gurgaon and offers hair, beauty, nails, and makeup services. Enrich Salon is one of the country’s largest unisex salons and has multiple locations in the cities of Pune and Bangalore.

International companies are increasingly prominent because of their appeal to the Indian upper middle class. France’s Dessange International plans to open 20 to 25 mid-segment and luxury salons in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai by 2018. Another French company L’Oreal has product presence in over 168,000 independent salons in India providing hair care, coloration, and styling products. L’Oreal’s Matrix products are most popular because of their affordable prices. Germany’s Schwarzkopf, a part of the Henkel Group, is present in about 5,000 salons in India. Its top hair products include Bonacure, Igora Royal, Glatt, Strait Therapy, Natural Styling, and Osis. U.K.-based Truefitt and Hill, a barbershop that specializes in shaves, haircuts, manicures, and pedicures, was acquired by Lloyds Luxuries Ltd., a Mumbai-based company. Lloyds Luxuries plans to establish outlets in Delhi, Bangalore, and Pune along with 40 other stores in the country by 2019.

The industry is growing due to the population’s demand for high-quality salon services, increasing disposable income among the middle class, and media exposure to international brands. This results in more attention to personal maintenance. For example, many Indian women spend large sums on salon packages to attend or participate in weddings.