From being a bride at 15 years to a mother at 16, to running a beauty empire, Shahnaz Husain, the czarina of Indian beauty business, has done it all...

I was born into a conservative family. But, I was fortunate to have a broad minded, Oxford-educated father in Chief Justice NU Beg, who put me through La Martiniere in Lucknow and an Irish convent (Queen Mary’s) in Allahabad. He instilled in me a love of poetry and English literature and imbued within me the right combination of traditional values and progressive ideas. In school my favourite subject was English Literature—I loved poetry and still do—and I loved the creative arts. I used to take part in poetry-writing and essay competitions. I remember that I won an award from the Governor of Allahabad. However, I had to comply with existing traditions and entered into an arranged marriage at the tender age of 15, becoming a mother by the time I was 16 years. From my childhood I learnt to love and respect the rich heritage of India. In fact, one of the traditions that I inherited was natural and herbal therapy. Faith in herbal healing was very much a part of my family tradition (my mother had a fair milkand- roses flawless complexion). She always followed traditional beauty treatments, mixing herbs and ingredients at home, to care for her own skin and hair, and ours. As a young girl, poised on the threshold of life, I always wanted to make a difference, but I did not know that I would be a successful entrepreneur someday. Of course, my life was on a very different course. Even though I was a mother at 16, life seemed perfect. But I was bored with the drudgery of endless routine. Then the mental upheaval began. I was always interested in beauty and in making others beautiful, so I decided on beauty as a career. I was determined to get the best training possible and decided to work my way to the prized institutions of the West, to learn cosmetic therapy and cosmetology. My husband was posted in Tehran at the time, as head of foreign trade with the State Trading Corporation of India. I was not a college graduate, but I loved to write, so I started writing articles for the Iran Tribune. Somehow, I was convinced that if I was highly-qualified in my field, I could have the world at my feet. So gradually, I worked my way to leading institutions like Helena Rubinstein, Christine Valmy, Swarzkopf, Lancome, and Lean of Copenhagen. While training in London, I came across instances of damage caused by chemical treatments. It changed the course of my life and career. I wanted to find a natural alternative that was safe and without risks. From my family I had inherited faith in natural healing and my study of Ayurveda convinced me that it could offer the ideal answers to modern cosmetic care. I came back to India and started my first herbal salon in the verandah of my home in New Delhi, in 1971, in a very small way. In order to implement my ideas of natural beauty care, with an emphasis on the good health of the skin and hair, I established customised beauty care, with a personalised style, based on individual needs and problems. I adopted the concept of “herbal care and cure”. It was a totally unique, pathbreaking concept. I rejected the existing salon treatments and devised my own. I also began to formulate my own products using plant ingredients and natural substances, based on the ayurvedic system. Today, the salon treatments and products have become breakthroughs in natural beauty care. We have become known, not only for our treatments for general beauty care, but also for our therapeutic products and salon treatments for problems like acne, hyper-pigmentation, scars, premature ageing, dandruff, hair damage and hair loss. Once I started my salon, I became totally involved in devising treatments and formulating products, based on ayurveda. It was a totally new field at that time and there was plenty to be done. I have also been interested in designing. I have made use of it in designing our line of accessories and gift items. I also design my own clothes. It was because of my mother that I followed natural beauty care from childhood. It is from her that I learnt to have faith in nature and natural beauty remedies. I remember that henna used to be applied on our hair. It used to be mixed with amla, yogurt and lots of eggs. We also applied ubtan, made with gram flour, ground almonds, dry and ground mint leaves, rose petals, turmeric, cream of milk or yogurt. We used cleansing grains and rose water, which I later incorporated in our products. In fact, I incorporated the henna and other treatments, like our body packs, scrubs and hair oils. Ayurveda is the oldest and most organised system of healing. It has a long history of safe usage. Ayurvedic texts contain the details of a staggering number of plant products, minerals and natural substances, along with their medicinal properties, their methods of collection and extraction, as well as specific combinations of complementary herbs. It includes treatments and prescriptions for skin and hair care, as well as specific skin and hair problems. Ayurvedic ingredients offer safety from the side-effects of synthetic and chemical ingredients. Importantly, ayurveda is a holistic system, which takes diet, exercise and lifestyle into consideration. In fact, ayurveda offers the ideal answers to the demands of beauty care. It is difficult to choose only one, because we use hundreds of ingredients. But some of the most versatile are sandalwood, neem and rose. Trifala, a combination of three herbs, has varied uses. It comprises of amla, haritaki (Terminalis chebula) and vibhitika (Terminalis belerica). Neem leaf infusions have been used to cure skin diseases and are still used to relieve itching, soothe rashes, create a germicidal environment and clear inflammatory conditions. Neem contains organic sulphur compounds, which have a healing action. The first Shahnaz Husain product was Shalife—a nourishing cream—which was used for massage in our salons. In fact, today it is our fastest-moving product used in salons worldwide. I am often asked how I got to where I am today—by following my heart or my head? I believe to be really successful, a combination of both is necessary. One must have an instinctive feel for the market and future trends. Strategy is also important. Our business strategies have been unique. Apart from our franchise system, we have never relied on commercial advertising. Instead, I relied on word-of-mouth believing that a satisfied client was the best advertisement. In fact, our products grew out of clinical usage, based on massive client feedback. As already mentioned, I opened my first herbal salon in my own home. I began to extend my salons on a unique franchise system. I started encouraging homemakers to start a beauty salon in their own homes. This way they could have a career and yet be close at hand to care for home and family. I trained them and gave them the Shahnaz Herbal franchise by which they could carry out my specialised treatments. It was the beginning of my franchise system and beauty training academy. The fast-paced extension of the Shahnaz Husain Salons and other ventures is due to our franchise system. Today, the Shahnaz Husain franchise has become a successful business model, with tremendous international goodwill and demand. We operate in more than 100 countries, with our franchise ventures and direct product distributors. From one herbal salon to a worldwide chain of ventures, it has been a phenomenal journey. Entering the international market was the biggest challenge. I participated in the Festival of India in London in 1980 and was given a counter in the Perfumery Section at Selfridges. In the face of fierce competition, to stand up alone and sell India’s ancient civilisation in a jar was not easy. To everyone’s surprise, the entire consignment sold out in three days, breaking the store’s existing cosmetic sales records. It resulted in a permanent counter at the London store. From there, we moved on to Harrods in London, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, the Seibu chain in Japan, La Rinascente in Milan and El Certe Inglis in Spain. The Shahnaz Husain Group has experienced the increasing demand for Indian ayurvedic products across the globe. We recently launched our product sales again at Selfridges, the famous London store, where our sales have transcended all expectations. It just indicates the global demand for ayurvedic beauty care. One of my greatest achievements is representing India at US. President Obama’s World Summit of Entrepreneurs in Washington DC in April 2010. It was not only a great honour, but also an international recognition for ayurvedic beauty care and my spirit of entrepreneurship. I was also invited by Harvard Business School and MIT at Boston, USA, to speak on how I established an international brand without commercial advertising, highlighting the strategies I adopted to establish my global network of franchise ventures. Recently I spoke to students at the University of Oxford on Women Entrepreneurs in India and the London School of Economics on India’s rising global influence. From one herbal salon to a global chain of franchise ventures, it has been a phenomenal journey. The brand’s future plans include concentrated international branding, strengthening and widening our global chain of franchise salons, beauty training institutes, shops and spas. Product innovation has helped our organisation to remain a dynamic one. In fact, beauty care in India is fashioned after the Shahnaz Husain products and innovations. So we will continue to launch new and revolutionary products. Our recently launched “platinum range” has stormed the international markets. In our mission to spread ayurveda, our international presence is gaining further momentum. Our forays into the international market in ayurvedic beauty care have been a phenomenal success story. We are expanding our footprints across the globe. Together my daughter and grandsons will take ayurveda and Brand India to more countries within a year. My family is an intrinsic part of my beautiful world and they are in my plan with a crusader’s zeal, the way I am. They have been groomed with meticulous care and together we will lead the entire cosmetic world into the next century, with ayurveda. A major thrust in growth during 2010 and coming years will be the increasing demand for spa and wellness treatments. Salons are including spa treatments or are being converted into “day spas” offering both salon and spa services. In the Shahnaz Signature Salons, we have found that apart from basic services, treatments like anti-ageing facials, rejuvenation, body massage, body polish, hair spa treatment, have steadily gained in popularity. We will be extending our ayurvedic spas, and also converting salons into day spas, where treatments will be geared towards revitalisation, rejuvenation and stress reduction, upholding the principles of holistic care. We have introduced a new repertoire of treatments, using traditional ingredients. I think every woman owes it to herself to look her best. Lack of time is a very poor excuse. A daily beauty routine actually takes only a few minutes. I always say, beauty is power—brain and spiritual power. In my book The Book of Absolute Beauty, I have written, “A beautiful woman is one who values herself physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.” Yes, beauty is a total impact of all these aspects. Mind and body are inter-related and interlinked. The state of one reflects on the other. There is yet another dimension—the soul. How can beauty be complete without taking inner beauty into account? To be a complete person, you not only have to work on your external beauty, but also develop your inner beauty.

Looking Back

Beauty is not merely my career. It is the sole purpose of my existence. I cannot think of anything else I would have rather done. (As told to Rohini Banerjee)