Geetanjali Salon founder Sumit Israni on changing beauty habits, professional services and the growing demand for quality salons across India.
A visit to the local beauty parlour was once an occasional affair, often reserved for haircuts, facials or special occasions. Today, salon visits have become a more regular part of personal care for many Indian consumers. The change reflects a wider shift in how people view grooming, with professional beauty services increasingly being treated as part of everyday lifestyle rather than an indulgence.
Geetanjali Salon founder Sumit Israni has witnessed this transition closely. What began as a business centred largely on hairstyling has expanded into a broader offering covering hair, skin and grooming, alongside the growth of an organised salon industry in India.
For Geetanjali Salon, Israni says, the foundation of that growth has been consistency. The brand has focused on professional expertise, service quality and training while adapting its offerings as consumer expectations have changed.
Education has been particularly important. As the range of beauty services becomes more specialised, consumers are increasingly looking to trained professionals for advice instead of making choices based solely on trends. This has encouraged salons to take a more consultative approach, understanding individual requirements before recommending treatments.
The change in consumer behaviour has also been influenced by the sheer amount of beauty information now available. Social media, digital content and online conversations have made consumers more familiar with products, techniques and treatments. Instead of simply asking for a conventional service, clients are increasingly aware of specific concerns such as hair damage, scalp health, skin needs and personalised grooming.
At the same time, higher disposable incomes have allowed more consumers to spend on services where they see a clear benefit. According to Israni, customers are increasingly prepared to pay for professional expertise, quality and results rather than automatically choosing the least expensive option.
This has contributed to the expansion of specialised categories within the salon industry. Hair colour, hair repair and scalp treatments are gaining attention alongside skincare and men’s grooming, creating opportunities for salons to broaden their service portfolios.
The growth is not restricted to India’s major metropolitan markets either. Tier II and Tier III cities are becoming increasingly important to the organised salon sector, with consumers in these markets seeking the kind of professional services and experiences that were once concentrated in larger cities.
For salon brands, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Expanding into new markets requires maintaining service standards while understanding the needs of a more diverse consumer base. For Geetanjali Salon, which has grown to more than 200 salons across over 50 cities with a team of more than 5,000 trained professionals, consistency remains an important part of that equation.
Israni believes the next phase of the industry will be driven by consumers who are better informed and more willing to invest in specialised services. As grooming becomes increasingly connected to personal wellbeing and lifestyle, salons are moving away from being places people visit only when they need a haircut or beauty treatment.
The larger shift is towards expert-led, personalised beauty care, with consumers expecting salons to understand their concerns, recommend appropriate solutions and deliver dependable results. For India’s organised salon industry, that change could continue to open up growth opportunities well beyond the country’s biggest cities.
