How the year reshaped growth through education, people, and lasting salon success.
India’s salon and professional beauty market touched nearly INR 2,700 crore in 2025, and steady growth continues to be projected for the years ahead. But what’s shaping that growth isn’t marketing or price wars; it’s education and elevated service quality that feels like nothing less than an exquisite experience.
Esskay Beauty’s Advantage helps foster the Indian salon industry’s growth potential by helping salons maximise their potential.
What are today’s clients looking for?
- Education-led service excellence
- Skilled, confident professionals
- Experiences rooted in trust, hygiene, and empathy
This is where the Esskay Beauty advantage became evident. By enabling salon owners to consistently invest in structured education, product knowledge, and skill enhancement, Esskay Beauty Resources helped build teams that could live up to these refined expectations. As a result, many salon owners realised that their greatest strength wasn’t décor or location, but the people working beside them every day—empowered with the right training, tools, and support to create lasting client relationships.
Learning With a Purpose: Esskay’s 2026 Focus
“2025 was about learning to grow with purpose,” says Ankit Virmani, Director of Esskay Beauty Resources. “After some uncertainty in where the industry was headed, the focus has now rightfully returned to what truly matters: people, learning, and building a foundation that lasts.”
Instead of seeing training as an occasional activity, owners began treating it as a business essential. Even short refresher sessions or product demonstrations made a difference in staff confidence, and clients could feel this upgrade in the services.
At large-scale events, salon teams took an active part, learning with curiosity and collaboration, proving that India’s salon community is ready not just to keep pace with the world, but ready to lead it.
“Salons today want more than survival,” adds Shubham Virmani, Director of Esskay Beauty Resources. “They want to thrive, with better-trained staff, smarter systems, and stronger client relationships. The real success of many such initiatives we took up in 2025 wasn’t measured with what we presented on stage; it was what people carried back to their salons.”
Tier 2 & Tier 3 Cities: Emerging Growth Engines
Some of the most promising industry growth emerged from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, driven by younger entrepreneurs:
- Compact, highly professional salon formats
- Strong focus on hygiene, technique, and client connection
- High standards achieved without reliance on size or location
These salons demonstrated that excellence is defined by intent and execution, not geography.
Behind every growing salon is the same simple formula shaping India’s haircare & skincare space: when owners invest in training, staff perform confidently, when staff feel valued, clients return, when clients return, business thrives.
Looking Ahead: Technology with a Human Core
As the industry steps into 2026, Digital learning, technology, and sustainability will shape future trends. Indian salons are already adapting to global benchmarks. Yet, the industry’s foundation remains deeply human: Skilled professionals, warm, empathetic service and creative expertise.
Like last year, 2026 too will be all about collaboration, education, and a shared purpose for the Indian salon industry, and Esskay Beauty is at the forefront of its execution.
