BEAUTYAND THE JOB FEAST
With many unique professional choices available in the field, a career in beauty can be your calling in life
Directly proportional to the growth of the health and wellness industry is the expansion of beauty industry. Even when the entire world was undergoing an economic crisis, the beauty industry was amongst the least hit sectors, as loyalists, most of who were believed to be women, continued to splurge for beauty, cutting down on other expenses to be able to still afford their favorite products, therapies and treatments. According to online figures taken in 2003, the beauty industry in India generated a total revenue of Rs. 3000 crore, with the fastest growth rate of an industry in recent times. Since 2003, the beauty industry has generated additional revenue of 12 per cent.
And women aren’t the only hoarders of these beauty enhancement products. If the number of beauty creams that have now been launched especially for men is anything to go by, it is quite evident that even the other half of the population has enthusiastically joined forces. This increased demand of beauty and wellness amongst both the sexes has the beauty market burgeoning like never before. As a result, the beauty industry is also emerging as a profitable career these days, not only for girls but even boys.
Gone are the days when just one beautician from a local salon in the neighborhood could spruce you up for every occasion or event— from haircuts and facials to makeup, pedicures, manicures, even body art and everything else that fell in the ambit of beauty. This jack of all trades version of a beautician is now a passé, the beauty conscious clients today want to be touched only by experts. Qualified artists specialising in their fields are the order of the day when looking beautiful has become a need more than a desire.
Dr. Sangeeta Amladihead, Medical Services, Kaya Skin, concurs, “There is a growing consciousness among Indians to look and feel good. This has led to consumers always looking for expert options that help them take care of their skin, enhance it as well as address concerns about it.” To land the lucrative designation of a make- up artist, a body art expert, a hair stylist and the like, a diploma course in that particular aspect of beauty from a good institution, after 10+ 2 or equivalent examination in any background, is all you need. To be an aesthetic ( one who diagnoses the internal and external problems of hair and skin at cosmetic clinics) or a cosmetologist ( one who makes beauty cosmetics like creams, scrubs oils etc), you have to opt for specialised courses in aesthetic or cosmetology, after clearing 10+ 2 or equivalent examination in Science. There are various government and private institutes like Blossom Kochhar College of Creative Arts and Design in Delhi and Naturals Beauty Training School in Chennai that offer many such courses in beauty. However, like all forms of art, only practice and experience will make you perfect and hone your skill further.
Options for areas to specialise are aplent; there is also a huge scope of growth in this sector. Dr. Amladi says, “Continuous technological advances and new introductions make it an enriching and rewarding profession.”