Esskay Beauty’s directors unpack how the brand is redefining India’s salon space with global products, bold innovations, and a sharp growth vision
Esskay Beauty has been at the forefront of bringing international beauty and wellness brands to Indian salons, helping bridge a major gap in the professional beauty space. In this conversation with BW Retail World, Directors Ankit Virmani and Subham Virmani share the journey, challenges, innovations, and future roadmap of the company
Esskay Beauty has played a pivotal role in connecting global beauty brands with Indian consumers. How has your strategy evolved to meet the changing preferences of the Indian beauty and wellness market?
Ankit Virmani: Before getting into our current strategy, let me share a bit about our origins. Esskay Beauty was founded in 2002 while I was still in school at La Martiniere. Ours is a family-run business that started in Lucknow—initially in the hospitality space with Hotel Bandhan in Indiranagar. Eventually, we explored opportunities in the beauty and wellness segment, starting with VLCC, which was one of India’s largest organised wellness chains at the time.
We initially set up VLCC centres in cities like Delhi and Dehradun. Over time, our relationship evolved, and we started supplying them with slimming and beauty equipment sourced from Germany and Spain. But in 2007, shortly after I joined the company full-time, VLCC pulled out of our cooperation, resulting in a sudden loss of 90 per cent of our revenues.
We had to rethink everything. I began visiting salons and engaging with clients to understand the gaps. That’s when we discovered a demand for professional facial products. This led to our partnership with the Spanish brand Casmara, which we launched in 2008. Then in 2009, we introduced Rica—a game-changer in the waxing segment. Our launch event at the Shangri-La Hotel in Delhi was a pivotal moment.
Subham Virmani: At that time, the market was highly unorganised. What set us apart was our commitment to ethics and quality. We were passionate about bringing global best practices to India, and we adopted the tagline “If it’s waxing, it’s Rica.” That became our identity in salons across the country.
With a growing shift towards clean beauty and conscious consumption, how is Esskay Beauty aligning with these global trends?
Subham Virmani: We’ve always been advocates for green and vegan solutions within the professional beauty space. Clean beauty isn’t just a trend—it’s the future. India is now the third-largest consumer of vegan cosmetics globally, with an expected market size of Rs 11,000–Rs 12,000 crore in the next five years. Currently, the clean beauty segment itself is worth around Rs 5,000 crore and growing at a CAGR of 15.2 per cent.
Our portfolio strongly reflects this shift. Rica, which is widely known for its waxing products, has also expanded into vegan-certified haircare with brands like Naturica and Colorica. These products are paraben-free, sulphate-free, and certified by global organisations like VeganOK and ICEA in Italy—ensuring organic production and sustainable practices.
We also offer Olivia Garden eco-hairbrushes made from bamboo—sustainable, fast-growing, and designed for both salon professionals and end consumers. We’ve even curated complete vegan salon menus that include skincare, haircare, and colour services using clean, conscious beauty products. There’s a noticeable demand among consumers now who specifically ask for such offerings.
How challenging has it been to penetrate Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities?
Subham Virmani: The primary challenge in Tier 2 and 3 cities has been the lack of exposure to international products and limited access to skilled salon professionals. Logistics is another hurdle—especially last-mile delivery.
To address this, we’ve built a solid distribution network with super-stockists, distributors, and sub-distributors across India. Awareness-building is handled by our on-ground sales team—comprising 150 to 170 of our total 290 employees—who educate salons about our products and usage. This model has helped us make significant inroads in these markets.
Ensuring authenticity and quality can be difficult in such a large and diverse market. How does Esskay tackle this?
Ankit Virmani: We don’t just see ourselves as product vendors—we position ourselves as growth partners to salons. There are three key stakeholders in our ecosystem: the salon owner, the beauty professional, and the consumer.
For salon owners, we offer not just reliable brands but also business support, commercial clarity, and a reputation they can trust. Brand loyalty in our segment comes not just from quality but from long-term reliability. Many brands come and go—but salons want partners who are committed for the long haul.
The Indian beauty industry has evolved rapidly—from professional salons to direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels. What’s next for Esskay Beauty in terms of digital innovation and retail presence?
Ankit Virmani: We’re heavily investing in data and analytics to guide our next phase of growth. Our distribution network is now fully digitised. I can track real-time data—say, what my distributor in Lucknow purchased, their stock levels, and which salons they’ve sold to.
This level of insight allows us to increase our reach, especially in Tier 4 and rural markets, where demand exists but very few brands can penetrate effectively. We also operate in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and have channel partners across South Asia.
The goal is to use tech-driven logistics and data to take high-quality professional products to the remotest parts of the country—and beyond.
