At a time when the Indian beauty segment was dependent heavily on imported salon equipment, Asbah Beauty emerged as a ray of hope for the industry. Starting from immaculate repairs to being an Indian manufacturer of beauty and salon equipment, the brand has traversed a long journey. As it has been around in the market, making an impact, for nearly five decades, it has truly demonstrated the spirit of Make in India.
Starting from a small shop to being a brand with a wide array of products, Asbah Beauty caters to a vast range of needs. From hair, face, and skin to even pets, Asbah has a lot in store and a lot more in the pipeline. In a conversation with Professional Beauty India, Kutub Ali, Chairman of Asbah Beauty takes us through the journey of the brand.
The Genisis of Asbah Beauty
“ASBAH Beauty was started by my father, Munawwar Ali Shaikh, somewhere in the 1950s. Owing to my father’s creativity and capability, he was famously called the ‘legend’, who could invent, create, make and even fix anything.
The company first started off as an electric repair shop. We used to repair the beauty tools that were used by Bollywood hair and makeup artists in the 1960s. These tools were often Italian-made hairdryers, American-made hair straighteners, and also Japanese hand-held massagers. My father had gained fame amongst the artists as the man who could fix them all.
This zeal and recognition motivated him to innovate and create, what I believe, is the first Indian hair dryer and hand-held Massager in the year 1962. This marked the beginning of an era where we started manufacturing styling equipment in India itself.
My father has been my biggest motivation to follow in my father’s footsteps and carry this legacy forward. A father who was a visionary and India’s first hair styling equipment manufacturer who also provided on-time after-sales service is what inspired me.”
Bridging the Gap
“When my father started the salon equipment business, the market wasn’t organised. There were usually stationery suppliers and importers who dealt with beauty products. In that setup, the suppliers sold application-based products and importers charged a hefty amount for basic equipment. So, there was this big market gap with no Indian company catering to the salon segment. This led us to form the brand Asbah, which literally means the first ray of dawn.”
The Uphill Climb
“With a humble start in the year 1962, the Asbah group has grown from a very small 10 x 10 workshop, two employees, and two SKUs, to multiple factories in two states of the country, over 250 direct and indirect employees, and an SKU count of 465 with much more to come.”
Innovation and Technology used by Asbah Beauty
“Our most innovative product is the Finger Hand Held Massager for which we are known in the entire world. That is followed by all the equipment which is curated by following international standards while keeping Indian use cases in mind.”
Overcoming Challenges and Making an Impact
“When we speak of overcoming challenges, our distributor network has been amazing. Without their support, I don’t think we would have been able to reach all parts of the country so seamlessly.
With such a vast variety of SKUs and being the only professional salon equipment manufacturer in the country, Asbah doesn’t have direct competition. However, there are multiple importers as brands in our segment. But, their entire brand portfolio is just one page in our catalogue. I feel they are good to keep us motivated. If there is healthy competition, the entire industry will benefit from innovations and upgrades.”
Marketing Strategy
“We at Asbah, have always followed conventional marketing practices. Also, as change is constant, we are changing from safe conventional marketing to the latest virtual platforms, which include social media and basic AI models.
During traditional marketing, we invested 5% of our revenue in marketing expenditures. This will see a threefold growth in the coming years.”
Bringing Global Standards to the Indian Market
Our products stringently follow global standards. We are certified by various national and international agencies. Our core policy is always centred around customers and their safety. Hence, Asbah products go a step further than the global standards to add extra safety and security to our products.”
The 2024 Roadmap for Asbah Beauty
“Beauty is a segment that evolves every second, so our plan is to enhance and be the curators of this evolution. This year, we are aiming for development in advanced skin and pedicure manicure categories.”
| Rapid fire Who funded your business? : Since the 1950s, we have been a bootstrapped business. So, no external funding since the beginning. What was your year-on-year growth in 2023-24 : Around 18% compared to last year Your bestselling product : Globally, the Finger Hand-held Massager, followed by our steamers and wax heaters. An upcoming product/innovation : There is something big coming related to after-sales. But for now, I have to keep it under wraps. You will witness it very soon, which will once again change the face of after-sales and repairs in the country. Where do you see your brand 5 years from now? : By the will of almighty and with strong support from my team and the salon industry, I think Asbah would be India’s number one brand in terms of quality, numbers, and services of salon and spa-related equipment and machinery. What’s your salon target for 2024? : Asbah Beauty is well-known amongst B and A-category salons. This year our focus is towards A+ and corporate chain salons. |
