JOIN USAt a time when beauty parlours and clinics were not considered lucrative, cosmetologist Bharti Taneja believed that combining science and make-up was the way to highlight the gap in the industry.
“In the year 1988, there were either few beauty parlours providing basic services or some doctors individually treating beauty, skin and hair related problems. I saw how scientific details about beauty services were overlooked. Beauty is not just about matching the colours of one’s eyes, hair and skin. It is about having an active lifestyle, looking after your skin, and certain make-up techniques. So, I took the initiative of setting up a beauty clinic by having doctors to treat the clients where experts worked under their guidance to provide permanent remedies to the clients,” recollected Taneja, who is the founder director of Alps beauty-care group.
Setting up research laboratories and concentrating on “quality of treatments”, Taneja opened a chain of 20 cosmetic clinics and beauty academies across Delhi-NCR as well as other cities of North India.
“Instead of traditional and temporary solutions, the idea was to reach to the root cause and provide a natural and permanent remedy with latest treatments in tune with the changing trends,” said Taneja, who is also known as ‘The Golden Lady’ for introducing the ‘24 Karat Gold Facial’.
With more than a dozen awards including the recent ‘Lifetime Achievement Award in Beauty and Hair Care’ at ‘Indian Salon Congress and Awards 2015’ and ‘Savvy Woman Award’, Taneja has brushed her skills on stars like Madhuri Dixit Nene, Sushmita Sen, Jaya Prada, Nafisa Ali, Tom Alter, and Moon Moon Sen among others.
“I think it was the three divas — Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sushmita Sen being crowned Miss World and Miss Universe respectively in 1994, and later Dia Mirza (Miss Asia Pacific 2000) who turned the tables for the beauty industry and set the standards for women to be ambitious in terms of their careers and choices,” the 61-year-old told Metrolife.
“Be it awards or recognition, both imply respect towards your work. I wanted to be on top of the world and to get that respect is delightful,” she added.
While Taneja feels that the industry is “booming”, she’s wary of people confusing glamour with beauty. “There is no doubt that the industry is booming which is a good sign, but there has been a tendency to consider external beauty as paramount which is not a healthy sign. Being glamorous is not beautiful. Having the right attitude and confidence with a positive mind is as essential,” said the Delhi-based artist, who plans to have 101 franchises by the end of the year.