The Big Picture

Amidst the hustle bustle of the L’Oréal Professionnel Indian Hairdressing Awards’ West Region finals, converses with Aseem Kaushik, Director, L’Oréal Professionnel Products Division, about innovation and strategy.

Q You’ve been with L’Oréal Professionnel for over two decades. Can you take us through the brand’s growth? 

A L’Oréal Professionnel was the brand that started the professional products industry in 1997 in India. So, it’s safe to say that the industry is as old as the brand. It has been a very long and fruitful journey for the brand in India. Starting from scratch, we are now present in 15,000 salons spread across 150 cities. Overall, on a divisional level, including Matrix and Kérastase, we work with almost 37,000 salons in 350 cities.

Q L’Oréal Professionnel products are preferred by both hairdressers and individual consumers; the brand is almost synonymous with the industry itself. Your thoughts on this?

A The primary reason why the brand has become synonymous with the industry is our focus on education and business development. As of 2016, we’ve trained almost two lakh hairdressers. Because of our focus on education, it is natural to become the preferred brand because people are more comfortable with it. And once you gain the confidence of the hairdresser, you gain the trust of most consumers as well.

Q Are we at par with international standards and global trends?