Muhammad Saleem

The beauty salons operating across the length and breadth of Pakistan are doing a roaring business due to the cost-effective Chinese beauty products and tools. Ayesha Jabeen, who set up her beauty salon around five years ago in Faisalabad, told WealthPK that the cost-effective Chinese cosmetics have become a good source for beauticians to retain their inflation-hit customers. She said salon owners are opting for the Chinese products like hair straighteners, dryers, rollers, brushes, scissors and many more, due to the high prices of imported items. “We are using the Chinese products for make-up, waxing, skincare and hairstyling. Such products are good and are available at cheaper rates as compared to the products from the UK, the Netherlands and the USA. Our chosen products are adding value to the lives of our clients.” Ayesha said. Sumera Bibi, who serves at a training college and is considering launching her own salon, purchased many Chinese tools and products but shelved her plans, sensing the poor customer flow. “I am a professional beautician and know everything about running a salon, but the current circumstances do not favour any start-up. That's why I shelved my plan [to launch my own salon].

I will not sell my tools and products because I will test the market in 2024,” Sumera said. “It is my observation that women prefer self-makeup rather than visit a beauty salon to attend an event. They have adopted this approach to save money in view of the rising inflation. Beauticians charge much for training but still women are inclined to adopt this profession due to its scalability,” Sumera added. Robina Kausar has been running her beauty salon for over a decade. It was due to her salon that she purchased a house valuing Rs8 million. She has trained a big number of students who are now running their own salons and supporting their families. In a interview with WealthPK, she said running a salon is a good business and scores of women are adopting this profession by choice. Educational institutions are also offering different courses for beauticians, she added. “Beauticians have to spend a hefty amount to learn modern methods, and customers prefer to visit the salons run by professionals. I charge Rs100,000 for six-month training. My fee is negligible compared with the fee charged by the other salons in the posh areas. I am also introducing Chinese products to my customers due to their quality and affordability,” Kausar said.

“Scores of brands are propagating against the Chinese products, terming them unfit for human use but it has nothing to do with the ground reality because being a beautician I know what is good for my clients,” he added. Hadia Noor, a regular visitor to a home-based salon, said once self-care and beautification was considered a luxury for women but nowadays it's a must for every woman. She said like the school fee of their children, women also save money for their monthly salon expenses. She also likes the Chinese products, as the manufacturers introduce different items from time to time and it seems they are heavily investing in research and development. She said like her customers, cosmetic sellers are also very much satisfied with the Chinese products. Moeez, a cosmetics seller, said the Chinese products are increasing his sales volume by providing affordable and modern products. He said his sales of the Chinese products are higher as against the sales from other foreign brands. “Name any formula from skincare to a beauty product and you will find it in the market supplied by Chinese vendors. It's rubbish that the Chinese manufacturers do not ensure quality and safety of their products. Cost does matter to get quality items and same is the case with the Chinese products,” Moeez said.

Credit: INP-WealthPk