Wella Embraces No. 1 Salon Color Brand Title
To Focus on Product Quality & Education
Pravesh Saha, General Manager, India and South Asia-Wella Company. in an exclusive talk with Beaute Espace, dwells on the brand’s journey so far and the way forwards Wella achieved the significant milestone of becoming the World’s No.1 Salon Colour Brand in 2023.
Q. Wella Professional has been announced as the World’s No. 1 Salon Color Brand. Can you give us an insight on what it takes for a color brand to achieve this position?
Wella’s achievement is the result of our steadfast commitment to innovation, maintaining high-quality product standards, and a dedication to enabling salon professionals and clients in achieving consistently impressive hair color transformations. For over 140 years, we at Wella have been at the forefront of delivering innovative professional hair solutions that empower hairdressers & allow them to unleash their creativity. Wella’s range of hair color products, including both permanent and demi-permanent options, are designed to continually push the boundaries of what’s possible, providing salon professionals with a diverse and dynamic color palette. With a best-in-class lineup of hair color solutions, from the renowned Koleston Perfect to the transformative services of Blondor and Blondorplex, Wella equips stylists to create a wide range of hair transformations, from bold makeovers to natural-looking color that meets the unique preferences of their clients.
Q. How do you see the Indian salon consumer changing and how ready are you to address the changes?
With the changing trends and the passing years, Indian salon consumers are constantly evolving in their preferences and understanding of the hair space. Social media has a big impact on this change as consumers now have access to global hair trends & looks and are willing to be more experimental. We have a great social media presence which serves as a platform to engage with consumers and salon professionals. While our customers spot various hair colour trends on social media, we create colour collections every year to inspire and enable the hairdressers to customise the latest looks suited to their client’s individual personality. There has also been a notable increase in the demand for men’s grooming services. Men are now visiting salons more frequently and are all the more ready to invest in grooming products and services. Our brands offer products suitable to both men and women. Through our various colour collection launches, our focus is to be increasingly inclusive to encourage men to get their hair coloured and feel the change a hair transformation can bring to their personality. Our diverse collections inspire people from diverse backgrounds to find their unique vibe with colour. We consistently strive to stay ahead of evolving consumer needs, ensuring that we not only meet but exceed their expectations.
Q. Do tell us more about the progress at Wella over the years?
Our color brands (Koleston Perfect, Illumina, Color Touch) have gone through a strategic shift in their approach to brand building. The first step in our journey was to get the basics right which in this case was all about having the right product portfolio for the market, the capacity to educate a much larger network of stylists, the right environment to showcase our brands in salons & at our studios, etc. Since then we have put in a tremendous amount of effort in bringing to life first-to-market India-specific collections every year with our team of Wella Passionistas. These collections aren’t borrowed or inspired by other countries but are very much what Indian consumers want from their hair color looks. Every single day more and more hairdressers deploy our techniques and color palette on their clients and make our brands progress towards newer heights. Our brands & their stories will continue to be dedicated wholly to hair colorists who work so hard to bring a smile to their clients’ faces and we are around to support them as much as we can. Our brand mantra remains – “An unforgettable experience every time for your clients, they will choose you because you chose Wella”
Q. How is Wella looking at training & education since professional salon businesses need constant updating?
Wella Professionals always places a strong emphasis on training and education to support salon businesses and professional stylists. With trends, techniques, and product innovations constantly evolving, ongoing training and education are crucial in an industry. Wella Professionals regularly holds training sessions in the form of seminars and workshops to provide hands-on training and allow professionals to learn about the latest trends, techniques, and product applications. Recognizing the convenience and accessibility of social media, and the extent to which hairstylists consume these platforms, we have a dedicated Wella Pro India Instagram Handle, where we showcase our best work from across the country, to both give a platform to our stylists while giving inspiration to up and coming stylists. Given the dynamic nature of the salon industry, we provide continuous updates and resources to keep salon professionals informed about the latest developments, innovations, and best practices in the beauty and hair space. Such investment in training and education brings out the best potential of salon professionals and strengthens Wella’s relationship with its loyal customer base. By educating stylists, Wella Professionals contributes to setting new benchmarks in the professional beauty industry.
Q. As a leader with wide experience you bring a lot of varied knowledge- how has that helped?
The professional beauty industry is a very interesting space, effectively meeting the dual objectives of building a brand preferred by professionals while also being known & loved by consumers is the only way to succeed and it’s certainly a challenge that as a leader I love taking on. Our organization draws inspiration from its vast experiences in over 110 countries, learning not only from our successes but also from competitors shaping the industry. My personal knowledge gathering mantra is extensive direct customer speak & closely observing consumers in the salon environment. As a part of the beauty industry, we have the luxury of capturing a consumer’s undivided attention for a long duration, and we must strive to make the best use of this advantage. Personally, I am dedicated to promoting sustainable growth in the beauty industry, putting India on the map in global hairdressing, and creating a Wella product line that perfectly meets market needs with exceptional quality. Doing this, my biggest learning has been to build a fearless team which is customer first and empowering them to shine. I firmly believe that execution excellence holds more value than groundbreaking ideas. This philosophy ensures that we consistently deliver on our promises to the market and customers, setting us apart from competitors. I encourage my team to aim for the moon, understanding that even if we fall short, we’ll still reach a significantly better place!
Q. What’s your vision for the brand going forward?
Our goal is to lead the market by excelling in two key areas: product quality and the second is what I call life-changing education. At Wella, we are committed to bringing the very best from our global portfolio, specifically tailored to suit Indian hair. We prioritize product quality, firmly believing that sustained excellence surpasses short-term trade promotions and discounts. The well aware hairdressers and consumers have proven us right time & time again.
Additionally, Wella places a strong emphasis on education. This involves offering top-notch content, assembling a knowledgeable team, providing effective training tools like studios, well-crafted virtual content, and staying abreast of the latest market looks and trends. Being the best in this realm is a clear vision for our brand moving forward.