Men take the beauty course too

KOCHI: Yet another preserve of women is under threat from men! After nursing, it is now the turn of the beauty service industry to beckon male employees. Attracted by rising salaries and overseas demand, men are making a beeline for beauty courses with the hope of making it big in the field.

Aided by the advent of metrosexuals and unisex beauty parlours in places like Mumbai, men are increasingly feeling comfortable in the role of make-up and facial specialists, something which was common only in the film industry earlier

Men are no longer getting confined to hair dressing. They are willing to explore other facets of grooming like makeup, facial, manicure, pedicure, etc, says Dr G S Kochar, director of VLCC Institute of Beauty, Health & Management. Even in hair dressing, the current trend is to seek specialisation in hair cutting, hair styling and hair colouring.

One factor for men to get attracted to the beauty service is the rising level of salary in the business. In India, the starting salary for those who opt for jobs in the grooming industry is around Rs 10,000 per month, which is not low considering that the minimum qualification for joining a beauty course is 2+. But in the case of foreign countries, the starting pay could range from $500 to $700.

The demand for male beauty specialists is on the rise from Australia and New Zealand. “Recently, we received a request from a cruise liner for an English-speaking hair dresser who will have to travel with the ship for 7 or 8 months,” says Dr Kochar.

VLCC Institute, which runs various beauty courses through its 15 branches in the country, has been witnessing a surge in the admissions given the widening scope in the sector. Though 90% of its students are still women, there is an increasing trend of men attending the courses particularly in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai etc., Dr Kochar told ET.

Majority of those attending beauty courses join cosmetics companies. Others opt for setting up own parlours or migrate abroad. More opportunities are in the offing with cosmetics companies now appointing beauty advisors to offer suggestions on best style suited for an individual.

VLCC Institute is in the process of expanding its branches to 35 by the end of the fiscal and is considering a foray into the South-east Asian market to cash in on the mounting requirements in the beauty service sector.