Looking beautiful is the innermost desire of every human being. This aspiration is now increasing by leaps and bounds with the growing Indian economy.

The rising exposure to global trends and lifestyle changes, higher disposable incomes and the trend towards fitness and youth, are urging more people to consider beauty services as an indispensable part of their lives.

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Moreover, considering the necessity of looking best in appearance in today’s competitive career fields, the awareness about beauty products and treatments, fashion and grooming is all-time high. It is the growing mindfulness about beauty and grooming that is driving the demand for beauty treatments by skilled professionals.

Gone are the days when grooming was all about heading to the local beautician to get all the salon services like haircut, manicure, pedicure, threading and even facials, done single-handedly.

The new-age patrons prefer experts for their different beauty needs; from hairstyling, colouring, and hair removal, to make-up artists, specialised laser skincare treatments and facials. Beauty is not superficial, but skin deep and lately, people have started realising the same.

This has opened up exciting career opportunities in the field of cosmetology, skin and hair care, aesthetician, aromatherapy, beauty advisory and much more. There is a dawn of highly specialised courses that are waiting to replace the basic apprenticeships, making this industry a separate nucleus in the educational and the business ecosystem of the country.

So, for those eyeing to be a part of this lucrative field and make their career, here are some of the trending opportunities that can be explored:

Cosmetology: Beauty extends beyond the face value and it is cosmetology that seeks to achieve a more holistic form of beauty emphasising on the face, hair and body. A Cosmetologist is an expert who knows all kinds of beauty treatments and services like hairstyling, application of makeup, massage therapy, skincare treatment, laser treatments and more. They can either open their salon or be a beauty teacher at an institute or work with a renowned brand as a skin/ hair expert, event stylist, salon manager, or be a cosmetic consultant.

Beauty culture and therapy: Unlike the basic services offered by parlours from the neighbourhood, salons and spas emphasise on experience, driving more value than the former. So pursuing a specialised course in this segment will allow the students to acquire the knowledge that can help them in effectively create a suitable salon or spa environment. The course will focus on everything from good hygiene practices to ethics and customer relations, which will be crucial for professionals in developing a prominent name with a strong customer base and high returns.

Make-up artist: Be it for the big fat weddings or some professional event, everyone yearns to achieve onpoint looks and it is the job of a make-up artist or an aesthetician to make it possible. Being a make-up artist demands specialisation in various makeup application techniques like airbrushing, light bending, theatrical, special effects, prosthetics and high definition. By undergoing a diploma in this field from some of the top institutes, students can acquire professional skills and leverage them for a high-value career. Skilled professionals can either work across different verticals of the entertainment industry, or work with salons, modelling agencies, fashion designers or become independent artists.

Beauty blogging: This is currently the trendiest career option among the GenZ and the millennials. If you want to influence the larger audience with your beauty and makeup skills, showcase them on the internet. Be it through blogs, YouTube videos, or Instagram posts, you can flash your knowledge about personal care, make-up, wellness and fashion to the entire world. While one can start blogging the traditional way through a dedicated personal webpage, or social media, blogging enthusiasts can also go the other way round by into it patiently. They can start by working with beauty magazines, established beauty blogs, brands and designers; acquire industry-related skills over a period of time and then venture out on their own. The best part- the profession requires no formal education. One can proceed with a degree/certification in mass communication, journalism, fashion communication, cosmetology or fashion designing.

Ayurveda: Today, the world is returning to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian and natural form of beauty and wellness, after noticing the harmful effects of chemical-based cosmetics. Students can explore medicinal properties that nature holds and apply them in daily life. Those who are willing to pursue a career in the beauty industry can gain an edge over other professionals by leveraging their scientific knowledge to provide the best and safest beauty services. They can also launch their own herbal, skincare or haircare product line. Being in the beauty industry is all about transforming how someone looks and making them feel beautiful and confident. Not only does this deliver good monetary returns but it can also lead to high job satisfaction. Moreover, the demand for a beautician will only keep growing in the Indian market. Bearing in mind the high demand paired with rapid technological advancements, the beauty industry is open to innovation in terms of new job opportunities.