Glamour in the time of recession

Twenty-six-year-old Parna Sen Sharma is a part of the hospitality industry. The luxury of making a fortnightly trip to the Habib’s outlet at Ho Chi Min Sarani, which she earlier indulged in, has been reduced to a monthly affair, in the wake of the global economic downturn. The recession has gradually forced the working class to tighten their purse strings, and thereby spread bad business further. Parna represents the bulk of Kolkata’s working women, who no longer have the leisure or the wherewithal to make frequent trips to their favourite beauty salon and indulge in a manicure, or redo their hair highlights.

“My salary has been slashed and my job lacks security. I can no longer afford to have such expensive services so frequently. Besides, my working hours have become long enough to leave me with little time for anything else,” Parna rues. Does this mean that this unfortunate recession is curtailing the working women’s attempts to glamorise themselves?

Mr. Sujit Bhagat, the regional in-charge of the famed Jawed Habib salons, however, admits that their regular number of customers, most of whom are young working women, has decreased over the last 4-5 months, probably because of the unwillingness to spend luxurious sums over beauty treatments, resulting in a 15-20% drop in their sales. Ranjan Mallick of Toppers Salon at Sarat Bose Road has also noticed a significant drop in the number of customers, in spite of the prevailing marriage season.

Nevertheless, not many among the top-notch salons in the city share a similar experience. The very hip Eye Catchers and Head Turners, with their quota of chic clients, are hardly feeling the pinch. Niraj Killa, the owner of Head Turners, the very posh salon on Gurusaday Road, has not faced any considerable decline, probably because a majority of their clientele includes models and actresses, who cannot do without proper and experienced styling. On an average weekday between 4 and 5 in the evening, they have as many as 5-6 customers. Mr. Killa claims that business gets even better during weekends, with the number of customers shooting up to 40.

“But the clientele of such salons forms a minor portion of Kolkata’s female population. The less fortunate ones like us have to make do with a lesser budget for beautification,” says Christina Biswas, a 20-year-old air-hostess with a reputed airline, whose job requires her to be extremely presentable all the time. Shilpi Chakrabarty, an employee with a leading telecom service, who has cut down on the money she spends on cosmetics and other beauty products, also falls in the latter category. She has given up using expensive brands and has switched to Lakme, in an effort to cut down her expenditures. An enquiry at a Pantaloons outlet in the city showed that the cosmetics sales are on the wane. “Instead of a Maybelline lip gloss, I now prefer a Lakme lipstick, which comes at a cheaper price. It’s particularly so for working women like me, who are threatened by job cuts and no longer want to over-spend,” says Shilpi.

Mrs. Sushila Verma, owner of a cosmetics shop in New Market, explains that studies have shown how consumers are urged to buy less expensive luxury items, e.g. lipsticks, during financial crisis. Even a brand like L'Oreal is losing its sheen, as hair stylists across the world turn to cheaper products from rival brands like Germany's Wella. She adds that this phenomenon is not missing in Kolkata, as women are indeed shrinking away from expensive beauty treatments and products, and choosing less costly products which can be used at home. With less money in hand, very few women are willing to buy an Elizabeth Arden perfume for Rs. 2,000 or a L’Oreal lip gloss for Rs. 800.

So, will the city women go low on the glamour factor during this season of recession? “Certainly not!” says Mitali Nath, a young software engineer. “Instead, I’m opting for less expensive salons and cosmetics.” Realising the tendency among most working women to spend less, Habib’s salons have extended a series of attractive offers, including a free hair cut for all those who opt for a hair spa, a 20% discount on hair cuts and 10% on all other services.

However, not all the salons are following in their footsteps. Head Turners are still going strong with their actual price list, under which the cost of a facial ranges between Rs. 450-1,500 and a hair spa ranges upward from Rs. 700. Thus, while a small fraction of the city’s women can avail their original beauty treatment, the rest are being forced to compromise. But compromise seems to be more acceptable than being a plain Jane, as many young women like Mitali seem undaunted by their inability to splurge. “I’ve planned not to go for a hair cut recently and to sport long hair. I’m also using herbal ingredients to give myself a facial. It’s cheap, effective and chemical free. So what if I cannot visit my favourite salon Eye Catchers as frequently as I used to, I’ll make sure that I catch everyone’s eyes, anyways,” sums up Mitali.


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