When Blossom Kochhar says to you, “Use fairy lotion”, you just do it. When used with the glossy pack and vitamin E and oxy pack, she says, the pigmentation and the open pores will be a thing of the past. She should know. Dr Blossom Kochhar has been in the business of aromatherapy oils and cosmetics for years and she understands skin and hair, like few others. She and her daughter Samantha Kochhar were in town to launch a professional range of beauty products, called PRO. They were addressing an audience mostly made up of those in the business of beauty. Speaking of the change in the way people looked at beauty products, Blossom said, “Before we had only Indian players in the market. Now, almost all leading international brands are available here. The consumer profile has changed too. Clients know more.”
The next level
With so much information on beauty products and so many cosmetics flooding the country, the Kochhars are taking their brand to the next level. They are introducing new-look products, concepts and formulations, especially in the categories of face-wash, packs and a winter range.
Samantha Kochhar, Managing Director of Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies says the company took time off for introspection before going for this makeover. “We are coming into the forefront. We have always been around, but we decided to do some analysis and soul searching before we took the next step. So much is happening, how do we hold our own? We asked ourselves why people used our products or did not use them.”
The strength of the Blossom Kochhar company lies in the fact that it is organic and a 100 per cent natural. “Ours is an honest, natural product. Thirty five per cent of it is aromatherapy oil,” says Samantha. The company’s policy is to be transparent and approachable, and the bottom line is, ‘Don’t Mess Around With Customers’.
Samantha credits her parents with the company philosophy. “My mother is the corner stone, the pillar. She is the creative person, while I am the business and administrative part of the company.” Of course, Samantha is a make-up and hair stylist too, trained in the creative part of the business both in India and abroad. She has worked with celebrities. She still teaches at the Blossom Kochhar College of Creative Arts and Design which is the education division (there are two branches in Delhi and one each in Mumbai and Chennai) that imparts training to students in make-up, skin and hair care. A product division takes care of the R&D and marketing of the products while Services deals exclusively with salons and spas that use the company’s products.
In an industry where standards are lacking or conspicuous by their absence, Samantha feels the onus is on the people who are in the business. While things are improving and rules and regulations are getting more stringent, she says, “The thing to do is set your own parameters and draw your own lines. And never rest; keep learning and updating your knowledge.”
Grey area
In a market that is geared up for the young and the younger, Blossom Kochhar has some helpful pointers for the mature woman too. Follow her tips for grey hair and watch that silver shine! Mix a teaspoon each of glycerine and vinegar, a tablespoon each of herbal oil and castor oil and a spoonful of shampoo and conditioner. Apply on the hair and leave for about half an hour. Shampoo and rinse. Use this pack at least once a month.
Safety matters
Blossom has a theory about safe cosmetics. Anything that will do you no harm if you swallow it by mistake is a safe bet, she says. Warnings that say “Keep away from children and animals” should be treated with caution as the products are obviously toxic
