By Mustafa A Khan:
This is the story of a dream – a dream that knew no narrow boundaries of country or culture. But is dreaming enough? What does it take to realize the magic of one’s dreams? What does it take to make a transition – from a sheltered life to becoming an international brand name?
A success story is always fascinating, more so when it is about a lone woman in a fiercely competitive arena. Shanaz Husain – a wife at 15 and a mother at 16 – braved all the odds and stuck to her guns. While training in London, Shahnaz came across damage caused by chemical treatments. It changed the course of her career as she began her search for a safe alternative.
She instinctively knew that she must have her own enterprise in order to translate her ideas into reality. So she opened her first herbal salon in the verandah of her own home in New Delhi after borrowing Rs. 35,000 from her father. She started making her own formulations using plant products and natural ingredients.
She made the products at night, filled them in jars, wrote the labels by hand and stuck them on the jars. Today, the formulations have become breakthroughs in herbal beauty care. She fought a lone battle again when she entered the international market during the Festival of India in 1980. She was given a counter in Selfridges, the famous London store competing with biggest brand names. In the face of fierce competition, she stuck to her guns and solo ‘India & Ayurveda’ image.
Says Shahnaz: “With international cosmetic empires pumping billions of dollars into a hysterically mad beauty industry, selling youth & dreams in bottled jars… There I stood up and sold India’s ancient civilization in a jar.”
To everyone’s surprise she sold out her consignment in 3 days, breaking the store’s existing cosmetic sales records. The next day there was a headline in the London Daily – ‘Herbal Hell Breaks Loose in Selfridges’. Over the last four decades, Shahnaz has marketed India’s 5000 year old ancient civilization in a jar and created an international market for ayurvedic beauty care.
Today her name is internationally known for therapeutic products and treatments for specific skin and hair problems. Her premium luxury cosmetic ranges like Diamond, Pearl, Plant Stem Cells and Platinum Range have taken international markets by storm. The Shahnaz Husain Group’s international presence gained further momentum when the sale of products was launched at Lloyds Pharmacy at Selfridges touching record breaking sales.
She also formulated the Chemoline range to alleviate the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on the skin and hair. The Chemoline products are given free of cost to cancer hospitals as part of her humanitarian commitments. Shahnaz Husain’s achievements are an inspiration for women to follow their dreams with faith and courage, Says Shahnaz, “Deterrents come up in life, but I have tried to meet them as challenges, with my desire to excel, my relentless determination to succeed and sheer hard work. To every woman who wants to become an entrepreneur, I would say that it is an advantage to acquire professional training in your field. Keep learning. The sky is the limit.
“Never give up. If you never give up, you cannot fail. You may start in a small way, but think big. You have to think that nothing is beyond you…. that nothing is impossible. There is no such thing as destiny. You can be what you will yourself to be. You can make your own destiny. Dare to dream and then do everything within your power to make the dream come true.”