Twenty years ago, beauty training in India operated without structure. It was informal, personality-led, and talent lacked clear career paths. LTA School of Beauty entered this landscape with a simple but bold purpose: to build a system-driven academy that produced consistent, job-ready talent, irrespective of individual trainers.
Today, as LTA completes two decades, Co-Founder Biju Nair recalls the institute’s journey. What began as a goal to establish processes in an unorganised sector has led to pioneering CIDESCO qualifications, clinical aesthetics, and multi-skill training that defines India’s new-age beauty workforce today.
The Early Vision: Structure Over Stardom
When LTA began, most professionals were trained under individual artists, with no standardised curriculum or measurable benchmarks. Nair believed the industry needed institutional credibility, much like engineering or medical education, where systems, not personalities, drove learning outcomes.
''We wanted an
ACADEMY
where
TRUST I
n the
INSTITUTION WAS ENOUGH
not just in individual trainers.''
– BIJU NAIR
Beauty was also an emerging opportunity at the time. While STEM fields were saturated, Nair saw beauty as a high-growth industry with potential for upward mobility, especially for women seeking flexible careers.
Premium Education in a Non-Premium Market
LTA invested heavily in faculty, facilities, and curriculum at a time when most learners came from modest financial backgrounds. The ted an here core challenge: build value perception for professional training in a sector used to low-cost apprenticeships.
Awareness campaigns, parent outreach, and community programmes helped shift attitudes to position beauty as a legitimate career.
The CIDESCO Breakthrough
A defining milestone arrived in 2012, when LTA simplified and democratised the global gold-standard CIDESCO qualification. By breaking a complex, science-heavy syllabus into accessible modules, LTA enabled hundreds of aspirants, including vernacular learners, to aim higher.
That year, LTA produced 100 CIDESCO graduates, a first in India, raising national standards and reshaping the talent pool.
Building Future-Ready Talent
As the industry evolved, LTA expanded beyond fundamentals:
• Clinical Aesthetics Programmes for the fast-growing dermatology and medi-spa ecosystem.
• Makeup Design Curriculum with lighting theory, visual styling, and camera-based training.
• WorldSkills-Aligned Training for multi-skilled, globally competitive students. “The goal was not to create stars,” Nair notes, “but commercially strong professionals who balance science, skill, and creativity.”
Impact: Careers, Confidence and Social Mobility
LTA tracks alumni growth, and many students double or triple their salaries within a few years. Some become senior cosmetologists in record time; others run successful studios and salons.
Stories like the Gujarati student who translated the entire CIDESCO syllabus into his language and succeeded on his fourth attempt reflect the academy’s deeper impact.
“Beauty is among the happiest professions, offering instant client appreciation, flexible earnings, and lifelong relevance,” Nair adds.
Roadmap Ahead
LTA’s next chapter focuses on deeper professionalisation, stronger industry integration, and sharper employability. For aspiring professionals, Nair’s advice is simple: “Choose beauty with intention. Serve with honesty. Excellence brings financial success naturally.”
LTA’s 20-year journey reflects disciplined vision, consistent quality, and an unwavering commitment to professionalising beauty education. As the industry enters a new era marked by science, precision, and global standards, LTA remains at the forefront, shaping the next generation of skilled, empathetic, and future-ready beauty professionals.