With 19,038 attendees walking its aisles over two days, Professional Beauty India (PBI) Delhi 2026 once again reaffirmed its position as India’s premier trade event for the professional beauty industry. Held at Pragati Maidan on June 29th and 30th 2026, the exhibition brought together salon owners, beauty professionals, educators, barbers, brands, distributors, and entrepreneurs for two days of innovation, education, and meaningful industry connections. More than a trade exhibition, the event served as a platform where networking, product discovery, and world-class education converged, offering visitors an opportunity to explore emerging trends, sharpen their skills, and gain valuable business insights.
Powering this year’s edition was Beauty Garage, whose continued support as the Powered By Partner underscored its commitment to advancing India’s professional salon industry. Across the exhibition floor, the brand showcased its latest professional innovations while reinforcing its role as a longstanding champion of education and salon excellence.
The show was further strengthened through partnerships with GYK Professional as the Official Haircare Partner, Recode as the Official Make-up Partner, VGR as the Hair Tools Partner, and Lush Brow Academy as the Official Academy Partner. Together, these partnerships elevated both the educational and experiential aspects of the exhibition, ensuring visitors had access to some of the industry’s latest products, technologies, and techniques.
Beyond the bustling exhibition floor, PBI Delhi once again demonstrated why it remains one of the industry’s most anticipated annual gatherings. Live demonstrations, product launches, networking opportunities, and knowledge-sharing sessions created an atmosphere that celebrated both creativity and commerce.
Education remained the cornerstone of the event. Leading artists and educators delivered a packed programme of presentations that balanced technical mastery with commercial relevance, giving visitors practical ideas they could immediately apply within their own businesses.
HAIR STAGE: INNOVATION ROOTED IN TECHNIQUE
The Hair Stage brought together some of the industry’s leading hairstylists, colourists, and educators, showcasing how creativity and technical precision continue to evolve alongside changing consumer expectations.
Day one featured presentations by Vivek Shyam Bhatia and Twinkle Deol for Ikonic Professional, Gagan Deep and Tushar Sir for GYK, Wazid Ali for Beauty Garage, Sartaj Khan and Najeeb Ur Rehman for STREAX, Marcos Viana and Ishwer Sharma for Krone, Santosh Rawat, Alos Ramón Santos and Naseem Salmani for Iramo Professional, Virender Verma for Vega Professional, and Anil Kumar Kodnani for K18. Together, they explored emerging trends, advanced treatments, barbering, colour innovation, and contemporary styling techniques, while product launches and live demonstrations highlighted how professional formulations continue to support healthier hair and fashion-forward results.
The momentum continued on day two, with Ashwani Patiyal and Vikas Marwah for Velvetree opening the programme with advanced colour techniques. This was followed by Naseem Salmani for Beauty Garage, Akash Chauhan, Hitik Bhalla and Santosh Rawat for Iramo Professional, Abhishek Harswal for Kerafine, Dr Blossom Kochhar and Jas Jhally for Aroma Magic, Naseem Salmani returning for VGR, and Anam Siddique along with Mayank Upadhyaya from Mr Barber. Their sessions covered colour correction, premium hair treatments, fashion-led hairstyling, barbering, and modern styling techniques, demonstrating how consultation, technical expertise, and aftercare work together to create long-lasting client satisfaction while reinforcing the importance of delivering results rather than simply following trends.
BEAUTY STAGE: CELEBRATING SKIN, MAKE-UP, AND ARTISTRY
The Beauty Stage reflected the increasingly diverse world of professional beauty, offering sessions that spanned skincare, make-up artistry, permanent make-up, and advanced beauty techniques.
Day one featured presentations by Sakshi Wadhwa and Ritu Khullar for Ozone, Lovely Chaudhary for Recode, Anamika Arya for Shills Professional, Prerna Tanwar for Malio, Dolly Bhatia for Skinora, and Devangi Verma for Hilary. Together, they celebrated glow-focused skincare, complexion enhancement, nail artistry, and contemporary make-up techniques, while practical demonstrations highlighted the importance of professional consultation, product selection and innovative formulations in achieving healthy, radiant skin. A new product launch from Ozone further underscored the stage’s focus on innovation and education.
The spotlight shifted on day two as Sneha Sharma for London Pride explored the importance of professional make-up brushes, followed by Tamchi Kache from Lush Brow Academy, who demonstrated the PMU Global Technique: Feather Hairstroke. The programme continued with Kaveri Singh for Mary Jo K presenting a Met Gala-inspired editorial look, Yashika Sehgal for Swiss Beauty showcasing glamorous party make-up, Debarati Ghosh for British Brow focusing on natural brow artistry, and Manveen Kaur for MARS Cosmetics creating a sophisticated cocktail glam look. The stage concluded with the AIHBA Show, led by Sangeeta Chauhan, celebrating creativity, artistry and professional excellence. Throughout the day, sessions reinforced how professional expertise remains essential in an age where clients arrive armed with online inspiration and increasingly informed expectations.
PLATFORM: INSPIRATION WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
The Platform remained the show’s creative heartbeat, celebrating artistic expression while offering visitors a glimpse into the future of professional beauty.
Day one featured creative showcases by Subham Virmani for Esskay Beauty Resources, Shweta Dhyani for L’Oréal Professionnel, Shalini Singh for Anahata Organic, Amit Chauhan for Shills Professional, and Anand Rathi for Skeyndor. Together, they presented bridal transformations, editorial glamour, advanced skincare, and bold make-up concepts, demonstrating how traditional techniques continue to evolve through contemporary interpretation. Each presentation blended fashion, culture, and technical precision, inspiring professionals to push the boundaries of their creativity while embracing new product innovations and service trends.
The focus shifted on day two as Mikey Moran, International Artistic Director at Indola, brought global hair trends to the forefront with a collection inspired by international fashion movements and modern salon techniques. The programme continued with Rajesh Kumar for Keune India, Rohit Sangwan for L’Oréal Professionnel, Pawan Sharma for Schwarzkopf Professional, Nitin Manchanda for Matrix, and Savio John Pereira for Wella Professionals, each showcasing innovative cutting, colouring, and styling techniques tailored for the contemporary salon. Together, they demonstrated how international influences continue to shape Indian salons while highlighting the creativity and technical excellence of Indian hair professionals on a global stage.
MODERN BARBER CHALLENGE RAISES THE STANDARD
Precision, creativity, and technical excellence took centre stage during the Modern Barber Challenge, where some of India’s most talented barbers competed across two days of intense competition. The jury team included: Jay Pawar, JJ Savani, Joel Kok, Michael Kontos, Prathamesh Sawant, Sahil Jadhav, Uday Takke, Vinu - The Fat Barber, and Wazid Ali.
Day one tested competitors on the fundamentals of barbering, rewarding precision, clean execution and technical consistency. Judges evaluated each participant’s ability to deliver flawless fades, sharp detailing and well-balanced finishes while maintaining high professional standards under pressure.
The challenge intensified on day two as competitors demonstrated greater artistic expression alongside technical skill. Participants were encouraged to combine creativity with commercial wearability, producing looks that reflected both current trends and exceptional craftsmanship. The competition highlighted just how far Indian barbering has evolved, moving well beyond traditional grooming into a specialised discipline driven by education, creativity and continuous innovation.
The competition culminated in the Modern Barber Challenge Awards, celebrating excellence across five categories and recognising the barbers who demonstrated outstanding creativity and skill.
The winners included:
• Express Fade: Raju Bhai, with Sukhreet Gill as First Runner-Up.
• Hair Tattoo: Kunal Raut, with Vijaya Shankar as First Runner-Up.
• Beard & Moustache: Jashandeep Khan, with Rizwan as First Runner-Up.
• Creative Scissors: Sukhreet Gill, with Imran Sheikh as First Runner-Up.
• The Modern Barber: Suresh Bhai Amaratbhan, with Niresh Rahul as First Runner-Up.
SALON MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE: DRIVING THE FUTURE OF SALON BUSINESS
While creativity took centre stage across the exhibition, the Salon Management Conference (SMC) placed the spotlight firmly on the business of beauty. Bringing together leading salon owners, educators, consultants, and industry experts, the conference tackled the commercial, operational, and leadership challenges facing today’s salon businesses.
PANEL 1 | THE REAL SALON BUSINESS: COSTS, CASH FLOW & SURVIVAL
MODERATOR: Vikas Vij
PANELLISTS: Dr Bharti Taneja, Ankit Virmani, Manisha Yadav, Disha Mehr. The opening session challenged salon owners to look beyond revenue and focus on building resilient, profitable businesses that can withstand increasing competition and changing consumer behaviour.
Key takeaways:
• Profitability, not turnover, is the true measure of business success.
• Customer retention delivers greater long-term value than constant customer acquisition.
• Competing on discounts weakens both margins and brand value.
• Understanding business metrics such as repeat visits, average bill value and retail conversion is critical.
• Strong positioning and customer trust remain the biggest competitive advantages.
PANEL 2 | SMART SALONS: SCALING WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL
MODERATOR: Vikas Vij
PANELLISTS: Sachin Manchanda, Siddhanth Dua, Radhika Goyal, Raghav Bhambri, Prannay Dokkani. Growth was the focus of the second session, with panellists sharing practical lessons on expanding without compromising service quality, culture, or profitability.
Key takeaways:
• Expansion should only happen once strong systems and processes are in place.
• Continuous education is the foundation of consistency across multiple locations.
• Technology and business data enable smarter operational decisions.
• Franchise partnerships should be chosen carefully to protect brand integrity.
• Sustainable growth is more valuable than rapid expansion.
PANEL 3 | THE NEW INDIAN CLIENT: WHO’S SPENDING AND WHY
MODERATOR: Charlene Flanagan
PANELLISTS: Isha Mahabal, Richa Agarwal, Karan Deol, Vikas Marwah. With consumer behaviour evolving rapidly, this discussion explored how salons can meet the expectations of increasingly informed and digitally connected clients.
Key takeaways:
• Today’s consumers arrive influenced by social media, AI, and online research.
• Strong consultation skills are becoming as important as technical expertise.
• Personalisation is now expected across services, treatments, and retail.
• Gen Z and mature clients require different engagement strategies.
• Bridal services and male grooming continue to offer significant business opportunities.
PANEL 4 | MARKETING & RETAIL STRATEGY: TURNING FOOTFALL INTO REVENUE
MODERATOR: Sumedha Madan
PANELLISTS: Biju Nair, Amar Sachdeva, Rachit Malhotra. This session examined how salons can strengthen their brands, improve customer loyalty, and unlock the untapped potential of retail.
Key takeaways:
• Marketing should be viewed as a long-term investment rather than a business expense.
• Strong branding creates trust and reduces dependence on discounting.
• The client journey extends beyond the salon chair and includes every customer touchpoint.
• Retail recommendations should be educational, not sales driven.
• Consistent marketing across digital and offline channels builds sustainable growth.
PANEL 5 | BUILDING THE MODERN SALON TEAM: HIRING, TRAINING & RETENTION
MODERATOR: Charlene Flanagan
PANELLISTS: Varun Attri, Sangeeta Chauhan, Rehman Arfi, Shubham Virmani. People remain every salon’s greatest asset, and the final session of the day explored how leadership, culture and continuous development are reshaping workforce management.
Key takeaways:
• Modern leaders must coach and mentor rather than simply manage.
• Gen Z professionals value flexibility, recognition and career progression.
• Continuous learning remains one of the strongest retention strategies.
• Clear SOPs reduce dependence on individuals and improve operational consistency.
• Positive workplace culture is central to attracting and retaining talent.
PANEL 1 | FROM VANITY TO VALUE: THE SHIFT TO RESULTS-DRIVEN BEAUTY
MODERATOR: Oscar Pereira
PANELLISTS: Indra Ahluwalia, Yuvraj Ahluwalia, Dr Yash Mehta. As beauty consumers increasingly prioritise long-term wellbeing over temporary fixes, the conversation explored how salons can become trusted partners in preventative care.
Key takeaways:
• Consumers increasingly seek measurable, long-term results rather than temporary improvements.
• Skin health, scalp care, and preventative beauty are becoming major growth categories.
• Salons play an important role in education while recognising their professional boundaries.
• Personalised consultations strengthen trust and improve outcomes.
• Technology should support professional expertise, not replace it.
PANEL 2 | THE NEW BEAUTY BUSINESS: NAVIGATING CLINICAL, CLEAN & CREDIBLE GROWTH IN SALONS
MODERATOR: Disha Mehr
PANELLISTS: Vaishali Shah, Nitika Garg, Dr Preeti Seth. As clinical beauty, wellness, and salon services increasingly converge, panellists explored how businesses can innovate responsibly while maintaining consumer confidence.
Key takeaways:
• The boundaries between salons, clinics, and wellness businesses continue to evolve.
• Advanced technologies require robust education, protocols, and safety standards.
• Homecare has become an essential extension of professional treatments.
• Consumer trust is built through transparency, education, and credibility.
• Collaboration across the beauty ecosystem will shape the industry’s future.
PANEL 3 | EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION: BUILDING THE BACKBONE OF A GREAT SALON INDUSTRY
MODERATOR: Roopa Ambekar
PANELLISTS: Alan Woods, Dr Blossom Kochhar, Monica Bahl, Jaspal Kahlon. This panel highlighted the importance of structured education in building a stronger, more professional beauty industry equipped for future growth.
Key takeaways:
• Technical expertise must be supported by communication and professional skills.
• Recognised qualifications strengthen industry credibility and consumer confidence.
• Internships and practical learning better prepare professionals for salon environments.
• Lifelong learning is essential in an industry driven by constant innovation.
• Education is a shared responsibility between academies, brands, salons, and professionals.
PANEL 4 | LEARNING TO LEAD: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF INDIA’S BEAUTY INDUSTRY
MODERATOR: Roopa Ambekar
PANELLISTS: Ashok Paliwal, Uday Takke, Nirmal Randhawa, Monica Bahl, Indra Ahluwalia. The conference concluded with a forward-looking discussion on leadership, industry collaboration and the role of the Hair and Beauty Federation of India in raising professional standards nationwide.
Key takeaways:
• Stronger education and certification frameworks are essential for long-term industry growth.
• Licensing can improve professionalism, consistency, and consumer confidence.
• Practical salon experience should become a core part of professional development.
• Greater collaboration between industry bodies, academies, and businesses will strengthen the sector.
• A unified vision for education and standards will help shape the future of India’s beauty industry.
More than a conference, the discussions provided salon owners with practical strategies they could take back to their businesses.