Samir Srivastav has spent over three decades shaping the business of beauty—building brands, scaling salon businesses and helping define the evolution of India’s professional beauty industry. From leadership roles at Jean-Claude Biguine, VLCC, Kaya and Marico to now leading Looks Salon, one of India’s largest luxury salon chains, his journey has been driven by a deep understanding of both people and the business of transformation.
When Samir sat down with Lavenderoom, we wanted to move beyond conversations around business, expansion and trends. Instead, we asked him something we don’t often ask the people shaping the beauty industry—not what’s next for Looks Salon, but what three decades of watching people chase transformation has taught him about beauty itself.
What followed was an honest conversation on confidence, leadership, people and purpose.
1. You’ve spent three decades building brands around how people look. What has that taught you about how people feel?
Samir Srivastav: Beauty is never just about appearance. It’s about confidence, identity, and how people show up in the world.
2. Is there a moment, a client or a conversation—that changed how you think about beauty beyond the business of it?
SS: A client once told me, “Samir, the difference isn’t the salons you run—it’s the way you take care of your people. That’s why they stay with you, and that’s why they make us feel so valued every time we walk in.” That reinforced my belief that great beauty businesses are built by taking care of people first—your team, and in turn, your clients.
3. The industry sells transformation. But what’s one thing about yourself you’ve never wanted to change?
SS: My belief that people will always matter more than products.
4. If you walked into a Looks Salon as a customer, not the CEO—what would you actually want someone to tell you?
SS: “Tell me about yourself before you tell me about the service.” Great beauty starts with listening.
5. Beauty Inside Out is Lavenderoom’s whole philosophy. Do you believe that, or is it simply good marketing language?
SS: Absolutely. External beauty attracts attention, but inner confidence creates lasting beauty.
6. Thirty years from now, when Looks Salon is no longer your defining legacy, what would you want to be remembered for instead?
SS: That I helped put India’s beauty industry on the global map, changed how the world perceived Indian beauty, and built an industry that created opportunities, careers and world-class standards.
Something is refreshing about hearing a CEO speak about beauty without immediately turning it into a business conversation. While Samir Srivastav has spent decades building brands and leading some of the industry’s most respected names, what comes through most clearly is a philosophy centred on people. Products evolve, trends change, and businesses grow, but trust, empathy and confidence remain timeless.
At Lavenderoom, that’s exactly what Beauty Inside Out is about. Because beauty isn’t simply found in a haircut, a facial or a skincare routine. It lives in the confidence we carry, the people we uplift and the values we choose to hold on to. The outside is simply where the conversation begins.
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