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: Shahnaz Husain
Herbal queen

Shahnaz Husain, the undisputed queen of herbal care who rewrote beauty concepts, has been honoured with the Padma Shri in 2006. Husain belongs to a royal family, which originally came from Samarkhand and she had to comply with family traditions and get into an arranged marriage at 15. Husain trained for 10 years in cosmetology and cosmetic chemistry, in some of the leading institutions in London, New York, Paris and Copenhagen and started her own herbal salon for skin and hair care. Instead of following the existing salon treatment methods, she decided to adopt the principle of ‘Natural Care and Cure’ and to apply the Ayurvedic system and formulate custom-made products for skin and hair problems. Thus was born the legendary Shahnaz Herbal range of therapeutic products. She devised clinical treatments for specific problems, like acne, pimples, rashes, pigmentation, skin-sensitivity, dehydration, premature aging, scars, dandruff, hair damage, hair loss, alopecia, and so on.

Today, the Shahnaz Husain Group has acquired a global presence with outlets, counters and salons in most prestigious locations. In fact, she was the first Asian to enter Galeries Lafayette in Paris in herbal care and the first Asian to be featured in the 18-ft shop window of the store. Husain has received several national and international awards, including the renowned World's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur Award from Success, the US business magazine. Other awards include the Arch of Europe Gold Star Award for Quality, Global Quality Management Award for Quality Excellence (won twice), the Golden America Award Udyog Ratan Award for Export Excellence (won three times), the Rajiv Gandhi Gold Medal for propagating the Indian herbal heritage and the Export Excellence Award (thrice) from the Delhi Government.

The chief mentor of India’s prime industry body, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Tarun Das, has been conferred the Padma Bhushan this year. Das has always being appreciated for his impressive work and disposition. That was the reason N Srinivasan, the current director general of CII, had to face loads of comparisons when he replaced Das for the most influential chair in the secretariat of India’s richest and influential industry body.