Vandana Luthra, founder of the renowned wellness and beauty centre, VLCC, shares her fascinating journey to becoming India’s number one brand over the years with Rashmeet Kaur Chawla
It was about two decades ago that VLCC became a new phenomenon in the Indian wellness and beauty industry. Several centres opened across the country at a time when a layman would not even understand the meaning of a holistic wellness centre. Today, VLCC is a known brand in skincare, beauty and wellness services.
In our recent conversation with Vandana Luthra, the woman behind this successful venture, shared that the mission of the brand is to empower individuals to look good, feel good and “get more out of life.”
From Europe to India
Although VLCC became a well-known beauty brand in tier-two cities much later, it was founded back in 1989 with a Transformation Centre in New Delhi. It all started decades back when Luthra along with her father visited Germany where she met a couple who ran a successful health centre. Inspired by their work, Luthra decided to venture into the world of beauty and wellness. For her, the VLCC was not just a label but a venture that could make beauty and wellness accessible to everyone. Therefore, Luthra decided to open the centres in close vicinity of residential areas. The brand provides solutions for beauty, hair care and weight management.
Overcoming challenges
While VLCC as a brand tops the chart among wellness centres across the country, making it a huge entity wasn’t an easy job. In an industry dominated by men, aspiring to be an entrepreneur in the late eighties was met with doubts and immense financial struggles. “People were familiar with beauty parlours but a holistic wellness solutions provider which combined scientific weight management programmes with advanced skin and hair treatments was a new concept. I believed in the concept and went ahead with my vision of a sustainable business model,” says Luthra.
Although VLCC became a wellknown beauty brand in tier-two cities much later, it was founded back in 1989 as a Transformation Centre in New Delhi
Holistic wellness
Apart from their beauty and hair care solution, VLCC offers DNA Slim – a personalized weight loss solution. Luthra explains that the treatment starts with a saliva test to analyse an individual’s genetic predisposition to weight gain and metabolism. “Based on the results, a customized diet, exercise, and lifestyle plan is created to maximize results and sustain weight loss,” she clears.
Not without my people
Running a successful venture can be taxing, but for Luthra, it is also a way to contribute to society. She shares that VLCC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are focused on empowering women. To start with, some of the initiatives by the brand are combating obesity, scholarships and vocational training for women of deprived communities, education of underprivileged women and more. Additionally, VLCC supports government skillbuilding initiatives, providing training through its Institutes. The company also runs an AntiObesity Day campaign since 2001 that aims to raise global awareness about obesity through health camps, counselling sessions, and collaborative efforts with healthcare organizations. Their ‘Take the Orange Pledge: Stand Up India’ campaign promotes an active lifestyle. The campaign has received over 5.36 million pledges online.
Apart from their beauty and hair care solution, VLCC offers DNA Slim – a personalized weight loss solution
Becoming a force to reckon with While Luthra has built a strong and organic clientele for her brand, she also has received several accolades for her work in the field of beauty and wellness including the Padma Shri, the highest civilian award given to individuals for their exemplary work. She is also the recipient of the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award by Enterprise Asia and the Trailblazer Award at the Asian Business Leaders Forum for her pioneering efforts and innovative approach in the business world.
She also secured her name in Forbes Asia’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen in the APAC region and Fortune magazine’s compilation of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in India.
