Pavan Ahluwalia-Dhanjal, CEO and founder of the henna brand Pavan Beauty, is the UK's leading henna artist and a female beauty founder. Here she shares her business journey, including a recent trip into the Dragon's Den, and her mission to make henna art available to all…
I hold two Guinness World Records for being the world’s fastest henna artist. I first started experimenting with henna when I was 15 and broke the world record when I was 21. I've since worked with various celebrities including Alicia Dixon, Ellie Goulding and Perrie Edwards, and built a successful business with a henna bar in Selfridges London for the past 10 years.
Recently I appeared on BBC's Dragon's Den looking for investment to drive my business forward. On the show I was told by one of the dragons, Sara Davies, that henna won't go beyond my culture and my community. This attitude baffled me, and I while respect her opinion, I didn't agree with her viewpoint.
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As a British-Indian girl, my goal from the beginning has been to make henna accessible to everybody regardless of their culture or race. In the same way you get your nails or eyebrows done, henna can also be another step in your beauty routine.
Henna has been an integral part of an Indian woman’s beauty regime and has strong associations with wellbeing. It originally started off as a way to cool the skin but now it is worn for mainly decorative reasons. Henna has such a positive, beautiful meaning behind it - it is associated with good luck and positivity – and I want to make this available to everybody.
Having my henna bar in Selfridges London for 10 years, has already proven to me that henna can be embraced by so many. We offer many different styles from classic black and brown to white and unicorn henna, and it is all non-toxic, vegan-friendly and perfectly safe for the skin. Our henna bar is not for one ethnic background, it’s intended for everybody. We have a strong Arab, Asian and British clientele, I'd say 60% are non Asian, and the first customers to line up at our pop-ups and festivals are also non Asian.
People come in to get henna for weddings, festivals and parties – Christmas is a very busy time. On our business journey, we’ve also adorned a formula one car, following this I was so pleased to see other recent female collaborations at F1. We've created window displays for Harrods too. It’s about showing how henna is an art and can be used in so many different aspects but making it accessible to everybody so we can all enjoy a beautiful tradition that spans over so many cultures.
It's not the first time we have experienced cultural appropriation comments. Five years ago, when I did henna on Perrie Edwards, we got Instagram posts saying 'stop doing henna on white people'. I’m of Indian origin – if I don’t find it offensive, why does anyone else? I ensure that we share the regime in the most respectful way. I’m not going to take it to a level where it’s ever going to be disrespected or be used in an inappropriate way. I believe it is an appreciation of Indian culture. If people are celebrating our culture and our beauty regimes, we should embrace that.
As a business woman before anything else, I want to solve a problem. A problem of access to the art we grew up knowing and loving as children. Before being a female, or South Asian, or anything, I just loved the art and wanted to get it out to the market. Techniques have advanced so much in recent years and I believe our brand is advancing it even further.
I believe the time is right for the brand now and I was delighted to walk away with an investment from Touker Suleyman. The Dragon's den was a great learning experience. It felt like the scariest time in my business journey. I had to put myself and my business out there to be scrutinised, it really got me out of my comfort zone! The Dragons (Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett) reassured me, they gave me a lot of feedback and positive words of support. There was a lot said that wasn't shown on the screen. And although I didn't agree with Sara's comments, the experience motivated me and made me more determined to drive the business forward. It forced me to really think about my business as a whole and what we have brought to the market, not only in terms of numbers but also, diversity, cultural education and inclusivity.
It’s not always easy turning your passion into your career but I have proved it can be done, making Pavan Beauty the go-to brand for henna treatments. Whether you want the luxury bridal adornment or a quick fix before a festival, we are the number one brand and I am proud of that.
There are so many Indian techniques that have come to the West such as turmeric lattes or yoga and meditation, having our brows threaded has become a norm and we are learning more about Ayurveda and Indian beauty rituals such as hair oiling – Henna has always been there, and I feel I am on my purpose to share it with the world.
