How to start a beauty parlour in India (2026)

1. Pick the right structure Solo parlour: **Sole Proprietorship** under your PAN — simplest. Multi-stylist studio: **LLP** or **Pvt Ltd** for liability protection.

2. Shop & Establishment Act Mandatory in every state — register with the State Labour Department within 30 days of starting. Fee is nominal (₹500–₹5,000 depending on state and staff size).

3. GST registration Beauty services are taxed at **18% GST**. Registration is mandatory once turnover crosses: - **₹20 lakhs** in most states - **₹10 lakhs** in special category states (NE + hill states)

Below the threshold it's optional — many small parlours skip it, but registering early helps if you supply corporate clients who want input credit.

4. Municipal trade licence Required from your local municipal corporation (BMC in Mumbai, MCD in Delhi, BBMP in Bengaluru). Annual renewal.

5. FSSAI / CDSCO (only if retailing products) If you sell or supply cosmetic / haircare products you must register with **CDSCO** depending on category. Pure service parlours don't need it.

6. Bridal: the highest-margin niche Indian bridal packages (engagement → mehendi → sangeet → wedding → reception) routinely run ₹25,000–₹2,00,000+. Building a trial → confirm → deposit workflow with a real online booking system (vs WhatsApp chaos) is the single biggest revenue lift for most bridal MUAs.

7. Payments UPI is everywhere — **PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm** for free, **Razorpay / Easebuzz** for card. Most parlours run UPI + card + cash, no POS terminal required.