What it really takes to cultivate a global beauty brand with Pavan Ahluwalia-Dhanjal BEM

I interviewed Pavan back in 2013 for my blog (at the time, The Asian Destination).

Here’s a link to the original interview back in the day!

Back then, Pavan was already a Guinness Book World Record holder (for painting the highest number of armbands in 1 hour) and had been featured in the famous Harrods Windows displays. Fast forward 10 years, she’s renowned globally for her henna bars and henna products. 

In this episode, we talk about her evolution as a beauty brand since then. It’s such an inspiring episode for anyone wanting to cultivate a brand and business as Pavan talks about the real highs and lows. 

Listen to hear us discuss:

  • The significance of henna in Asian culture 

  • Pavan’s rituals to stay grounded and focused

  • The importance of creating your own opportunities and how Pavan pitched to do henna on Eastenders 

  • The rejections Pavan faced along the way before she was able to launch in Selfridges 

  • Bringing henna into the mainstream beauty industry 

  • The importance of learning to validate yourself and cultivating self-belief in yourself

Pavan can be found over on Instagram and Pavan Henna here.

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Navigating the nuances in chronic illness and cultural identity with Jenny Jay