Over the past decade, the beauty, wellness and personal care industry has witnessed magnificent growth. While haircare has always been a popular segment, nail care is an emerging segment.
Back in the day, nail polish was considered a luxury. Today, it is a part of self-grooming. It has become a staple beauty routine in the lives of Gen Z and millennials. People also look at it as a means of self-expression.
Thus, there is a rise for high-quality nail services and if you run a nail salon, it is important for you to be aware of nail art business trends, styles, pricing and client preferences.
Through this blog, we aim at tackling all the above points.
Key Takeaways
- In nail art, customisation has become immensely popular. Over generic catalogue styles, clients prefer giving their own designs to match their mood, theme and outfit.
- Minimal designs are replacing heavy, embellished designs.
- The pricing depends on the salon, brand value and disposable income of the people.
- Nail art services come under the category of occasion-based spending. Clients usually tend to book for festivals, weddings, and holidays.
Popular Nail Art Styles in India
Today, nail art services in India are experiencing magnificent growth. While 3D designs are still popular, consumers usually prefer something more minimal.
Thus, among trendy designs and aesthetics, minimalist and classic are the most popular and hold a superior position.
Let’s look at the popular nail art styles in detail:
Minimal Nails
As the name implies, minimal nails include clean French tips, muted tones, and are often considered quiet luxury. It’s something that goes with everything and doesn’t require much thought.
People in metro cities are often seen getting minimal nails done. In 2026, soap nails will become very popular and is often considered a stylish choice. Such nails usually include clean, milky nail polish shades that often look very natural.
3D/Embellished Nails
Next on the list, we have 3D nails or embellished art. It involves giving the nails a 3D touch. People are often seen putting rhinestones on their nails, crystals and raised 3D elements.
If not for daily life, people get these for occasions. For this reason, they are also referred to as occasion-based nails. It’s ideal for weddings and parties. Compared to minimal nails, 3D nails are expensive and not practical to wear on a daily basis.
Metallic and Chrome Nails
Chrome nails continue to reign and will never go out of fashion. It will always remain a popular nail art style. Under this category, you will find gold manicures, copper nails and silver nails with metallic strips.
A lot of people consider it an elevated French manicure. To further elevate chrome nails, people also get maximalist French tips. Bejewelled metallic strips, and pearl-infused designs are also extremely trendy.
Playful Patterns
Trends may come and go but some nail art trends are forever. These include playful patterns. Stripes, polka dots, and intricate abstract shapes come under playful patterns.
Fashion-forward consumers love getting such nails as it helps them express their unique style and quirky taste. Besides this, gradient/ombre finishes and animal prints are equally popular.
Customised Designs
Last but not the least, we have customised designs. As the name implies, a client usually gets designs on their nails based on their outfit, personality and occasion. For instance, if someone is going on a beach holiday, they might get floral designs or palms.
Similarly, during the month of December, Christmas nails are super popular. A few designs that clients usually tend to get are bows, Christmas trees, Santa hats or even embellished nails.
Client Preferences: Understanding What Consumers Want
Today, nail salons are relying on technology and trends to fully future-proof the industry. The industry is experiencing one-of-a-kind remarkable growth.
If you’re someone who is running a nail salon business in India, it’s important for you to delve deep into what consumers want and what client preferences are.
Here’s an outline for you:
Nail Art as a Means of Self-Expression
As mentioned earlier, millennials and Gen Z look at nail art as a means of self-expression. They look at it as a way to enhance their overall look. The kind of nail art designs they prefer is already listed above.
There is suddenly a growing awareness among the 15-30 age group to look good. They’re more self-conscious and want to get nail designs that match their personality. Thus, they go in for bespoke art over generic designs.
Rise of Eco-conscious Choices
If you’re investing in hyper-local SEO optimisation, you should be running paid or geo-targeted ads as well. This makes it easy for people to find where your salon is located. Consider running paid ads on Google, Meta and Instagram. Also, make sure your ads have offers attached to them. This will help your ad reach the right people at the right time. A few ad content ideas are – Haircut with any stylist at Rs. 999 for first-time users only, promote seasonal/holiday offers, etc.
Rise in DIY at-home Nails
A lot of consumers are also moving towards press on nails or DIY kits. These kinds of options are gaining popularity because of their convenience and affordability.
The target audience for this kind of a product is the younger generation. They’re usually on the lookout for an option where they can change their nails every few weeks.
For this reason, nail salons too are launching their own DIY kits and nail products.
Change in Expectations from Nail Salons
While client preferences have changed, another thing that has changed is what an average consumer expects from nail salons.
Clients usually want to associate themselves with businesses that adopt the latest software. Nail salons should focus on getting beauty salon software.
It is a centralised system which integrates online bookings, helps manage inventory, enables sale of retail products, and aids in effective client management.
Clients are even willing to pay a premium if their preferred salon uses new-age methods and the latest technology to manage appointments. They prefer convenience over anything else.
Nail Art Pricing Structure in India
The pricing of nail services in India varies. It is widely based on the city – whether it’s a metro, or tier one or tier two city. It also depends on the reputation of the salon, the brand, the skills of the technicians, the materials used and the complexity of the design.
However, in this blog, we will give you a rough idea of how much you should charge for nail services. This is just an estimated price range and your pricing should not be fixed to this.
- Nail Polish (regular) application – Rs. 200-500
- French Manicure – Rs. 500-800
- Gel Nail Polish – Rs. 750-1000
- Simple Nail Art (dots, stripes, abstract) – Rs. 1500
- Acrylic Nail Extensions – Rs. 1500-3000
- 3D Designs – Rs. 2000-4000
- Bridal Nails – Rs. 2000 onwards
Compared to regular beauty parlours, upscale nail salons in big cities tend to charge more. As mentioned earlier, pricing also depends on the kind of materials used.
These days, most nail salons use premium gel nail paint, dip powders, and expensive nail embellishments which further drive prices up.
If a client avails treatments such as a nail spa or a hand massage, the total price of these nail services will further go up.
As a salon, you should weigh all these factors and then structure your pricing. Assess the nail salon market around you before coming up with your prices.
In Summary – The Future of the Nail Art Industry in India
In the years to come, the nail art industry is only set to growth further. For a nail salon to succeed, it’s important that they switch to software for nail salons.
In the current nail salon industry, standardisation is important. That’s because of the increasing awareness and demand for nail care and nail art services.
In order to further drive the industry’s growth trajectory, technological advancements are of utmost importance. Nail salons should focus on holding professional training programs for their employees so that they’re able to up their skills.
Technological integration such as use of salon computer software can streamline operations and improve customer experience. Salon360App is a nail salon software built for beauty businesses and nail art parlours. It helps with online appointment booking, client check-in and check-out, marketing, inventory, client loyalty and business analytics and insights.
Ready to explore the powerful features of Salon360App? Request a demo!
