India's billion-dollar anti-ageing industry explained in numbers

As Shefali Jariwala’s unexpected death shocks many, it is being attributed to misuse of glutathione which is used for skin lightening.

Transcript

00:00Did Anti-Aging Injections Kill Shifali?

00:02A cocktail of self-administered anti-aging injections is being blamed for the death of

00:07Kata Laga Girl Shifari Jariwala on June 27.

00:10Her death at age 42 has brought under scrutiny the $50 billion anti-aging market,

00:16which promises youth but remains largely unregulated.

00:19In 2024, more than 7.9 million Botox procedures were performed worldwide,

00:25making it the most popular non-invasive cosmetic treatment on the planet.

00:29Turbocharged by Botox, the anti-aging market is growing at a rate of 6% each year.

00:35Youth is no longer a stage of life, but a billion-dollar obsession and a commodity.

00:40India is now ranked among the top 10 countries globally for aesthetic procedures,

00:44trailing only behind global leaders like the US, Brazil and Japan.

00:48In 2024, India had 2 lakh non-surgical hair removal treatments alone.

00:53This figure was the highest in the world for hair removal treatments,

00:56followed by high alluronic acid fillers and chemical peels.

00:59Surgical procedures such as liposuction and rhinoplasty are also seeing significant traction,

01:04with scar revision topping the charts with over a lakh procedures.

01:08India currently has 2,800 plastic surgeons, representing 4.8% of the global total,

01:15and at par with South Korea, the most advanced beauty market in the world.

01:18As India becomes a global hub for aesthetic treatments,

01:21the question is not about looking younger, but at what cost.