Insider nails

With autumn just around the corner, many of you have reported that clients are already starting to switch from bright, pastel colours to deeper, richer hues, more in line with the coming season.

Plummy red is the most popular shade (57%), with earthy brown (21%), navy blue (7%) and cranberry-coral (7%) also being requested. This uptake is reflected in your treatment business, which is up on last year’s figures.

Making sure that the industry is recognised and respected is a top priority for you and your techs, which is why you say there are clear challenges that need to be addressed. Your top concern is online academies offering cheap nail courses that claim to teach all the skills with no face-to-face tutoring (39%), but you’re also worried about non-standard salons damaging the industry’s reputation (32%) and colleges teaching outdated techniques, which means techs aren’t always employer-ready. Read the latest nail news on page 129.

On the spot

Which nail shade do you think will be most popular with clients this autumn/winter?

1. Plummy red

2. Earthy brown

3. Navy blue

4. Cranberry-coral

57% feel betrayed when a regular client has their nails done elsewhere

What is the biggest problem in the nail industry?

1. Dodgy online academies offering cheap nail courses

2. Non-standard salons damaging the industry’s reputation

3. Outdated techniques being taught at college

4. Lack of innovation in the industry

METHODOLOGY Insider is compiled from a monthly survey of spas and beauty salons. The people who participated represent a cross-section of the industry and were polled by email from August 29 to September 9, regarding business for the month to August 31. Nail business for the Insider Nails page was calculated from data provided by salons that offer nail services among other treatments. The figures given represent the average score for each answer. Brands are ranked when mentioned by several respondents.

August 2019 in numbers

HOW DID TREATMENT BUSINESS IN AUGUST 2019 COMPARE WITH AUGUST 2018?

54% BETTER

36% SAME

10% WORSE

NAIL TREATMENTS PERFORMED ON AVERAGE PER WEEK 28

HOW DID RETAIL BUSINESS IN AUGUST 2019 COMPARE WITH AUGUST 2018?

46% BETTER

29% SAME

25% WORSE