Editor’s Comment

News this month that beauty ranks among the lowest paid careers in the UK only emphasises the need to raise public perception of the value and skill involved in the profession. Beauty therapy is the seventh worst paid career, according to new Government figures (see page 12 for more details). As most salon owners will agree, it’s hard to increase wages unless the price consumers are willing to pay for treatments also rises, while in many cases it’s remained static or even fallen in recent years.

A lack of licensing in the industry compounds the problem as it creates a framework that can be exploited by poorly qualified practitioners to undercut trained professionals. Add to this the pressure from medics to limit the scope of treatments that therapists can perform (see page 16), and it’s clear we need stronger differentiation to champion the responsible, qualified beauty professionals.

While the campaign for regulation continues, another route to change is improving perception of beauty therapy as a serious career and, therefore, the number and quality of students entering industry. Work is being done in this area, with projects underway at the UK Spa Association, and here at Professional Beauty Group to show young people the scope of what they could achieve if they choose this path.

This month, we profile just such an example in our career path feature (p.88), which looks at the skills needed to become a salon manager, while our lead interview (p.67) highlights a nail tech who built a multi-national product brand almost overnight. While the struggles of the beauty industry are real, the entrepreneurship it creates is something we should shout about as loudly as we can.

Editor