FRESH START

Supplier Professional Beauty Systems is helping salons bounce back strong with a refresh of its core brands Crazy Angel and Kaeso, as well as new training. Brand manager Caitlein Hannigan gives us the lowdown

How has business been during the coronavirus pandemic?

“I feel like close contact services were really demonised during the pandemic. In most places they opened a month after hair salons, so it was a lot tougher for us. We experienced a drop in sales of Crazy Angel professional tanning solutions; however, our retail tans pushed through and it’s because people still wanted to put on a tan and feel good throughout the pandemic. We hope things will start to pick up again on the professional solution side as everyone starts getting their spray tans for summer.”

What will be key to the beauty industry bouncing back?

“I think it’s working as hard as we can, supporting each other and doing what we can for clients. For example, we’re really seeing a rise in customisable tans, so I think salons need to work with their clients to do as much as they can in this arena. Crazy Angel has just released a new selection of tans which are for every skin tone, so it’s just about offering that wee bit extra for your clients every time.”

Crazy Angel has undergone a rebrand. Why did you go for a new look and feel?

“We needed to develop and evolve with the times. The previous packaging was very focused on that boudoir feel – it came out in the heyday of glamour model Katie Price – and it was relevant at the time because everyone wanted that super dark, glam tan, but times have moved on and we realised we needed to update the look and feel. We did this not only to our packaging but to the whole marketing message surrounding it. Now, we’ve gone for a sleek look but made sure there’s fun in there with the bright colours.

“Also, the natural-looking finish is now king, so we didn’t want to just be Crazy Angel where you go to get the deepest, darkest tan; we wanted to be Crazy Angel, the brand where you can get a solution for every skin tone. Gone are the old names of Midnight Mistress and Noir Mistress, replaced with a new modern and simplistic style where the products are separated into a colour-coded system – blue is for a light tan, pink is medium, and green is dark.

“So, you don’t even need to read the bottle to know ‘that’s my dark solution, that’s what I need’.”

What new ingredients can salons expect in the formulas?

“Our products now have that little bit extra to give a flawless finish. Most of the Crazy Angel products were vegan-friendly already but there were a few that weren’t so we’ve rejigged the formulas to make sure it’s the same across the board. There’s been a high demand for vegan solutions because people want to know what’s in their products.

“We’ve also always been free from alcohol, parabens and mineral oil, but now we’ve updated the formulas with new skin-loving ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, vitamins C and E, and shea butter to push that message that these products will leave you with a gorgeous-looking tan that’s also really good for your skin. We’ve also added firming actives, which help to smooth and tone the look of the skin, as well as improve the longevity of the tan.”

Is there any new tanning education on the cards this year?

“As part of our message to support salons, we’re really focusing on the training aspect of Crazy Angel this year. With Covid-19, it’s something that’s been neglected, but now we can support students and salons with our new course, which we hope to launch at the end of May with our distributors. We know salons were shut for a long time so we want to refresh their memory on the brand and give therapists that extra technical knowledge when spray tanning.

“We also have a marketing section in the course, which will teach attendees how to market their spray tans and their business more effectively. This is important because we know how important the digital space is now for business owners and we want to instil that knowledge. The courses will run from 10am–2pm and will be suitable for beginners and existing accounts who want a refresher.”

Skincare brand Kaeso has also had a refresh. Why have you updated its look?

“Kaeso is such a massive brand in colleges, and these students then go on to use it in their salons because it’s a product that works, so it was important to refresh the message and the look of it. We did some subtle changes that have made a huge difference – the packaging is clean and simple – and it has just been given a bit of excitement to it again. We’ve also developed loads more Kaeso salon assets, such as branded posters, headbands and digital consultation cards, because we’ve found that people who love Kaeso want to really shout about it in their business.

“Also, Kaeso has been around since 2012 and has always been a vegan, naturally derived brand – it wasn’t born out of this new trend of vegan and natural. We were cemented in that message already, we just never pushed it as we never thought we need to. So, it’s important to re-instil that message with people that we are 100% vegan, 100% cruelty-free and use naturally derived ingredients because in this day and age it’s so important to people.”

What new projects can we expect from Kaeso?

“Kaeso has such a huge range – facial, manicure, pedicure, aromatherapy, and more – so for people who want to be a Kaeso-only salon there’s a real demand for a brand training course. It’s something we’re developing and we hope to fulfil it by the end of this year. It’s one of our biggest goals for 2021.”