NEWS

71% of Brits would like to buy retail products from salons, but only 33% do so

Spas and salons in the UK could be missing out on a large portion of recurring revenue from retail opportunities.

A survey by Phorest Salon Software showed that despite 71% of British people wanting to buy retail beauty products from salons, only 33% do.

The survey revealed only 28% of people said that they frequently buy products from their salon. The majority of participants said that they usually purchase beauty products from online retailers (32%), supermarkets (19%) and pharmacies (16%).

When asked how they would prefer to purchase products, 44% of beauty salon clients selected online shopping.

Subscription-based purchasing is also growing as customers look for an easy way to stay on top of their beauty regime. 56% of those surveyed said they would be likely or very likely to subscribe to this service with their beauty salon.

Verna Wall, Phorest Salon Software’s lead researcher, commented, “This is a key insight for UK salons and presents a huge opportunity for them to build a recurring revenue stream into their business.

“With so many businesses learning how to adjust to everincreasing costs, having a stream of guaranteed income would lay a solid foundation to keep their business’s income on track.”

As part of this research, Phorest also surveyed salons on their retail offerings. UK salons fell below many other regions for selling online, with only 50% of UK hair and beauty salons operating an online store, compared with 74% of Irish salons and 67% in the UAE.

Microneedling and free-radical among most misunderstood beauty terms

Almost three-quarters (72%) of women don’t understand the scientific terminology used in the beauty industry, despite seven in ten saying they are regularly drawn in by it.

This is according to a poll of 2,000 women commissioned by skin, hair, and nail supplement Vitabiotics Perfectil.

“Coenzyme” (68%), microneedling (48%), and “freeradical” were among the most baffling beauty terms for those polled – with 43% unaware that the latter is a molecule in the environment that can cause damage to the skin.

Despite wider access to beauty education online making many clients more skincare-savvy, the poll also found that two in five (41%) are unsure about what hyaluronic acid actually does, while one in three said the same of micellar water.

Less than 62% knew that selenium is used to support healthy hair and nails – with wrong guesses for its use including a nail polish remover, a serum to support flyaway hairs, or a liquid to pump up the lips.

Meanwhile, 42% didn’t know what a peptide is – with many believing it’s an underwater current rather than a string of amino acids that can help to make proteins.

New technology takes moisture out of beauty products to reduce waste

Researchers at the University of East Anglia [UEA] have developed a new technology that turns beauty products like moisturiser into a dry piece of confetti-like “paper”.

The breakthrough means that 98% of the water in products like moisturisers, sun creams, shampoos and conditioners could be removed.

Users just need to add a drop of water to the paper-like disc to rehydrate it. This could have a significant impact on the beauty industry by dramatically reducing both its carbon footprint and packaging waste.

The new technology also removes the need for preservatives in these products and improves their shelf life.

Lead researcher Professor Sheng Qi, from UEA’s School of Pharmacy, said, “Most cosmetics and toiletries contain up to 95% water, leading to heavy units by volume and bulky packaging.

“Every year, 120 billion units of cosmetics and toiletries are packaged and shipped globally, so the industry has a huge carbon footprint.

“The technology that we have developed uses a no-heat process to transform a range of water and oil-based based beauty and skincare products into small discs of paper-like material.”

Top minimalist beauty trends revealed

The popularity of minimalist beauty looks set to continue, as consumers opt for simpler and more affordable looks.

Lash brand Nouveau Lashes used Google search and social media data to look into which minimalist beauty looks and treatments are set to trend in 2023.

Lash serum took first place thanks to 203k hashtags on Instagram, as well as 743 million TikTok views.

Second on the list was slugging, which involves slathering the skin with an occlusive product at the end of your night-time skincare routine. Slugging had 10k Instagram hashtags and 1 billion TikTok views.

In joint-second place was “lip stain”. Despite being around for decades, this versatile product is, once again, doing the rounds – receiving 434 million views on TikTok overall.

Other terms that made the top 10 were glass skin, jaw contouring, lip sunscreen, skin tint, gel eyebrows, skin cycling and passport photo make-up.

Winners of the World Spa & Wellness Awards 2023 announced in London

Celebrating excellence in global wellness, the World Spa & Wellness Awards revealed its winners at a black-tie gala dinner at The Brewery, London, in March:

■ Spa of the Year: Asia & Australasia Sponsored by Elly Lukas College

Winner: The Healing Village Spa, Bali, Indonesia

■ Spa of the Year: Eastern Europe Sponsored by Gharieni Group

Winner: The Spa, Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens, Greece

■ Spa of the Year: Middle East & Africa - sponsored by Biologique Recherche

Winner: Spa Royal Mansour, Marrakech, Morocco

■ Spa of the Year: North & South America - sponsored by Matrix Fitness

Winner: Spa Ojai at Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, USA

■ Spa of the Year: Western Europe & Scandinavia - sponsored by Biologique Recherche

Winner: Thermal Spa Village, Galgorm, Ballymena.

■ Spa Leader of the Year - sponsored by Aromatherapy Associates Winner: Erica D’Angelo, Borgo Egnazia, Savelletri, Italy

■ Spa Team of the Year Sponsored by Lemi Group UK Winner: Aqua Sana Sherwood Forest, Newark, UK

■ Sustainable Spa of the Year - sponsored by Aromatherapy Associates Join winners: Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti, Pinzolo, Italy and Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Gargnano, Italy

■ Spa Group of the Year Sponsored by Gharieni Group Winner: ACCOR

■ Worldwide Health & Wellness Destination of the Year Sponsored by Lemi Group UK Winner: Kamalaya Koh Samui Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa, Koh Samui, Thailand [pictured above].

The winners of the Professional Beauty Awards 2023 were also announced on the night. Turn to page 85 to find out which businesses made the cut and why they won.

T-Levels in Hairdressing, Barbering, and Beauty Therapy delayed by a year

The launch date of wave 4 T-Levels has been deferred by one year to September 2024. This means the T-Level in Hairdressing, Barbering, and Beauty Therapy has been delayed.

The decision was announced by IfATE and DfE, in consultation with Ofqual and NCFE.

T-Levels are college-based and are expected to replace many of the current vocational and education qualifications currently offered at Level 3.

Alan Woods OBE, chief executive of VTCT, said: “We are confident in the quality of the technical development to date but agree with the department that by slowing down the roll-out, we can be certain that the T-Levels support every student to reach their potential. We remain very grateful to the salons, training providers, and trade bodies who have been so generous with their time.”

Beauty salons and spas encouraged to hire more ex-offenders

46% of UK beauty businesses do not currently employ any ex-offenders, despite half saying they are struggling to fill positions, according to a new study commissioned by Sodexo.

When asked about their greatest concerns, a quarter [25%] agreed they were worried employees would re-offend, and the same proportion agreed they feared for the safety of the rest of their workforce [25%].

When respondents were asked what might encourage them to hire ex-offenders, 46% of hair and beauty industry respondents suggested there should be a Government initiative which incentivises businesses.

As part of its “Starting Fresh” campaign, Sodexo is raising awareness among employers of the training facilities and qualifications available in some prisons, like HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, where prisoners are able to train in an Ofstedchecked environment for their City & Guilds Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Beauty Therapy or aHairdressing.

Caroline Larissey, director of quality and standards at the National Hair and Beauty Federation, said, “With many salons struggling to recruit staff, hiring an ex-offender could provide an ideal solution and give someone a second chance.”

Almost half of beauty and aesthetics businesses save £1K or less per month

Just under half [49%] of aesthetics and beauty businesses are saving £1,000 or less each month, according to new research from Yell into the state of UK small business finance.

Having surveyed senior leaders of small and medium businesses with under 250 staff, Yell’s study also found that over a third [37%] of senior decision makers in the beauty and aesthetics sector said they are able to save significantly less compared to pre-pandemic.

The data showed that small businesses in general are much less able to save than their larger counterparts, with three in 10 (31%) businesses with a turnover of less than £100,000 making no savings each month, and three quarters (75%) of sole traders saving less than £400 every 30 days – although a third of sole traders save nothing at all.

In addition, almost one in five [18%] lack confidence their business will be afloat in the next three-to-five years.

Businesses in London have the lowest confidence in the future of their business, with 15.53% not confident they’ll be afloat in a year’s time. The South West and West Midlands are also uncertain, with 14.29% and 13.89% of business owners respectively sharing the same worries.

CACI Salon Success Story With Bell’s Palsy Client

Jessica Holley from Beauty With Love Jessica in Christchurch, Dorset, has experienced significant success treating the effects of Bell’s palsy in her client, Emma, with a course of CACI Synergy signature facial toning.

Emma was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in November 2022. The condition causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face.

Over its 30-year history of microcurrent technology, British brand CACI has built a reputation for successfully treating clients with facial paralysis, including Bell’s palsy.

Holley performed 10 signature facial lifting treatments, initially twice a week, and is continuing with alternative Signature Facial Lifting and Eye Revive treatments.

“My face drooped and was completely numb on one side,” said Emma. “After a month of absolutely no improvements, I began CACI treatments, and after only two sessions I started to notice some small improvements and movement returning.

“By the end of my course of 10 the improvements were incredible. My face was back to looking completely even with almost full movement.”

Celluma Light Therapy expands headquarters

BioPhotas, manufacturer of the Celluma series of light therapy devices, has moved its corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations from Anaheim to Tustin, California.

The new HQ has 25,000sq ft of office and warehouse space to facilitate continued growth.

The added space will allow BioPhotas to increase production and streamline shipping operations related to international sales.

This year has also seen a continued expansion of the company’s international distribution network, with the addition of channel partners in Peru, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.

Australian Bodycare signs new distributors

Australian Bodycare’s professional and retail lines are now being distributed by independent hair and beauty distributor Chris & Sons.

With headquarters and a store in Enfield, London, Chris & Sons distributes hair and beauty brands across the UK and Europe with a large online offering alongside its physical store presence.

As part of its expansion plan for 2023, Australian Bodycare has also signed a new distributor partnership with leading wholesaler Salons Direct.

The Salons Direct partnership will focus on distributing Australian Bodycare’s Hy-Wax system and essential skincare.