As government continues to fail small business owners, professional beauty is taking care of their own, filling the gap by funding their own relief programs in an effort to keep salons, spas, and beauty professionals afloat until they can reopen their doors and get back to work.
Beauty brands have stepped up in a big way through ramping up production of hand sanitizer and donating products to those on the front lines. Brands that operate in the professional distribution channel collectively moved decisively the moment salons and spas were ordered to shut down to support the front line of beauty—beauty pros. The math is simple: if these salons and beauty professionals don’t make it through this crisis, it impacts the bottom line. Many brands and distributors have put a freeze on payables until salons reopen, established generous affiliate programs, and created robust free virtual education.
According to a Brookings Institute estimate, more than two million personal-service professionals are among the most affected by the economic impact of the pandemic. It is no secret that government relief funds are not getting deployed fast enough or to where they are really needed—Main Street.
Coty Professional Beauty (Wella Professionals, Nioxin, Sebastian, Clairol Professional, Wella Color Charm, Kadus, System Professional, GHD, and OPI) deploys COVID-19 industry relief package to support individual beauty professionals.
“We know the power of artists supporting artists, and with each of these 200 relief checks, we’re helping you cushion the burden of lost business, educational investment, and more. As a vital part of this community and industry, we want you to spend these funds in whatever way creates the biggest impact for you.”
Henkel North America Beauty Care Hair Professional (Alterna, Joico, Kenra, #mydentity, Pravana, Schwarzkopf Professional, Sexy Hair, and Zotos Professional) division made a $200,000 donation to the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) to support the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund.
“Hairdressers are at the heart of what we do. This is a time to come together to show our support and positively impact our hairdresser community,” says Stefan Mund, regional head, Henkel Beauty Care Hair Professional North America. “Our business consists of salons, hairstylists, barbers, educators and end consumers who visit their stylists and salons. We want to do our part to help salon professionals to get back to work successfully.”
Aveda has set up relief efforts to support the 6,000 independent salons and spas that carry Aveda products. The brand made a $600,000 donation through its Aveda Cares program with hopes of raising at least an additional $1.5 million to enable the provision of grants through The Salon and Spa Relief Fund. Salons and spas that carry Aveda products are independently owned, and include more than 6,000 small businesses in the United States alone.
April Anslinger, Aveda SVP and North America General Manager, said, “We’ve watched small businesses take a major hit over the last several weeks, and that includes our thousands of independently owned salon partners across the United States which have closed their doors to protect their staff and their guests. Now, as a result of this, they face future financial uncertainty. They have done their part to protect their communities, and now we want to do our part to help them reopen as soon as they are able.”
KAO Salon Divison (Goldwell, KMS, and Oribe) launches the Salon Industry Recovery Initiative focused on helping salons recover and rebuild as they emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative is comprised of three pillars designed to address the unique challenges facing the industry and its professionals as they look to reopen.
“Our priority during this crisis has been to galvanize our efforts around the full and complete recovery of the industry as a whole, with special focus on our partners and stylists,” says Cory Couts, Global President, Kao Salon Division. “We know the needs and concerns of the salon community are very specific. That’s why we designed this initiative to not only commit to global resources, but local, real solutions for their recovery. We believe in the power of the collective and know that by meeting this incredibly powerful community where they are, and joining them on their journey, together we will grow, rise and create the future.”
John Paul Mitchell Systems reallocated resources and money earmarked for their annual Las Vegas event to assist their salon partners and build a nearly $4 million stimulus package. The JPMS Salon Jumpstart Stimulus package and programs will include:
“During this most difficult and challenging time in our world and our industry, John Paul Mitchell Systems wants to make sure you know that you, our salon partners, are at the heart of everything that we do,” say Vice Chairman Michaeline DeJoria and Chief Operating Officer Jason Yates. “In fact, everything we do begins with the question, ‘How will this benefit our salon partners?’ With that, we have shifted our focus for 2020 to be that of rebuilding our industry and supporting our most valuable partners—you.”
In addition to the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund, the organization has stepped up launching a dedicated platform of resources and education to help the professional beauty industry navigate this crisis.
