News Snips: Beauty Headlines for October 2024

Schwarzkopf Pro Adds 2 More Celeb Colorists as High-Profile Reps

Two more celebrity colorists have joined the big names repping Schwarzkopf Professional, as the brand announces Jacob Schwartz as its U.S. Hair Color Trend Ambassador and Tracey Cunningham as its U.S. Creative Director of Color & Technique.

Cunningham, owner of Mèche Salon in Beverly Hills, counts Lana del Rey and Emma Stone as clients, while Schwartz takes credit for the hues of Bella Hadid, Margot Robbie, and Sydney Sweeney, among others. They join Chris Appleton, named last year as the brand’s Global Color Ambassador.

 

HBCUs Making Beauty News

The Lip Bar's HBCU Lip Gloss Collection
The HBCU Lip Gloss Collection. (The Lip Bar)

Historically Black Colleges & Universities are in the beauty spotlight this week: Design Essentials, a Black-owned hair-care company, announced a donation of $1 million to Spelman College toward the launch of its Cosmetic Science Program; and another $1 million to Howard University to create the Design Essentials Community Fund to support rising entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Black-owned beauty brand The Lip Bar recently partnered with the HBCU Culture Shop to launch the limited-edition HBCU Lip Gloss Collection (in time for homecoming).

The shades are: Rattlers (Florida A&M University), HU (Howard University), Spelman Girl (Spelman College), Hampton (Hampton University), Jaguars (Southern University), TSU (Tennessee State University), and General HBCU.

 

Minnesota Salon Wins $28K Color Bar Makeover

Fusion Salon owner
Alicia Helseth, salon educator and owner of Salon Fusion in MN. (Vish)

Earning more than 2,000 public votes, a 12-chair Minnesota salon has emerged as the winner of the Vish Color Bar Makeover Giveaway. Salon Fusion in Inver Grove Heights, MN, captured more than 50 percent of the 4,400+ votes cast over five days.

“This is a total game changer … our team is buzzing with excitement,” says owner and educator Alisha Helseth, whose salon was one of 3 finalists chosen to win the grand prize. The newly renovated space will be restocked with color and with new Vish color scales, equipment, and training.

 

SalonScale Founder Alicia Soulier Publishes Memoir

The Scale memoir by SalonScale founder Alicia Soulier
"The Scale" memoir is released the final week of October 2024. (Alicia Soulier)

Salon tech entrepreneur Alicia Soulier this week is releasing The Scale, her memoir about her journey from award-winning stylist to successful salon owner to founder of the backbar management system SalonScale. It is published by CEO Stories and available in paperback and ebook.

“It’s about personal transformation, overcoming obstacles, and the raw truth of what it takes to grow,” says Souler, who has described herself as a “non-techy CEO,” in announcing the book’s release on Oct. 25. 

“This book is a reflection of the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and I hope it inspires others to take their own leap of faith.”

 

SalonInteractive Launches Events to Boost Salon Retail 

Discussion at a Beauty Retail Revolution Rally held in San Diego.
Discussion at a Beauty Retail Revolution Rally held in San Diego. (SalonInteractive)

SalonInteractive has launched an event series aimed at helping salons, barbershops, and beauty professionals gain a bigger portion of beauty product consumer sales.

Beauty Retail Revolution Rallies” have been held in three California cities so far and have included education, networking, and sales strategies. The online retail platform says future events are planned.

A survey of salon clients earlier this year revealed as many as 95 percent usually buy beauty products from a seller other than their salon.

 

Square Upgrades Tech for Beauty Businesses 

Square point-of-sale tech for beauty businesses
Square has enhanced its point-of-sale tech for beauty businesses. (Square)

The point-of-sale payment giant Square has rolled out a bundle of new features and updates for beauty and wellness sellers, designed to increase sales, improve client personalization, and more effectively manage back-office operations.

The updates include integration with other beauty and wellness software systems including SalonInteractive, Vish, Pomp, SalonScale, and Glammatic.

The changes come along with a new partnership between Square and SalonCentric. Businesses can now buy a Square Reader through the B2B beauty product distributor, and receive promotional pricing for Square Appointments Plus with their purchase.

 


 

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