Tag: beauty industry report

Beautiful Lies!

~ Joseph Kellner

 

Did you know that statistically, if a client buys hair care in your salon!

Two retail products you have a 60% chance they will come back.

One retail product you have a 30% chance they will come back.

No retail products you only have a 10% chance they will come back

I  agree on the idea that the so-called manufacturers will sell a box color on the commercial section of the beauty industry, and make a hair color line for the professional industry. Loreal is the biggest culprit of this double-bladed sword. Professionals will buy their industry line of hair color, sell their retail line, knowing up front that they sell to the commercial sector a box hair color and also hair care products. Does this make sense, Now I know I might be a slight bit touched in the head, but this is common sense everyone. And the sad thing about this statement that I write. The professional beauty industry has no clue, on how to change this. Quite easy find a company you feel you can have a relationship with. Not being just a number who buys from a distributorship will not cut it anymore in this industry. Help and support the ENTREPRENEUR IN OUR INDUSTRY.

An entrepreneur will put out to the industry a very good product. The costs are high but you will know what you are getting. And performance is the key, how many so-called professional lines do not do what they use to do. The manufacturer will purchase the hair care line, then find a way to make the product cheaper. In the long run the product is not the same. Beware when a product line has new packaging this means the line, “Is not selling well”. Buying into the age ol practice of “We are here for You”, is long gone my industry. I was looking at bottles of “Professional Hair Care in Publix Grocery Stores” the other day. And most of the lines there, Paul Mitchell, Crew, Sexy Hair no longer have warnings about “bootlegged, tampered, or counterfeit” on the packaging any more.  This is not diversion or manufacturer diversion, but Capitalism. A manufacturer and an entrepreneur have the right to do and sell wherever they please. And in this industry selling a new product line is very hard. Especially for the entrepreneur, your costs are high and having an advertising budget is necessary. Let alone having the money for formulation and packaging there is not much left for the entrepreneur to work with.

An entrepreneur will try to have their product introduced in an industry magazine or website and not think about the other venues available to them. THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR! I am not saying sell to the commercial sector on websites or commercial stores but using the magazines and write articles for magazines to get the consumer to come into the salons to buy their product. To many in this industry are looking for the “Pat on the Head”, from beauty industry magazines, hair shows etc. For their product lines, when time can be given to their local commercial periodicals for their marketing. Beauty industry magazines and hair shows have booth, classroom, classifieds and advertisements structured for the Industry MANUFACTURER! Prices for advertising and booth rentals at the hair shows are priced for the manufacturer dollar. Where does the entrepreneur fall into, most of the time they will sell their product to the commercial sector, and then the loyalty is gone. In this industry it is easier for a salon owner and stylist to go to Salon Centrix to pick up what they need. WHY? Convience! Thats is what it is all about, and the manufacturer can dilute the formula of a product to almost cost them penny’s. Selling a product for as little as $7.00 now is abundant in our industry. But for an entrepreneur cost are high for formulations of hair care lines. Support your Entrepreneur!!!!

As hair stylists, we sell our skills and knowledge everyday to our clients. Clients trust us because they know that we know what we are doing. You and I, are the trained professionals. We should know what our clients should be using on their hair (or skin) and why. Selling retail products should come as naturally as selling your client what style, color or cut they should have. Talk to them. If you have a client that has a long narrow face, and they come to you, it’s your job as a professional to explain! And to make money, isn’t financial success what it’s all about, isn’t it what we all want? Selling a manufacturers product that is available to the public at stores and online is not EXCLUSIVE!

Choosing a product to use and sell in your salon is very important. You must choose a product and company that you believe in. This is becoming more and more difficult for many stylists. Believing in the big corporate company brands that sell box color just about anywhere, not to mention their so-called “professional” products, is becoming extremely difficult. I guess it all comes down to common sense everybody, that is something my industry LACKS! And it is ABUNDANT in MY INDUSTRY!

Isnt your work and brand exclusive?

Then why would you taint your brand with a sell out? From a company that is not devoted to your financial success???

“Beautiful Lies” The new film from The Real Hair Truth Series!

~ Joseph Kellner

Press Release for The Film “Beautiful Lies”

In August of this year 2012 the editing for the next film from the Real Hair Truth Series will begin. The title of the next film will be “Beautiful Lies”. The film will encompass Entrepreneurs, Manufacturer Deception, Marketing, Ingredients, Product Labeling, Deceptive Labeling, Formulating your own Brand, Health and Welfare, Do You Know What You Are Using In The Salon?, And whats in your Salon Products?. This so far has been a 3 year endeavor or filming, interviewing, traveling to create this film. We will have a lot of new members in this film and also a few from the first film (The Real Hair Truth) will be included. I will have some very interesting interviews from OSHA, FDA for the topics of Health and Welfare. We will be closely informing the viewer of what they are using in the salon and does it fit the standards and regulations that OSHA and the FDA have lately passed pertaining to Keratin Treatments.  Being an entrepreneur is not an easy task and you will see a lot of interviews in the film regarding to Entrepreneurship. The Up’s and Down’s of starting your own business from scratch, product lines, books, videos etc you will learn “How” and “What Not” in this segment of the film. Motivation, Perseverance, Ambition the film “Beautiful Lies” covers it all. The film will be completed by December 2012. The Peaks and Valleys of entrepreneurship are covered in this film. This film will be available for Digital Download, and also Dvd purchase’s. In this film we do not advertise Major manufacturers only the Real Beauty Industry. This film was solely funded by Jotovi Designs Inc, and is not seeking any form of Sponsorship. And as of February 11, 2012 “Beautiful Lies” is Copyright in this Website (including, without limitation, Text, Images, Software, Logos, Icons, Sounds Recordings. Films and HTML code) is owned or licensed by Jotovi Designs Inc.  All editorial content and graphics on this site are protected by U.S. copyright.

Joseph Kellner

Jotovi Designs CEO

Will Anything Change?

~ Joseph Kellner

As I sit back and discover the endless possibilities we have to change our industry, I often think if the currents events are just a ban-aid on the problem of the Formaldehyde issue in our industry. Last year women’s magazines and pop culture blogs were afire with the news that the popular Brazilian Blowout–an expensive salon treatment that promises to smooth and straighten hair for up to six months–released formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Hair Scare! Brazilian Bombshell! It was a story made for clever headlines and consumer backlash. Not only was the treatment exposing women to carcinogens, the products used in the Brazilian Blowout treatment were actually labeled “formaldehyde free,” when they clearly weren’t. Moreover, in the midst of the media blitz, the U.S. federal government’s National Toxicology Program officially added formaldehyde to its list of substances known to cause cancer, and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared that one product, Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution, contains “unacceptable” levels of formaldehyde.

You’ll notice, however, that the Brazilian Blowout did not disappear from salon menus. In September 2011, the FDA sent Mike Brady, chief executive officer of Brazilian Blowout maker GIB LLC, a firmly worded letter stating that the company’s products contain formaldehyde and were thus mislabeled. But while it might seem logical for the FDA to then remove that product from consumers’ reach, instead it focused on the need for the products to be labeled appropriately. According to both the letter in question and the language of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure that the products it markets are safe and otherwise in compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

In addition to the FDA letter, GIB LLC was also sued by the state of California, where it is headquartered. The results of that suit came through in the form of a settlement that requires GIB, LLC, which does business under the name Brazilian Blowout, to cease deceptive advertising that describes two of its popular products as formaldehyde-free and safe. The company must also make significant changes to its website and pay $600,000 in fees, penalties and costs.

Which begs the question: Should California law–and beyond that, federal law–do more to protect consumers? After all, how many people really read labels, much less on products that are part of a third-party service? And this is a product that, because it releases formaldehyde gas, could affect even those who have chosen not to purchase it.

Opponents have argued that consumers essentially have the right to expose themselves to whatever carcinogens they choose. If you’re to pull this beauty product from shelves, the thinking goes, then you’d also have to pull cigarettes. Then again, if beauty products containing carcinogens had to have the same sort of Surgeon General warnings on them that packs of cigarettes do, perhaps companies would think twice about producing such products. The cigarette analogy works on another level: Remember how smoking bans started when advocates linked second-hand smoke exposure to unfair working conditions? The same route is likely to be taken here, with an eye toward protecting the health and rights of salon workers. Health advocates are pushing for the FDA to step in and do more, especially in light of California’s legal decisions.

The FDA, which has little authority to do much in these sorts of cases, thanks to the wording of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, did warn GIB LLC that failure to correct its violations “may result in enforcement action without further notice, including, but not limited to, seizure and/or injunction.” The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance are calling on the FDA to follow through with its threat and not only seize Brazilian Blowout products, but ban the use of formaldehyde in hair products. It sounds logical enough, but they may end up with an unlikely opponent in their quest: female consumers.

The thing is, despite nearly two years now of bad press, the Brazilian Blowout is still a popular treatment. Perhaps not quite as popular as it was, but popular nonetheless. Anecdotally, in the past six months I’ve mentioned to at least five female friends who are fond of the treatment that it contains a known carcinogen. Across the board the response was essentially the same, “Doesn’t everything cause cancer these days? Besides, personally I think it’s worth it.”

It’s a response that leads the discussion in one of two ways: On the free market side, there’s the argument that this is a product people want and they should be allowed to buy it, provided they understand the risks; on the public health side, there’s the argument that in some cases consumers need to be protected not only from companies but also from themselves. The same argument crops up around things like bag bans and proposed taxes on unhealthy food and in broader political debates about how and when government should intervene in business. Point being, while the great Brazilian Blowout debate may seem silly, the result of it could have broad implications.

Brazilian Blowout You Really Screwed Up! Hair treatment ruled carcinogenic!

~ Joseph Kellner
 
The makers of the popular Brazilian Blowout line of hair-straightening products — which can cost up to $500 per salon treatment — have agreed to change their labeling to warn consumers that the treatments can release formaldehyde gas, which is considered a carcinogen and can cause irritation of the eyes and skin, according to a report from USA Today.
The move by GIB LLC comes following a lawsuit from the California state attorney general’s office. The products are labeled as formaldehyde-free, but last September the FDA warned that Brazilian Blowout contains “dangerously high levels” of the gas. According to a report from WebMD, the FDA found that Brazilian Blowout products contained between 8.7 percent and 10.4 percent formaldehyde. Levels about 0.1 percent required an occupational hazard alert under guidelines from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

At the time, GIB CEO Mike Brady denied that his company’s products contained formaldehyde.
The FDA and OSHA issued their first health hazard about Brazilian Blowout in April 2011 to let salon workers and owners know about the potential for formaldehyde exposure from these products.
The FDA issued a warning letter to GIB on Aug. 22, 2011, saying “Brazilian Blowout contains methylene glycol, the liquid form of formaldehyde, which, under the conditions of use prescribed in the labeling, releases formaldehyde when hair treated with the product is heated with a blow dryer and then with a hot flat iron.” The agency reported a wide range of health problems that had been reported by users of the products: “Adverse events have reported the following injuries associated with Brazilian Blowout: eye disorders (irritation, increased lacrimation, blurred vision, hyperaemia); nervous system disorders (headache, burning sensation, dizziness, syncope), and respiratory tract (dyspnea, cough, nasal discomfort, epistaxis, wheezing, rhinorrhea, throat irritation, nasopharyngitis). Other reported symptoms included nausea hypotrichosis, chest pain, chest discomfort, vomiting, and rash.”
The FDA has authority over product packaging, but has none over the operation of salons. OSHA, on the other hand, governs workplace safety, including air conditions.
 
 
The FDA’s warning letter presented CEO Brady with an ultimatum: “You should take prompt action to correct the violations cited in this letter. Failure to do so may result in enforcement action without further notice, including, but not limited to, seizure and/or injunction.”
 
The state of California, where GIB is located, followed the FDA’s letter with its lawsuit, charging deceptive practices.
 
Health concerns over Brazilian Blowout had been voiced for some time before the FDA letter was sent. Oregon Health & Science University issued a report about the products in September 2010 after complaints from stylists at one of that state’s salons.
 According to a March 2011 report from Fox News, Brazilian Blowout treatments can cost between $200 and $500 and last several months. Despite the growing health concerns, the products have been popular in Hollywood, where celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry have used the treatment.
GIB has agreed to pay $600,000 in penalties and fines and provide salons with a product safety brochure. The company has already changed the labeling of its products. The saddest thing about this whole situation it took a organization outside of our industry to do something about the proble. Way to go pba.org it’s all about manufacturer dollars in my industry. You all suck!

Change your Industry? Really think about it! Change is good!

~ Joseph Kellner

Does the thought of cosmetology losing its professional status by the elimination of the license sends chills up and down your spine? Hold on folks, don’t worry! There are a lot of ways to lose your professional status other than the elimination of a license.

Think about most of the other industrialized countries that do not have licenses and no harm has come to them as a result of not being licensed. As a matter of fact, the cosmetologist are held in higher esteem than are their counterparts in the US. As it stands now, beauty schools have to teach their students the criteria to pass the licensing examination. Their future funding is based on their ability to have their students pass their arbitrary examination, which has little to do with real life in the salon. Furthermore, beauty schools may put as many cosmetologist into the workforce as possible, without any requirement for schools to support job placement. 

The Indiana Regulated Occupational Evaluation Committee (ROEC) had it right when they said the cosmetology profession should be self-regulating. “We all have friends who have their hair done, so all we need do is ask someone for a recommendation”. In fact, salons are reliant on repeat business. Without that dynamic, salons cannot stay in business. I would suggest there would be no harm coming to the salons if the license is eliminated. Those who are thriving would continue to thrive, those who are struggling would continue to struggle or go out of business. Consumers would draw their own conclusions as to what salons they would frequent. 

ROEC states,”..a voluntary organization to be formed, based on a small fee from each professional.  Membership in the voluntary organization could be based on prescribed qualifications that would provide a basis for designation as a preferred provider. Professionals who choose to practice without the preferred provider designation would do so at their own risk in the marketplace.” 

Salons would have something to say about how their future employees are to be trained while in school. Currently, schools do not listen to the needs of licensed cosmetologist and salon owners. If we suggest a change of curriculum, they respond that curricula is mandated by the state board. To those who say, “If there is no license than anyone can do hair”, my response is “Anyone can do hair now and they are.” In California, the Cosmetology Board licenses 35,000 annually, and no jobs are being created. It’s naive to think these people are not doing someone’s hair.   According to the ROEC, “The cosmetology license does not prevent practitioners from incompetence. As a matter of fact, most of the complaints received by State Board come from people reporting unlicensed activity”.  

I have trained many apprentices through the years. Something happens to the apprentice at the end of their two-year apprenticeship when they become licensed. They often cop an attitude like now I am as good him (me) since I have the same license as he does. Once a person earns their license, not all but many, feel they have nothing else to learn. I, myself, had the same attitude when graduating and becoming licensed. So before you rant about it, stop and think about what it would be like with just an apprenticeship program. The ONLY reason to go to beauty school is to become a professional cosmetologist. Sadly, that is no longer the case. This bill will also clean out all the industry SCUM BAGS, that push students through for their acquisition of Pell Grants, Government loans etc. Not worrying about the education they give to students, but to make a profit from the students. Remember this is just a license, that is why we go to beauty school to be trained to take a test. THAT IS IT! In my industry I always hear from so-called professionals these students don’t know anything, well my opinion is don’t blame the student, blame the schooling they receive. How would you like to be ripped off financially for a beauty school education, take a look at the price’s of tuition at the Paul Mitchell schools. It’s crazy to pay huge amounts for schooling that teach’s you only the requirements for a state test. Europeans has no license. Do you think in the state of Florida the continuing education requirements are kept up to date, There not. Change is good everyone.  But when you really take the time to research this industry, you really find out that corruption will prevail, financial attainment by manufacturers and beauty schools will have the final say on CHANGE IN THIS INDUSTRY. It all comes back to the manufacturer dollar, in this industry.  And there will be no change in this industry unless YOU change. Change in the way your handle your retail space, your employment practices, researching what are the most “SAFE” products you can use in the salon and on your customers, learn to think on your own and not taking a manufacturers word as gospel, quit playing follow the leader and elect your own industry leaders, learn how to say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”. 

Change is Good!