Research conducted by Professional Beauty in our annual Professional Beauty Equipment Survey shows, in 2015, salon and practice owners put LED and skin tightening at the top of their equipment wish list. We ask Kane Hammond, CEO of The Global Beauty Group, for his expert opinion on the findings.
What was the most significant finding to come out of the Professional Beauty Equipment Survey this year?
I was struck by the importance of training to survey respondents and beauty business’s generally. [When asked] “How important is it that training is provided after purchasing equipment?” 93.04 per cent of respondents answered ‘Very Important’ and no respondents felt training was ‘Not Important’. [We] know that comprehensive training can be the difference between having a device and having a device that successfully adds value to your business.
At The Global Beauty Group, we include a comprehensive, industry expert-run training program with all our device orders. It’s not an optional extra, it’s an inclusive and necessary part of helping our clients get the most out of their investment.
What do you see professionals wanting in terms of equipment?
The most in demand equipment business’s would choose to invest in were LED (52.53 per cent) and skin tightening/rejuvenation (42.09 per cent), which have taken out the top spots for 2 years in a row now. This mirrors what we’re seeing in both beauty business industry demand and in end-user client demand. Everyone wants to look and feel younger, and these devices are some of the most effective ways to make that happen.
What equipment is at the top of beauty professionals’ list and why?
Skin tightening and rejuvenation are certainly popular at the moment – as we’ve seen in the Professional Beauty Equipment Survey – as looking and feeling good is never going out of style.
Is the country in which equipment is made a priority for professionals? What are your thoughts on where equipment is made?
Germany and U.S.A. were the clear leaders in survey respondents perceptions of which country produces the best equipment. With the rising popularity of aesthetic technology, we’re seeing a rise in knowledge amongst beauty professionals about what to look for, but country of origin isn’t an automatic guarantee of quality. Our Melbourne-based engineering and design team work with international suppliers to create the most innovative, results-driven and best value aesthetic technology on the market, with components and devices sourced from U.S.A., Korea, Germany, China and Israel.
How important is the relationship between supplier and salon/spa professional?
The relationship between supplier and salon is essential to a beauty business’s growth and a huge part of the foundation The Global Beauty Group is built around. Businesses want to feel supported by their suppliers – that’s why at The Global Beauty Group, we pride ourselves on being a team of experts in our fields to provide the highest quality support to each of our clients including marketing, clinical, engineering, training, technical and logistical.
How important is training? What does Global Beauty Group offer in terms of training?
Training is vital when it comes to beauty equipment – not only for the safety of users and clients but also the effectiveness of treatment results. The Global Beauty Group provides world-class training with industry experts with the purchase of equipment and ongoing clinical support available to all our customers.
How savvy are clients/customers these days in terms of which equipment is used by a salon?
81.99 per cent of survey respondents felt clients are not specific when it comes to which brand of equipment is used on them. Ultimately, consumers are trusting the salons, spas, clinics and practices they visit to provide them the best advice and treatments possible. Beauty businesses can help build this trust by having a comprehensive knowledge of how their treatments work and confidently communicating this to potential clients, training is an important element here.
How important is it to professionals that equipment industry is regulated? What are your thoughts on this?
It’s in the interests of everyone in the industry to ensure that clinicians are performing treatments that are safe and provide results of a high standard. This was reflected in responses with 80.93 per cent of survey respondents saying “Yes” to the question “Would you like to see more regulations when it comes to importing and using certain equipment such as IPL and lasers”.
What areas of equipment is Global Beauty Group focusing on at the moment and going forward?
With 52.53 per cent of survey respondents choosing “skin tightening/rejuvenation” as the technology they would be most likely to invest in, skin tightening remains one of the most popular areas of investment for beauty business’s. While there are many devices The Global Beauty Group have to assist in skin tightening and rejuvenation – from LED, hydrodermabrasion, RF skin tightening, carbon facials, IPL photo rejuvenation, microcurrent, oxygen facials and more – I think RF fractional devices such as our Venus Viva are particularly exciting. The Venus Viva delivers multi-faceted medical aesthetic services; including facial rejuvenation, skin tightening, wrinkle reduction, acne scar treatment and skin texture improvement and minimal downtime. The quality of results we are seeing from treatments would have been unthinkable just a few years ago – it’s a game changer.
What do you see as the growth sectors for equipment in 2016? And why?
We’re seeing a transition across the industry to more aesthetic technology – luxury spas adding a medi-spa element with body contouring and skin rejuvenation treatments and more and more beauty salons moving increasingly to IPL and laser hair removal solutions for their clients than traditional waxing.
Enhanced facial services (such as Hydrodermabrasion, LED, microcurrent and RF skin tightening) are very in demand among our clients customers too, as client expectations move towards [visible and long-lasting] results from their facial treatments.
For more information, contact The Global Beauty Group.