British Beauty Council seeks to "bring joy back to beauty" with new campaign

A new campaign to drive people back into hair and beauty salons and kick-start the recovery of ailing businesses up and down the country has been launched by The British Beauty Council.

The new 'Oh hello beauty' poster and social media campaign comes as new figures reveal that salons are currently running at 30% per cent less capacity than in pre-Covid times, due to restrictions.

The change is resulting in more than three million fewer appointments than would have been otherwise.

More than 7,300 salons across the UK have already gone out of business since March 2020, with the British Beauty Council fearing that many more could suffer the same fate, unless people start returning for treatments.

British Beauty Council chief executive Millie Kendall said: "We need to support the high street and city centre premises-based businesses.

“The personal care sector has not only struggled with the many months of closure and the on-going costs related to keeping their businesses alive – they are also not yet seeing the numbers of clients coming back to salons and stores that they had pre-Covid.

"We need to bring the joy back to beauty by encouraging clients to come back to experience the array of services we offer – most of these require immense skill and can't always be replicated at home."

The campaign aims to reverse the decline, by showing how beauty can help people feel their best.

Commenting on its launch, small business Minister Paul Scully said: "The beauty sector is so crucial to our recovery from Covid, not only for boosting jobs and local high streets but also for the career opportunities it provides to so many young people, particularly women, and the uplift beauty treatments can give to people's mental health and well-being.

"I have had two drastically-needed post-lockdown haircuts in the last year, so I know for myself how important it is to back these vital businesses and keep salons thriving."

Salons and beauty businesses wishing to get involved with the campaign can download posters for printing, as well as social media assets for use on Facebook and Instagram, from the British Beauty Council website and tagging @britishbeautycouncil and #OhHelloBeauty

The UK's £30bn beauty industry was one of the sectors most heavily impacted by coronavirus measures, with hair and beauty salons closed for 140 days of lockdown.

The sector employs more than 600,000 people, of which more than 80% are women.

Full-time equivalent employment numbers are down 21% on 2019 as staff hours were cut and redundancies made despite the furlough scheme.

At £30bn, the beauty industry contributes more to the UK economy than pubs, which contribute £23bn a year.