
A Partner in Business and in Life
At Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty, Director of Operations Natasha McMillen helps bring her wife Janet St. Paul's vision to life, elevating every system from education to operations.
The salon industry shows historically low growth in 2009.
The salon industry shows historically low growth in 2009.

Cyrus Bulsara
For more than two decades, Cyrus Bulsara, president of Professional Consultants and Resources (PCR) has analyzed and commented on the professional salon industry. He conducts and packages original research, forecasting trends and providing analysis for corporate clients each year. Highlights of his report have been featured regularly in SALON TODAY and MODERN SALON.
As he releases his 2009 Professional Salon Industry Haircare Study, he shares a few of its highlights and warnings:
The Bottom Line
"The study revealed that overall salon industry growth was at a historical low of 1.5 percent, and hair care product growth was even lower at 1 percent," says Bulsara. "In spite of the deep macro-economic recession and resulting low growth, some highlights, trends and bright spots are emerging that are good for the future growth of the salon industry."
In 2009, lower disposable incomes and tight credit impacted client's frequency of salon visits and resulted in low product sales. "Merger and acquisitions, major distribution realignments, direct sales and the economy all adversely affected the industry, especially leading marketers and leading salon chains."
Report Highlights
To support his overview, Bulsara highlighted the statistics from the report:
Sally Beauty and BSG same store sales were up around 1.8 percent in 2009-booth rental salons fuel sales at open-line Sally stores, and exclusive lines fuel sales at BSG stores.
At 3 percent, the hair color category experiences its lowest growth in years, due to the recession and increased use of home hair color. Home hair styling grows robustly in the recession and new genres of electrics and styling tools also grow. Specialty products grow at 3.3 percent and hair styling products grow at 3.1 percent.
Hardgoods and electrics see 4.6 percent growth from the sale of new Chi, BioIonic, ceramic and tourmaline products fueled by the trend toward home hair styling.
Booth-rentals continue to grow in certain regions of the United States, as clients demand personalized, private services and shun the bigger cookie-cutter chain salons, as their premises show wear and tear.
Economy chains Great Clips and Sport Clips both see revenues and franchise increases.
Mega salon stores, such as Ulta and Beauty Brands, see low sales growth throughout the year in spite of the recession and experience sales booms during the 2009 holiday season.
Natural products like Brazilian keratin and Moroccanoil still show vitality.
For purchasing information or questions regarding the study, contact Cyrus Bulsara at cbulsara@augustmail.com or visit proconsultants.us.

At Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty, Director of Operations Natasha McMillen helps bring her wife Janet St. Paul's vision to life, elevating every system from education to operations.

Expand your color service menu with the Pinstripe technique. Brooks and Brooks' Marlon Hawkins walks you through the technique.
The strongest salons, spas, and med spas know which numbers tell the real story of their business. In this practical guide, Phorest breaks down the five essential KPIs every business should track to improve retention, boost revenue, and make smarter decisions with confidence.
Sponsored by Phorest

At Bella Style Salon in Slidell, Louisiana, Director of Operations Angela Meyer tackles inventory, team management, and guest relations. Read all about her in our latest Meet the Manager.

Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.

Planning is in full swing for the most anticipated events and promotions for the 2026 holidays. As owners share their favorite ways to celebrate, they prove that a carefully planned event can also build culture, increase client loyalty, boost sales, and set a business up for a successful 2027.

When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.

Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.

At Salon Blonde, Director of Operations treats the staff as the salon's most important guests, while her wonderful 'nerdy' side, loves data, systems, and numbers. Find out how she makes Salon Blonde tick.

In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Salon Owner Salvatore Minardi reflects on his past 18 months as Intercoiffure America Canada's World Talent Exchange Ambassador and how his experiences will help encourage cultural and artistic exchange and support greater engagement between ICA and the global organization Intercoiffure Mondial.

Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.

Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.

In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.

The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti