When hearing about the growth of the beauty industry, most people wouldn’t bat an eyelash. The U.S. beauty and personal care industries have remained fruitful over the years, coming out of the economic recession of the early 2000s relatively unscathed.
This is due in part to the fact that the personal care industry lends itself to all, and even in times of economic turmoil, our society has deemed we must do things like use soap and get haircuts on a semi-regular basis.
Yet on the horizon lies more growth- aside from the everyday products and services required to maintain our daily routines. Accessible employment opportunities, increased consumer sales and heightened overall social interest in the many facets of the beauty industry have caused industry projections to balloon.
In Arizona, an entirely new employment market has been created for the makeup industry, lending itself to help with the expansion for the beauty industry at large.
Paving the way for freelancers
Entrepreneurs Leiah Scheibel and Alexandra Bradberry wanted to open their own makeup studio when they discovered Phoenix was lacking a lucrative service.
The realization came when Bradberry wanted to get her makeup done for a friend’s wedding, but was unable to book an appointment on short notice at any local department store counters.
Seeing a need for a business that specialized in makeup application only– combined with Bradberry’s background in marketing and Scheibel’s as a makeup artist (MUA)– The Sparkle Bar was born, but not without adversity.
Before they could open up shop, Scheibel and Bradberry pushed to get Arizona Senate Bill 1320 signed into law, which allows freelance makeup artists to charge for their services without having to obtain a cosmetology or aesthetics license.
Since not every cosmetology or aesthetics program has makeup application as a course requirement, they felt this was a flaw- especially with newer MUAs having the ability to be self-taught through platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.
The old legislation also allowed makeup counters at department and beauty supply stores to charge for makeup application, which is has often performed by unlicensed individuals, but was acceptable under law as it was classified as product-testing.
Under the new legislation that was passed in 2015, freelance MUAs in Arizona have been able to make a legal living off of their talent, further expanding the job opportunities in the beauty industry.
Freelancing is a way for new MUAs to practice their skills and make extra money through a hobby. Often times, personal interest in makeup and novice freelance experience will encourage someone to eventually pursue their license.
Joanelle Othon began her makeup career in her childhood bedroom. As a kid, she would do her aunt’s makeup.
“I don’t know why she would even walk out of the house with it [looking like that], but she would always let me play with it,” said Othon. “I’ve always liked makeup and when I got older and had the opportunity to venture out, I fell in love with it.”
During Othon’s senior year of high school SB 1320 was signed into law, allowing her to legally charge for doing makeup for friends and classmates. Freelancing as a high school student gave Othon the freedom to make money on the side while also discovering her passion.
Like many other freelancers, Othon was inspired to get her license to take her professional career to the next level. She worked at a makeup counter in a department store, before becoming licensed with MAC Cosmetics.
Scheibel notes that many artists who begin freelancing decide to become licensed or choose to work for a particular line because it’s easier for them to stay current with the necessary education as trends change.
“It’s funny because we did pass the bill so that people didn’t have to be licensed, but the majority of our artists [at the Sparkle Bar] are licensed just because that’s a way for them to stay up on their training,” said Scheibel.
As a part-time employee for MAC, Othon continues to freelance on weekends and her days off– enjoying the ability to create her own schedule and earn extra cash, often with the luxury of working from home.
The flexibility of self-employment is something that draws many to the industry, as it allows people to have other jobs, go to school and often provides opportunity for entrepreneurship in the future.
Employment opportunities
As it is, the beauty and personal care service industries at large have higher rates of self-employment than the overall U.S. workforce.
Personal growth in a beauty-related career is part of the appeal for many to enter the industry, and with more small business coming out of the woodwork, entrepreneurs like Scheibel and Bradberry are creating employment not only for themselves, but for the greater Arizona communities at large.
In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that the national labor force in the beauty industry would increase by a total of 9.8% by the year 2024. In comparison, the overall U.S. Labor Force has been projected to complete a 6.5% total increase during the same time.
When examining the job growth specific to the beauty industry, Arizona lands on the higher-end of the spectrum. Of all the metropolitan areas in the United States, Phoenix ranks 10th for highest employment level in the industry– which plays a significant role in Arizona’s projected beauty employment growth of 14.4% by 2024.
The demand for employment and the projected job growth indicates that the beauty industry is expanding across the board.
Consumer growth of personal care products and services
The expansion of employment opportunities has occurred as a result of increased demand for beauty related services, which has spiked consumption of personal care products, due to the integral role they play in most all beauty service operations.
This is evident in the notable increase in U.S. Gross Domestic Product of personal care product manufacturing that has taken place since the 1990s.
The increase in both exports and imports of personal care goods over the past few decades demonstrates there is a greater variety of products to choose from, heightening market competition.
Product lines are competing for consumer attention with new formulas, often emphasizing high-end quality with the ever-changing product trends. The market for personal care and beauty products has changed the way businesses target consumers, with social media being at the forefront of the digital marketing age.
YouTube has had tremendous effect in drawing attention to the beauty community through word-of-mouth, by providing a new platform by which creativity and novelty can be shared and new techniques and products are promoted.
“I don’t think I can count how many times I’ve gone into work and people bring in a YouTube video and say, ‘I want these products because this makeup guru has it,'” said Othon.
Up-and-coming companies will enlist beauty bloggers to promote new products in their videos, which ultimately acts as affordable advertising, complete with internet-celebrity endorsement.
This symbiotic relationship between product lines and the YouTube community feed off of one another.
“Products have always been there,” said Othon. “It’s the attention that’s being dragged to them that are making people more interested.”
Aside from the makeup industry alone, there are other goods and services in the beauty industry that are playing a role in the expansion. Newer personal care services such as microblading, eyelash extensions and lip injections are emerging and gaining popularity with the onset of social media.
According to plastic surgery patient coordinator and esthetician Alexandra Quinones, modern technological advances have made more medical beauty procedures available than ever before, many of which are less invasive than older methods of plastic surgery.
“There’s a lot of non-surgical options,” said Quinones. “[People] can get great results and not have to go under the knife.”
Radio-frequency and laser treatments for skin tightening, chemical peels, botox and dermal fillers, are just some examples of services gaining popularity among consumers.
Quinones said people sharing their experiences with treatments they are having done helps the industry to grow by providing an engaging marketing forum.
“Not only are you putting an advertisement out there, but you’re getting feedback that’s going to help you learn more about what people want,” Quinones said.
Like other dynamic industries, the beauty industry at large has demonstrated its ability to adapt to the needs of its consumers and to thrive with further developments in technology.
The necessity of personal care has made the beauty industry a staple in society, and the flexibility and economic potential inherent of the industry itself indicate that the future of the beauty industry is bright.