Toxic by Design: The Crack in the Hair Industry that People Fall Through
Note from Salonvironment: We’re ecstatic to welcome Margaret Ferguson as our first guest writer! Margaret is the founder of Beyond The Chair, a nonprofit that advocates for beauty education reform, labor protections for beauty professionals, and has resources to help industry professionals.
The beauty industry significantly impacts global and local environmental issues, which many organizations and advocates are actively working to fix. However, in sustainability studies, there is a concept called the “Triple Bottom Line,” meaning true sustainability considers not only the environmental impacts, but the social and economic issues communities face as well.
There is a famous quote that “Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Salonvironment is one of the champions leading environmental awareness in the beauty industry to enhance the future of the industry, but to address the other issues, the social and economic problems, we at Beyond the Chair are excited to talk to you about these problems that have continued to persist for decades. This essay will attempt to demonstrate that the hair industry has some infrastructure issues, and we believe labor unions may be able to aid in meeting the communities needs of today and in the future.
So, how did this hair industry become so “Toxic”? To understand this we need to understand what I mean by infrastructure. Infrastructure can be explained as the structures and systems that produce specific outcomes. The reality is that the hair industry's infrastructure has been built on exploitation, attrition, and devaluation. And some of our infrastructural issues are societal (how people speak about beauty professionals), while many are human-made (how we speak and think about each other); however, the problems within the beauty industry all begin with our institutions.
Many beauty professional’s problems begin with beauty school, where, as a student, they might take out loans to attend, but end up working full-time and generating revenue for the schools without earning any income themselves. Yet, the education they pay for is often taught for the test and not skill proficiency. Additionally, due to systemic racism, if you're a person of color, topics of textured hair are completely neglected in most states. Once new graduates join the salon industry, many feel unprepared for the profession, lack clients for steady income, and can be taken advantage of by salon owners because of their naivety. A key point to note is that, upon graduation, the average income for a new stylist is approximately $16,000 a year, making it difficult to repay student loans, which can lead to stress and anxiety.
Problems for new stylists can vary. Some new graduates are encouraged to go with booth rent, but success rates are low when you're still building a clientele, and many booth rent establishments do not advertise enough to support new employees. Then, for some, they become employees at commission-based salons, where they can be overworked at a minimal commission rate. Let’s be honest, a starting commission rate of 40% of a $40 haircut, with an additional 10-20% taken out for taxes, is not enough to survive in these economic times. However, the issue is that when employees are brave enough to speak out against workplace exploitation, they risk jeopardizing their livelihood. Many face financial repercussions, including suspension or termination. Furthermore, if stylists switch salons because they can no longer tolerate the conditions, they risk losing their clients to the previous salon, as client poaching is common within the hair industry.
Last year, hairstylist Travis Parker conducted a social media poll for his approximately 58,500 Instagram followers. Parker received over 341 responses inquiring about turnover among young stylists. The poll revealed troubling statistics: 28% (97 votes) left within the first year, 56% (190 votes) by the third year, and 16% (54 votes) exited the industry by year five. While turnover is a common and serious issue for salon owners, it has a more profound impact on the stylists themselves, who often face career mobility challenges due to society’s devaluation of beauty education.
I have heard many cosmetologists label the stylist who leaves the industry early as “not having what it takes” to succeed. However, this is a defense mechanism used within salon culture to justify the harsh conditions many young professionals face. While many recommend beauty work (hairdressing, esthetics, nail art) to those with drive and resilience, the physical demands, lack of benefits, and financial instability make it hard to keep staff long-term or stay in the industry.
These issues are not solely the responsibility of our beauty school owners, salon owners, or stylists; they stem from our infrastructure. Most turnovers in the salon industry result from income instability, unethical labor practices, or health concerns which have been built into the very system of becoming a cosmetologist. Additionally, the health problems faced by beauty professionals are directly linked to the lack of environmental protections, as the beauty product industry has been heavily underregulated until recently.
Many products have contained harmful chemicals, which expose stylists to potential health risks with long-term effects. These health issues add to our already critical problem of financial insecurity, and poor policies only make things worse. And then as professionals, we have to rely on organizations and legislators that may just not get it. The hair industry's infrastructure is just as toxic as some chemicals in our products that lead to certain health issues. But, at Beyond the Chair, we've been fostering discussions about the history of unions in the industry because we believe that stylist-led initiatives are vital in tackling some of the problems that contribute to our infrastructure issues.
For example, during the Jim Crow era, when discrimination, racial injustice, and economic gatekeeping were widespread, unions and small trade associations helped improve conditions for cosmetologists of color. Why did they have to fight? Because other labor unions that were predominantly led by white male barbers did not want women cutting men’s hair, especially women of color. These little Black cosmetologist ran unions fought against the largest and oldest beauty and grooming professional union. Black cosmetologists challenged licensing systems that had long been used to exclude African Americans, petitioning for Black inspectors and demanding diverse representation on the regulatory bodies overseeing their work. These small unions were supported by the National Beauty Culturists’ League (NBCL), a prominent African American trade association that fought for representation on state boards, higher professional standards, and the political and economic interests of its members.
Unions working with our trade associations could significantly contribute to improving education and workplace protections in the beauty industry. In male-dominated trades, unions provide health care, retirement plans, and even access to higher education. Additionally, they host and monitor apprenticeships, which is a federal program that reduces student loan debt burdens for beauty and grooming professionals for obtaining licensure.
Our recent Beyond the Chair survey, provides a snapshot of industry perceptions of unions, revealing that union involvement in the beauty industry is rare—92.8% of respondents are not members of a union or workers’ collective, and 83.5% have never participated in union organizing in any industry. The survey also showed low awareness: only 6.7% are very familiar with the concept of a beauty workers’ union, while nearly half (44%) are not familiar at all. Despite this, support remains strong—59.4% said they would support a union or collective for beauty workers, and 55.6% would consider joining if one existed, with another 37.6% saying “maybe” to joining if a union were available.
Time and time again, reports, studies, and data paints a picture of an industry full of talent and passion, but one that needs structural support to turn that passion into lasting, sustainable careers. The beauty industry attracts people who value creativity, flexibility, and the reward of helping others feel confident and beautiful. Yet behind the artistry lies a familiar story—one of insufficient preparation, steep learning curves, and the ongoing struggle to survive. And for both aspiring and experienced beauty professionals, the missing pieces to success are clear: economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
By closing these gaps, we can build a future where beauty professionals thrive not just in their craft but also in achieving financial stability, maintaining their health, and enjoying a better overall quality of life.
This article is a part of Beyond the Chair’s TOXIC BY DESIGN series:
TBD LIVE IG SERIES Part 1 with Kimberly Loomis from Green Beauty Community Foundation
TBD LIVE IG SERIES Part 2 with Hannah Craik from Salonvironment
TBD article collaboration with Salonvironment, “Hairstylists Pay A Pretty Penny”
TBD LIVE IG SERIES Part 3 with Diana Osbourne of Hair Holistic (10/10)
