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THE GROWTH AND EXPANSION OF PRO BEAUTY RETAILERS When Greene first started shopping at professional beauty retailers more than 25 years ago, there were only a handful of professional beauty stores for her to frequent. "I remember going to Naimie's and Frends [both near Sherman Oaks, California] all those years ago when they were teeny, tiny shops where you could barely squeeze down the aisles because they were overflowing with all sorts of beauty products," she recalls. Michelle Garbin, founder and owner of Vivid MD Skincare (vividmdskin care.com), echoes Greene's memories. "Twenty years ago there were only a few professional beauty retailers for professional makeup artists," says Garbin, a 30 March 2013 | beautystorebusiness.com Dean Banowetz clinical esthetician. "This limited number of stores and quality products is one of the reasons why I created my own line." But over the last 20 years, beauty retailers have become more accessible. Dean Banowetz, brand development expert and lead stylist for InStyler Professional (instylerpro.com) says, "I [used] a lot of catalogs for specialty products and relied on sales consultants with beauty distributors for my professional beauty products. But with the advancement of the Internet and the need for stores over the years, it's now easy for those in the beauty industry to get what they need." On the other side of that coin, the pro beauty retailers who used to carry only professional lines are now carrying consumer products that once used to only be found in department stores. "Professional retailers have grown, and their small shops are now catering not only to the film and television industries, but to the regular consumer as well," Greene notes. That wasn't happening, however, when Jennifer Aspinall—a freelance makeup effects artist currently working with "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and owner of INTI Creative Design—first entered the beauty industry. She notes that theatrical makeup was sold by suppliers that specialized in theatrical makeup and that cosmetics were found in department stores or drugstores. Today, the biggest change she's noticed with the growth of pro beauty retailers is in the vast number of product options available and the crossover between cosmetic companies. "Cosmetic companies, such as M.A.C., have moved more [toward] the professional world. By aligning its products with professionals, the company broadens its customer base and adds a certain cache to its products for the everyday consumer. Now, companies seem to try to crossover quite a bit," she says. Greene notes that even though pro beauty retail shops are larger and busier than ever, they still feel like home. "As the years have passed, we who were 'newbies' have become seasoned professional artists and many—including me—now have our own products that line store shelves. Now when I visit [stores], it's not uncommon to see artists roaming about, talking about their latest projects and new product lines." TRENDS AND AVAILABILITY "In the beauty industry, everything is needed yesterday, and a well-informed beauty retailer is essential to making sure we have the products we need when we need them," says David De Leon, president of Los Angeles-based RolePlay Beauty (roleplaybeauty.com). Image courtesy of Steven Soussana seen growth like this—especially across all categories," says Karen Grant, vice president and senior global industry analyst of The NPD Group in a recent press release. And as the beauty industry continues its skyward growth, so does a true symbiotic relationship between makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians and others in the industry to professional beauty retailers. Many in the beauty industry consider professional retailers to be their lifelines to supply their needs, stay abreast of the latest trends in the industry and brand their own products and lines. "They educate me on products, give me advice, inform me on what films are being shot and recommend me to other artists," says Kim Greene, a professional makeup artist and owner of the Kim Greene line of cosmetic handbags (the kimgreeneline.com). "The professional beauty shops are an integral part of the professional makeup artist world, and we rely on them as much as they rely on us." David De Leon "When I purchase products, I need a salesperson or representative who is well informed about the inventory and knows the line inside out," De Leon says. "My time is valuable, and I really appreciate it when a beauty retailer's staff knows their stuff, are courteous and helpful." Garbin believes professional beauty retailers are key for makeup artists and hairstylists because they are able to meet the demands of their clients' needs immediately. Several professional makeup retailers—such as Frends Beauty Supply and Naimie's Beauty Center— provide the breadth and depth of quality products that today's productions sets in the entertainment field demand. Thinkstock.com-iStockphoto collection No one understands the unique dynamic of this relationship better than the 1,800 members (approximately 1,100 makeup artists and 700 hairstylists) of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.). The union's primary purpose is to provide representation for the workers, fair wages, safe working conditions, overtime pay and other conditions specific to collective bargaining agreements. These artisans in makeup artistry and hairstyling work in film, television, theater, commercials, "live" television and even in Disneyland. "We maintain personal relationships with professional beauty retailers because they can help us get something delivered to the set at 6 a.m. or advise us about the chemical breakdown of products and their usage," says Susan Cabral-Ebert, president and assistant business representative for I.A.T.S.E. Local 706. "There isn't enough space to explain the appreciation we have for our professional retail brothers and sisters. We are truly bound together." And for good reason. According to IBISWorld, the beauty-supply industry has expanded over the last five years due to a high level of product introductions at the manufacturing level and an expanded target market of salon professionals that enabled industry revenue to grow at an average annual rate of 0.4% over the five years to 2012. Even more, a research report by The NPD Group found that beauty sales in the United States grew from $8.6 billion in 2010 to $9.5 billion in 2011. Categories across the board—beauty, fragrance, skin care and makeup—all surpassed pre-recession levels. "In the 15 years that NPD has been tracking the prestige beauty industry, we have never Image courtesy of InStyler Professional I.A.T.S.E.