Salon owners are being encouraged to open their doors to local MPs this month to help elevate the voice of beauty within government, following a webinar hosted by iiaa in partnership with Professional Beauty and the British Beauty Council.
Watch the webinar here.
The session, chaired by iiaa director Tracey Tamaris, brought together Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council; Eve Oxberry, head of editorial at Professional Beauty and Aesthetic Medicine; and Clare Porter, owner of The Fountain Beauty Therapy salon in Surrey, to discuss the importance inviting MPs to visit salons and clinics across the UK during British Beauty Week (October 20–26).
Support Our Salons
The initiative echoes Professional Beauty's Support Our Salons campaign, which launched last year in response to the announcements made in the Autumn Budget. At the time, PB encouraged salon owners to write to their MPs, inviting them to see firsthand the pressures that salons face and their importance to the UK economy.
Eve Oxberry said the aim was similar: to help politicians understand the realities of running a beauty business.
“Most people in government, don’t understand the intricacies of our industry and that being a service provider in the beauty industry comes with a lot of challenges,” she said.
“It’s so important to get MPs face-to-face to get that across. Salons aren’t just service providers — they employ local staff, use local suppliers and contribute to local tax revenues as well as to the wider economy.”
British Beauty Week
Speaking about the new British Beauty Council campaign, Kendall said: “We want business owners to invite their MPs into salons so they can see what we do, how important we are to our communities, and where we need support. MPs work for us – this is our chance to make our voices heard.”
The initiative comes on the back of the Council’s “Value of Beauty” report, which showed that beauty contributes £30.4 billion to the UK economy each year. While that large figure represent the industry as a whole, including retail, the report also breaks the industry down into sectors, showing that beauty services contributed £5.9bn to the economy last year.
Yet despite its size and cultural importance, the professional beauty sector often lacks visibility in Westminster.
Kendall urged salon owners to download the toolkit available on the British Beauty Council website, which includes template letters, social media assets and advice for arranging visits.
“No disrespect to politicians,” she added, “but they love a photo opportunity. Get them into your business and use that moment to tell them what really matters – from business rates to VAT and apprenticeships.”
Real results from salon engagement
Sharing her experience, Clare Porter, said she successfully invited Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and her local MP into her salon to discuss the pressures facing small businesses.
“He listened, took notes, and later mentioned my salon in Parliament,” Porter said. “It showed that they do respond when we engage constructively. The more of us who speak up, the louder our message becomes.”
Porter highlighted concerns over VAT fairness, rising costs, and the decline in apprenticeships, stressing that salons are “pivotal to the high street” and often provide a crucial source of social connection for local communities.
Get involved
As British Beauty Week approaches, the message from the panel was clear: collective action is key.
“Our industry is powered by small, often female-led businesses,” said Kendall. “If every salon owner reaches out to their MP, we can make real progress.”
