Editor's comment: a new wave of aesthetic treatments could help salons secure a USP

Recent news that the number of independent beauty salons in the UK is forecast to grow faster than any other independent sector over the next five years has been met with mixed reactions by the market.

While increased consumer demand for treatments has to be a good thing, fast growth also brings challenges, in terms of both competition for already scarce therapist talent and the potential threat to the reputation of the industry posed by new businesses looking to cash in on demand without always investing in the training and professionalism of their more established salon neighbours.

Most savvy salon owners agree that competing on price is only ever a short-term win, yet it can be very hard to convince clients to pay more than the going rate for treatments that they consider to be purely cosmetic, such as nails and tanning. For this reason, a growing number of spas and serious skincare salons are diversifying into aesthetic treatments, which, on the whole, offer higher profit margins.

So, this month we were excited to hear about a new wave of aesthetic devices set to enter the market this year, offering therapists fresh, non-invasive ways to administer treatments that traditionally require more invasive methods such as needles or medical lasers. Find out more in our future-focused trends feature in the January issue, plus our Professional Beauty London show preview, where you can also discover new launches and trends from every sector of the market, helping you to set yourself apart in 2019, wherever you choose to specialise.