Taking over Brisbane’s illustrious new Star entertainment precinct, more than 300 L’Oréal Professional Products Division salons, ambassadors and enthusiastic stylists embraced unparalleled innovation, premium hair and beauty experiences, authentic connection and elevating the salon business, all while signalling the true power of the PRO, writes Cameron Pine.
An annual gathering that’s about so much more than hairdressing business and the challenges facing the professional industry, L’Oréal PPD’s approach is relentlessly zoomed in on the positives and the opportunities that lie in the power of a leading professional mindset, products that create new services and a passion that focuses on strengths and not weaknesses. Through elevating the craft with innovation and the latest consumer and industry data the room was filled with a sentiment that’s about so much more than service but about the power of vulnerability, authenticity, worth, connection and elevating the salon business in the process – something that PRO Connects’ commitment to the professional uncovers like no other industry gathering. With the theme of ‘elevate’ being present in every moment and avenue from AI to in real life, actively sharing experiences that create change and build an emotional connection between our industry and consumers remains the aim. The considerable opportunity for growth in an Australian and New Zealand market is evident in the fact that more consumers are going to salons than the global average – the potential for growth remains our salvation.
Bridging the divide between all brands and uniting salon that use many, one or a combination of L’Oréal Professionnel, Matrix, Redken and Kérastase each brand showed the power and potential in the Gloss hair trend and the ‘skinification of hair’ – with online figures surmounting to millions of views and searches across social channels for each and all.
Not only does PRO Connect encourage full evaluation of every salon’s current marketing strategy and consider implementing a 360-degree, 12-month education and execution plan, but encourages authenticity and organic client growth through using the tools of innovation to help focus on creativity.
Our energetic emcees for the entire program tied all the moments together in simplified bite-sized messages, Sally Humphrey, ANZ Field Excellence and Capabilities Manager, and Brendan Moroney introduced the PPD divisions lead who used positivity and opportunity to inspire all in the room to go after the consumer like never before, Carlos Figueiras spoke of the positive seven per cent growth year on year, despite a challenging landscape and professional sentiment.
“Welcome everyone not just to share connection but two have three amazing days together. Elevate captures the real spirit of business forum for all of us, by being present actively sharing experiences and evolution – we are inspired by your passion and your artistry to create the beauty that moves the world and we are giving you the tools and the resources you need to thrive. We still have a massive ocean of growth in premium haircare and and elevation in-salon experience,” Carlos said.
“The potential of the Australia and New Zealand markets is really strong – compared to the UK for example where there are 10 per cent less consumers than Australia and New Zealand going to salons. In the UK only 37 per cent do colouration in salon while here it is more than half,” Carlos said.
These numbers prove how important our industry is across both countries. How much our consumers love to go to the salon and our sense of growth. Out of 9.7 million consumers going to the salon everyday – only 25 per cent confirm they have an indulgent backbar treatment in the salon. This shows the incumbent opportunity for having retail sales and personalised hair beauty services inextricably linked.
Only 31 per cent of the target market buys premium products, presenting a significant prescription opportunity across new product innovations, especially scalp care, hair loss and INOA ammonia-free colour for example.
“Innovative tools like K-SCAN have seen salons outperform, with a 30 per cent increase in retail sales. The discussion emphasised the importance of personalised beauty experiences, sustainable practices, and leveraging social media for branding. Key strategies included consistent client experiences, team training, and leveraging global trends like gloss, a skincare approach where consumers use an average of 5 plus products and scalp care. The opening power session concluded with advice on building a strong salon culture as well as various financial and business strategies among salon owners. Intimacy, elevated human experiences with technology, a green future and social responsibility all became pertinent. “That’s our responsibility, innovation with the myhair ID app, sustainability, always supporting our community, bringing new solutions for the industry.”
“This is the next generation tech for a better consultation, professional for diagnosis, unique inspiration and beautiful results,” concluded Carlos.
Pip Edwards, founder of PE.Nation and now the Global Creative Director of Ksubi, spoke of her incredible career of creativity and personal sacrifice, alongside David Mannah from M Division we were able gain an insight behind her success, how to ‘deconstruct to reconstruct’ your life, the reality of burnout and how her initial years in finance and PWC lead her even more strongly into the creative expression of fashion that was inherent in her from a young age.
“Say what you mean but never say it mean is one thing I really like to go by – it shows honesty and directness in every aspect of life. I choose the team around me to support me and give them autonomy with what they do. I can lead from the front vision and creativity to set the bar – but as a leader I actually lead from behind to give them the respect to take them on the journey, include them and to make it fun,” Pip said.
“One departing message is we sometimes hear and are told we’re too much or you’re this and that, but why be anything else, I’d never want to be anything less than me or do less, that’s not right,” Pip said.
She discusses the challenges of balancing personal and professional branding, emphasising the need for authenticity and alignment with personal value, kindness and being genuine as your true integrity.
A supreme Business Panel of dynamic salon owners included Michael Kelly (Salon HER), Jess Del Borello (Circles), Sam Elvy (Buoy) and Brodie Tskinaris (Rokstar Salon) where vulnerable discussions across salon teams, leveraging technology, boundaries and mindset and creating resilient teams came to the fore. How to inspire, boundaries with salon staff, education and those little touches are what becomes the big things.
Jordan Kidner Business Education Manager at L’Oréal spoke of 2025’s biggest trends and what’s in the algorithms that drives consumers and growth. #hairtok (9.1 billion), #hairtransformation (2.8 billion) and #haircaretips (1.5bn). Jordan uncovered five key trends across the consumer and professional landscape including glossy hair, skinification of hair, no damage, scalp care, hair treats and how these key areas of technology searches and professional recommendation drive success.
Rich Tran, the founder of Ultra Fade Hair Salon, is known for his iconic brand on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The incredibly humble Rich shared his journey, starting with opening his first salon in 2017 in a low-traffic area and relying on Instagram to build his brand. He emphasised the importance of storytelling and sharing client experiences to connect with his audience.
Rich discussed the challenges faced by opening during COVID in a lower socio-economic area with no foot traffic and how he managed to keep his business afloat by focusing on social media and storytelling.
“How do I get them inspired? I incentivise my team – some people are motivated by money and others are motivated by like skills. I think I realised that it’s a psychological kind of thing. You have to understand your people,” Rich said.
Overall Rich’s team has amassed over 84 million views on YouTube and over 500,000 followers. His mission is not just about hair he’s passionate about going into schools to help kids who are disengaged and show them what’s possible. “Hair connects people and builds trust. Consistency beats creativity and that’s how I have built my brand on social media – growth didn’t happen until I treated social like a booking client,” Rich said.
Alison Kent Commercial Business Manager at L’Oréal spoke of the group’s commitment to sustainability in 2030 and beyond.
Sustainability is a key focus for now and the future at PPD, to ensure their production can be maintained by the planet, from actioning sustainability in the salon to constantly pushing the boundaries and initiatives that both pro’s and consumers understand, “By choosing L’Oréal brands L’Oréal is choosing you and our future. We are getting better at this and together making a more beautiful sustainable future each and every client service through products that are both effective and more eco-friendly,” she said. L’Oréal is also one of the only companies to win top-tier sustainability awards globally more than nine times in a row.
Rebecca Broadhurst and Cara Riley enlightened and inspired us all with innovation in beauty tech including an exciting development in dryers with the soon to be released AirLight Pro that uses infra-red technology for a safer and less damaging drying experience just the tip of the iceberg.
“Great service is no longer a desire, it’s an expectation and when it comes to the service in the salon we have an advantage. Creative experiences that are both on trend and specialised to that individual and a sensorial back-basin pathway,” Rebecaa said are all pivoted from advances in innovation.
“We are committed to innovation and services, technology that transforms into real life solutions for consumers such as Kérastase Genesis, Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate, L’Oréal Vitamino Colour to name just a few,” Cara said.
PPD proves that consumers are willing to pay more for a great experience and an elevated salon service menu. “Innovation in beauty tech is crucial to creating a more inclusive and engaging experience – ultimately driving the elevation of the beauty industry – personal diagnosis, augmented reality and sustainable packaging all continue to create a more dynamic and consumer centric beauty landscape,” Cara said.
Sophia Hilton was back with even more meaning and honesty than ever before, sharing her personal journey and how her salon and education has changed, even in the last 12 months – her focus carries an indelible human touch that focuses on wellness for the entire salon team. “Those that have diversified have grown but those that haven’t have really felt it, and there are simple ways to continue to grow while eliminating financial worry to focus less on the little things we can’t control,” Sophia said.
For the last eight years Sophia has been running education under ‘Not Another Salon’ and now has introduced ‘Not Another Club’. She is confident this will be as big as Not Another Salon was with more business, more leadership, finances and more webinars under something called the ‘Umbrella 5’. “The reason I have called it this is that in the UK we are going through a bit of a storm and while I can’t stop the weather I can protect you from the rain through these five expert pillars,” Sophia said. “A positive money culture stems from allowing those in that can do things better than you.”
Jason Everett from the High Performance Salon Academy checked us all on the things we say to ourselves while simulating a real client conversation about a price rise using AI, as one of the many ways easier functions and growth is right in our face. Jason is the founder of several successful companies and co-founder of the High Performance Salon Academy, based in Northern California, that produces high power live and cutting edge online trainings. He has a strong online presence and is known for the short powerful anecdotes that help us action change. “Too many people find that’s it’s easier to complain than keep going. So which mindset do you need to silence today. Your goal should be to deliver value, like when I’m asked to speak I never take it for granted – we must always leave everything on the table to create change,” he said.
Ending on a motivational high, Mark Visser is an Australian big wave surfer, author, keynote speaker, and mindset coach known for his extraordinary feats in extreme surfing and his work in performance psychology. He gained international recognition in 2011 for surfing the massive waves at Jaws (Peʻahi) in Maui at night—a world-first achievement dubbed “Night Rider” and wowed the audience with his videos searching monster waves and creating never before used devices and apparatus to make it all happen. Encouraging that belief in ourselves when things get hard and we face doubt is the only way to survive. “We often don’t believe what we are capable of, a lot more than we currently have or are doing. If you do the work, surround yourself with great people and do what you say you will do you will always have success,” Mark said.
While all the business, technology, innovation and growth is one thing, the real reason, the salvation and the meaning why salons take themselves out of the salon and invest in a program like PRO Connect is just as much about the focus on living meaningful dreams and the importance of providing for family, health and purpose over burnout and material possessions. Because in hair, meaning creates money and meaning is also where we create an industry that keeps us.
It’s clear the role at PPD is to keep elevating, keep evolving, to challenge thinking and inspire action, so what are you doing if you’re not doing all these things?
You’re the PRO and L’Oréal Access is your access. It doesn’t get much more powerful than that.
For more information visit www.lorealaccess.com
Catch up with INSTYLE and Styleicons!
- Subscribe to our bi-monthly magazine
- Check out www.styleicons.com.au
- Subscribe to our twice-weekly newsletter
- View our digital magazine
- Follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn