MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hara Gel Polish Artist 2025 winner nails

Hara Professional unveils Gel Polish Artist of the Year 2025

By Helena Biggs | 12 December 2025

Nail brand, Hara Professional, has unveiled Wigan nail pro, Alyx Olivia Mills, as winner of its 2025 gel polish contest – and a prize worth £2,500. The search for Hara Professional’s Gel Polish Artist of the Year 2025 began on 1 September 2025. Techs from the UK and Ireland were…

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Great British Beauty Clean Up

Great British Beauty Clean Up 2026 drives shift towards reusable product packaging

By Scratch Staff | 11 December 2025

March will see the return of The Great British Beauty Clean Up (GBBCU): a nationwide collaboration between retailers, brands and professionals created by the British Beauty Council’s Sustainable Beauty Coalition, with the aim of reducing waste. Around 120 billion units of packaging are produced each year, and The GBBU is…

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Jessica Cosmetics nail brand

Gerrard International acquires Jessica Cosmetics nail brand

By Rebecca Hitchon | 11 December 2025

Nail and beauty distributor & training provider, Gerrard International, has announced its acquisition of Jessica Cosmetics. The Hertfordshire-based company, founded by manicurist, Susan Gerrard, and her late husband, Ian, has been leading Jessica Cosmetics’ UK arm for the past 35 years, helping to make it the nailcare brand’s most successful…

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Dec 2025 low res scratch cover

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Gift voucher

Salons sell over £1 million in gift vouchers during lockdown

By Sophie Nutt | 8 May 2020

Salons across the UK are still managing to generate revenue despite being closed since late March due to government measures against coronavirus. To support small and medium businesses to continue thriving during the crisis, Phorest Salon Software released its online voucher functionality on April 1st. So far, salons have sold…

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Face mask

Here are the at-home beauty treatments consumers are attempting during lockdown

By Sophie Nutt | 7 May 2020

As lockdown continues and salons remain closed, consumers are taking matters into their own hands and attempting D.I.Y beauty treatments at home. The team at Cosmetify has compared Google Trends data for the three weeks before and after the UK lockdown rules were put in place to discover the most searched-for beauty…

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Mask

NHBF working with government to deliver ‘return to work’ guidelines

By Kat Hill | 5 May 2020

The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) is working with the government to deliver guidelines for how the hair, beauty and barbering industries can safely return to work. These will be released in line with the government ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown which is expected to be announced this week. However,…

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BABTC British Beauty Council

BABTAC & the British Beauty Council work together to help techs return to work safely

By Sophie Nutt | 4 May 2020

The British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (BABTAC) is working with input from the British Beauty Council to provide a guide from a therapist’s viewpoint on the policies and procedures to be undertaken to ensure the safety of themselves and their clients when back at work. Lesley Blair, chair…

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Indigo Nails

Indigo Nails Lab searches for YouTube channel host

By Sophie Nutt | 4 May 2020

Indigo Nails Lab is looking for video-savvy nail stylist to host its YouTube channel. The Indigo Nails Lab team is looking for a host that is: Great at nail styling Confident, with great diction Loves to work with a creative team Loves being on camera Has a voice that touches…

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Nail polish

Coronavirus: At-home beauty tools top most in-demand e-commerce products

By Sophie Nutt | 2 May 2020

At-home beauty tools have topped the UK’s most in-demand beauty products as lockdown from the coronavirus pandemic continues. From the week beginning 13 April, online impressions for hair scissors increased by more than 3000% with a 500% conversion rate, according to data published by digital shopping specialist RedBrain. Hair curlers…

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