Sustainable Salon Emotion: great just got better!

L’Oreal’s 7-step Salon Emotion program adds ‘Sustainable’ to its name, driving positive change for people and the planet.

L’Oréal Professionnel’s Salon Emotion program has been proven to be a successful approach to consolidate and build salon business by simply enhancing the client’s experience. But now what is already a great concept is about to get much better. How? By a company-wide focus on sustainability! We asked Claudia Canal, L’Oréal Director of Sustainability and Matt Whitworth-Howe, L’Oréal Assistant Vice President. more about this upgrade to Salon Emotion.

Tell us a bit about the new program to focus on salon sustainability in Salon Emotion?

Sustainable Salon Emotion is a successive phase of the original Salon Emotion. It takes the same 7 steps of the salon guest experience and buckets them within 3 sustainability pillars …1) We care for the planet, 2) We care for everyone’s well-being, and 3) We care for society. The program will be a complimentary, bi-monthly virtual live training. Videos of the 3 pillars taught by Pureology Artistic Director Yureesh Hooker will be added to L’Oréal Access in the latter half of 2023.

Will there be corresponding innovations in the sustainability of products and production processes?

L’Oréal Professionnel Products has long had a company-wide focus on sustainability. This program is an extension of that focus, beyond our facilities and into the salon. Since 2021, all of our U.S. facilities are powered by renewable energy. In our plants and distribution centers, we have reduced our CO₂ emissions by 87% and cut the amount of water used by 53% since 2005. 94% of the natural ingredients used in our products come from sustainable and traceable sources. These achievements and the rest of our sustainability goals for 2030 are guided by our current sustainability program called “L’Oréal for the Future.”

Salon Emotion has, up to now, focused on an enhanced client experience. How will this new program further enhance or change that?

We know consumers want to shop/do business with retailers who focus on sustainability. In fact, 91% of salon customers believe it’s important for salons to have at least one sustainability initiative. Sustainable Salon Emotion will guide salons on how to incorporate sustainable practices into each step of the guest experience during their salon journey. By implementing these practices, a salon does more than drive positive change for people and the planet. It is also something they can promote through their digital and social channels.

How will salon staff make clients aware of these new Sustainable Salon Emotion initiatives?

Sustainable Salon Emotion is L’Oréal Professionnel’s way of providing useful insights that we have learned over the years to our salon customers. It provides them with the tools needed to operate more sustainably in a way that makes sense for their business. The program includes several ways in which they can display their sustainability initiatives. One of these is a Sustainable Salon Checklist. In this way program attendees can monitor how they are implementing what they learned more easily.

What expectations do you have concerning client feedback on Sustainable Salon Emotion and products?

We hope Sustainable Salon Emotion starts a conversation around what matters to clients and serves to strengthen their bond with their hairstylists. It should also facilitate an understanding of what their expectations are for sustainability at the salon. We have come to realize that, even though stylists engage in efforts to improve sustainability, there are no guidelines or programs that exist specifically for the professional beauty industry. This is why we believed this program would be powerful. Framing the already transformational Salon Emotion program through the sustainability lens felt like the best approach.

How will salons benefit from this program in terms of business and bottom line?

Obviously, Sustainable Salon Emotion will provide many recommendations on how to implement sustainable best practices to future-proof their business. This program is more than a way to drive sustainable change and help salons differentiate themselves. In many cases, they will benefit from cost savings: lower energy and water consumption means smaller bills to pay. Furthermore, it’s a great way to attract sustainability-minded consumers and stylists. Gen Z is fast becoming the sustainability generation.

Will there be specific courses and materials to support salons in making these changes?

Attendees of the Sustainable Salon Emotion program will receive a Sustainable Salon Checklist, which is also available on www.salonemotion.com and on our Instagram channel). This serves as a guide on how to implement sustainable best practices in their salon. Moreover, the checklist provides resources on how to implement the initiatives that are of most interest to a salon.

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