Unite As One Coalition Launches “Know Beauty Secrets” Campaign to Encourage Careers in Beauty

Courtesy of The Tease, by Camille Nzengung on 4/20/23.

Forget everything you think you know about a career in beauty because a new campaign wants to let you in on a little secret: a career in beauty is limitless.

This inspiring and empowering message is at the heart of Know Beauty Secrets, a new initiative that seeks to bring awareness to the rewarding careers in beauty and encourage the next generation of beauty and wellness professionals to chase their dreams. Targeting Gen Z, Know Beauty Secrets will use social media to showcase the many different facets of beauty careers.

During its annual Gala on April 16th, Beauty Changes Lives officially unveiled the new initiative. Renowned celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves not only introduced the campaign video and also shared his own beauty career journey with the attendees. The 90-second clip that was showcased revealed the “secrets”, declaring a career in beauty to be a best-kept secret. It also offered a glimpse inside the careers of industry professionals, sharing their stories as well as the realities of what it means to be in beauty.

Oftentimes, beauty careers are seen as a “backup plan” or unstable. However, the reality is that the U.S. beauty industry is a $49 billion dollar business with many opportunities for career advancement and growth. Not to mention, a career in beauty is a legitimate career path that requires skill, training, expertise, and passion.

“The irony of the stigma around the beauty and wellness industry is that regardless of how you’re participating—whether having your hair styled or testing out a new nail polish—everyone is, in fact, participating,” said Beauty Changes Lives Executive Board Member, Phil Horvath, who helped organize the Unite as One coalition. “Services offered by industry professionals require a specific skill set honed by creative and passionate individuals. We aim to showcase the tremendous benefits of a career in beauty and wellness to help let Gen Z know that in beauty, they can find meaningful, flexible, stable, and profitable careers that they can be proud of.”

The Know Beauty Secrets campaign was created by Unite as One, an industry coalition representing ten associations, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), Association of Skin Care Professionals (ASCP), Beauty Changes Lives (BCL), Cosmetologist Chicago (CC), International Nail Technicians Association (INTA), Intercoiffure America Canada (ICA), International Spa Association (ISPA), International Salon Business Network (ISBN), Professional Beauty Association (PBA), Professional Beauty Federation of California (PBFC), and Pro Nails Association (PNA). Each association identified the current job demand crisis for newly licensed pros as the biggest challenge facing the professional industry today. The Know Beauty Secrets initiative marks an impressive first collective effort from all the associations to advocate for and support the beauty profession.

As a first step, Know Beauty Secrets hopes to bring together and organize beauty companies and beauty pros in the industry to support the campaign by sharing their secrets behind their career successes. To do so, Beauty Change Lives will provide guidelines, promotional material, and social tools to make it easier for beauty pros as well as companies to support all campaign activities.

If you’re an industry professional that wants to get involved with Know Beauty Secrets, be sure to visit KnowBeautySecrets.org/pro to learn how to best support this important industry initiative. And for all future campaign updates, make sure to follow @knowbeautysecrets on Instagram.