LOS ANGELES \u2014 A place of refuge for a small bit of glam in a hum-drum world is under attack.<\/p>\n
Eve Gurbazar, owner of Eve\u2019s Space nail salon in downtown Los Angeles, was painting her regular client\u2019s toes a sparkly blue. She charged the same price that her client had seen one year ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe economy is not doing well, so I wouldn\u2019t want to put anything on my client\u2019s shoulder,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m carrying it on my shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Trump\u2019s aggressive tariffs and a state law, AB5, have brought real-world pressures to nail salons and manicurists, which inevitably means the risk of consumers paying more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to make $10,\u201d said Gurbazar. \u201cIt\u2019s $8 now.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, elements in the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill,\u201d which President Trump signed on July 4, introduce tax benefits<\/a> for service-based professionals who earn tips and work overtime. The bill\u2019s 900 pages also include an expansion of a tax credit for employers in the beauty and personal care space. <\/p>\n In 2018, during his first administration, President Trump imposed Section 301<\/a> of the Trade Act of 1974, titled \u201cRelief from Unfair Trade Practices.\u201d This meant goods from China, among other nations, would face heavy tariffs. These tariffs remain in place to this day.<\/p>\n A significant amount of American consumer goods, such as nail supplies, are either imported from China or made with materials imported from China. According to the United States Trade Representative<\/a>, imports from China in 2022 totaled $536.8 billion. This means somebody has to pay: companies or consumers.<\/p>\n In 2024, the United States Trade Representative announced an increase in Section 301 tariffs on imports from China, significantly affecting medical and hygiene products.<\/p>\n Disposable textile facemasks, also previously tariffed at 7.5%, face a similar fate. In January 2025, the rate was brought to 25%. <\/p>\n Last month it doubled<\/a>. <\/p>\n Nail techs often wear face masks to prevent inhalation of potentially toxic fumes and microscopic plastic particles generated during nail drilling.<\/p>\n California state law<\/a> also requires Gurbazar and nail technicians like her to wear gloves when working with chemicals.<\/p>\n Under Section 301, rubber medical gloves were first tariffed at 7.5%. That was raised to 50% January 2025. Last month, it increased to 100%.<\/a><\/p>\n Mary Vorona, owner of OK Nail Bar in Culver City, is struggling with increasing prices for disposable gloves.<\/p>\n \u201cIt used to be one box, I could afford for $6,\u201d Vorona said. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m paying $10.\u201d<\/p>\n And it doesn\u2019t stop there. Even the nail supply shops she has always relied on have let her down. Her supply shop, Sweetie Nail Supply, sent her messages stating that prices were rising by 10-15% to cover FDA, brokerage, and tariff costs. They \u201cput everything on the buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody was really afraid of how much the price was going to go up,\u201d Vorona said.<\/p>\n Jenny Truong, founder of L\u00e0may Nail Spa in Downtown Los Angeles, said she began noticing nail supplies becoming more expensive in early 2023. <\/p>\n \u201cEven basic items like a disposable mani-pedi kit, acetone, masks and gloves have gone up noticeably, sometimes by 20 to 30%,\u201d Truong said.<\/p>\n Like many other salon owners, Truong often buys supplies overseas. \u201cAnything imported,\u201d she said, \u201cespecially from Korea, Japan, Vietnam or China, has become more expensive due to shipping and customs fees.\u201d<\/p>\n Meantime, California\u2019s AB5, which went into effect in 2020, redefined how workers are classified \u2013 as either employees or independent contractors. At a lash or hair salon, staff can choose to work as an independent contractor. AB5 says manicurists<\/a> must be classified as employees. <\/p>\n Employees get benefits \u2013 minimum wage, overtime and breaks for meals and rest. But independent contractors can earn significantly more. <\/p>\n Renee Phillips, of Clarksville, Tennessee, is the owner of Nashville Nails in Hollywood. Her shop opened just seven weeks ago, yet it is already feeling the pressures of AB5.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody would work for $20 an hour,\u201d Phillips said, \u201cbecause as an independent contractor, they can make ten times that.\u201d<\/p>\n Her son and business manager, Brian Hall, agrees.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of salons that are not able to find anyone to hire,\u201d he said, \u201cCalifornia\u2019s the only state that\u2019s doing that, and they specifically went after the nail salon industry.\u201d<\/p>\n There are other issues specific to nail techs that AB5 contributes to beyond salary.<\/p>\n \u201cNot everybody wants to be W2, because most of the nail technicians want to have a pretty flexible schedule,\u201d said Vorona. \u201cI noticed a lot of people who were interested are single mothers, or they have a child to care for. And as a mother, you have to be flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n Cherelle Hartley, a licensed esthetician and owner of The Nail and Body Shop, also feels the burden of AB5, as her employees prefer independent contracting.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does put a lot on the business owner because even though they say they\u2019re not independent contractors, they actually are,\u201d Hartley said. \u201cMost nail techs work independently, regardless, so their schedules are always going to kind of reflect being an independent contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n To make matters worse for salon owners, studies suggest declining attendance. According to Business Inside<\/a>r, 68% of Gen Z salon-goers and 69% of millennials now report going less often or never.<\/p>\n