I came into the beauty industry nearly four decades ago and have had the privilege of building my business to five locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Today, I operate two high-volume salons in Manhattan alongside a team of more than 90 employees. We’ve grown with two vibrant neighborhoods and now serve thousands of customers on the Upper West Side and in Morningside Heights, in many cases, two and even three generations of the same families.
Running a salon business in New York City has never been easy. Between rising costs, taxes, regulations, and affordability pressures affecting both working families and small business owners, salon owners are constantly balancing how to care for their teams, serve their guests, and keep businesses sustainable.
That is why many of us in the beauty industry are deeply concerned about the proposedBeauty Justice Act and the impact it could have on salons, professionals, and consumers across New York State.
Like most salon owners, I support safe, high-quality products and strong consumer protections. I would never use or sell products I believed were unsafe for my team or our guests. The professional brands we trust already follow strict safety and health standards recognized across the United States and Europe.
My concern is that this bill goes beyond reasonable regulation and risks creating serious unintended consequences for small businesses like mine.
In our salons, we use and retail a wide variety of professional beauty and cosmetic products every day, from hair color and styling products to makeup used for weddings, proms, special events, and everyday confidence. Retail is also a meaningful part of how salons remain financially healthy.
If many of these products become unavailable, significantly reformulated, or dramatically more expensive, the impact will be felt immediately. That means empty shelves, frustratedcustomers, and real uncertainty for the talented professionals who work behind the chair every day. It also means higher prices for consumers at a time when affordability is already a growing concern.
Most employee-based salons operate on narrow margins. In New York City, where overhead costs are among the highest in the country, additional restrictions and operational burdens can have ripple effects far beyond what lawmakers may intend.
The reality is that consumers will still seek out the products they know and trust. If they cannot find them locally, many will simply buy them online, purchase them out of state, or turn to unregulated grey-market sources. That does not improve safety, and it pulls business away from local salons and retailers that have spent decades building trust within their communities.
New York has long been one of the global leaders in beauty, fashion, and professional salon culture. Owners, educators, stylists, and beauty professionals across this state have helped build that reputation through decades of hard work, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
As someone who has spent a lifetime building businesses, creating jobs, mentoring professionals, and investing in this industry, I believe we can support both consumer safety and business sustainability at the same time. Those goals do not have to compete.
The beauty industry is made up of real people, small businesses, working artists, and local communities. Any legislation that affects our profession should carefully consider the real-world impact on the thousands of professionals and business owners who help keep this industry thriving every day.
Scott Buchanan is the owner of Scott J Salons in New York City and President of Intercoiffure America/Canada, representing employee-based salon owners across North America.