Profound Beauty, a first-of-its-kind business model, launches this month with the goal of helping independent salons deal with such key industry issues as diversion, salon branding, client service, and retail incentives. Headed by beauty veterans Nikos Mouryiaris and Bob Salem, Profound Beauty (Long Island City, NY) is designed to maximize the authority and trust in the professional recommendation to benefit the salon, the stylist, and the client as never before, beginning with its product line-the first-ever mutual brand that includes both the manufacturer and the salon name on the same label.
 Photography: COURTESY OF PROFOUND |
Each bottle will prominently feature the name, address, and phone number of the salon on its label but will not highlight product features, benefits, or descriptions of any kind. "The purchase of the Profound products requires a salon professional's recommendation," says Salem. "The labeling is intended to eliminate consumer self-selection, which in turn ends diversion. Clients cannot buy these products without the stylist. The stylists are present, we are present, and everything on the bottle directs the client back to the stylist."
To ensure that clients get the right products for their hair needs, the company has developed patent-pending methodologies to enable salon professionals to correctly diagnose and prescribe the right haircare and styling regimen from Profound Beauty's 20 offerings.
In addition to providing participating salons with marketing tools and educational programs, Profound Beauty plans to grant stock options to salon owners and their staff members. The company has filed an offering statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the Profound Incentive Equity Stock Option Plan. Subject to SEC approval, and at press time, 4,000,000 shares of common stock have been reserved for the plan. "Over the past seven years, I've seen the changes in the industry in ownership and consolidation of the manufacturers, but there's been nothing new in terms of innovation and ways of doing business," says Mouyiaris. "There's also the problem of diversion. I want to bring salon owners together and help them with management guidance, new merchandising and marketing ideas, and incentives. It's a win-win for all."
 Photography: COURTESY OF PROFOUND |
In development since 1998, the Profound Beauty model began in-salon testing of its products, systems, and services last fall. Owners of seven pilot salons report a positive response from stylists and clients. The concept will begin rolling out nationally this month. "Profound Beauty is contributing to salon owners in a way that no one ever has before-service, product, branding, incentives," says Salem. "And we've only just begun." For more information, visit www.profoundbeauty.com, or call (800) 762-9350.