The Professional Beauty Association is putting out an urgent call for donations to its Disaster Relief Fund to help thousands of Los Angeles beauty professionals and business owners devastated by the apocalyptic January 2025 wildfires.
“It is so utterly horrible,” says the PBA’s Julie Melton on Friday as multiple fires raged in L.A., claiming at least 10 lives and decimating homes and businesses.
The need for donations is severe after the organization's fund was stretched thin in October assisting beauty professionals in five states impacted by catastrophic hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Los Angeles' world-famous film, TV, fashion, and media industries support a robust beauty community. The city's metro area is home to more than 17,000 independent beauty and grooming professionals and more than 3,300 multi-station salons and barbershops, according to Rentech Digital’s Smartscrapers business information portal.
The breakdown for solopreneurs is: 7,500+ unclassified cosmetologists, 4,300+ hair stylists, 2,890+ barbers, and 3,300+ nail artists.
For multi-station businesses, the breakdown is: 1,200+ unclassified beauty salons, 860+ hair salons, 680+ barbershops, and 560+ nail salons.
Also raising funds for the Los Angeles beauty community is the Salon and Spa Relief Fund, maintained by Aveda distributor Neill Corp.