7 Things to Look for in a Tanning Brand

In Australia, spray tans are a sure thing, just like summer barbeques and day trips to the beach. But, with so many spray tanning brands on the market, it can be difficult to narrow down which one to choose. When your clients have a big event on the horizon, you don’t want to put your (and their) trust in the wrong tan!

Wouldn’t it be great to find your ultimate go-to brand that ticks all the boxes and achieves a flawless tan every time?

Here are seven things to consider when looking for a tanning brand:

DOES IT CONTAIN NATURAL DHA?

The chemical DHA is used in tanning products to achieve a realistic bronze without the sun. But there are different types on the market, meaning your tan can differ depending on what you use. Inhaling DHA over time is not idyllic, so look for a brand using organic DHA as a safe option. Sunescape only uses natural DHA for our professional and retail formulas, providing a healthy tan for your client, and a safe environment for your salon.

IS THE SCENT ENTICING OR PUSHING PEOPLE AWAY?

Is it possible to get the faux glow without the classic strong smell? Many tans can smell pretty overpowering. Not a great experience for you or your client! One of the key features with Sunescape is its signature lush coconut vanilla scent, developed to conjure thoughts of the perfect tropical escape.

DOES IT OFFER A COMPLIMENTARY RANGE OF PRODUCTS?

Clients often book in for a spray tan for a special occasion or event, but what about the times in between appointments? Offering a take-home retail range allows your clients to keep that glow 24/7, and keep coming back for more. Sunescape’s range extends beyond professional tanning solutions to include Self-Tan Mousse, plus prep, prime and maintain products which include Exfoliating Body Polish, Hydrating Body Butter, Gradual Tan Extender and a wash off range.

WHAT IS IN THE FORMULA AND WHAT IS LEFT OUT?

The ingredients that many use to get that gorgeous glow are not always good for the skin. Ultra-dark formulas look good, but can also wreak havoc on the skin, causing it to dry out. Some tanning ingredients used in Australia are even banned overseas! Sunescape is known for its attention to skincare, the rich, ultra-hydrating formula that focuses on nourishing ingredients like coconut oil and vitamin E and leaves out ingredients that are less than desirable, drying and flaky.

IS IT CRUELTY-FREE AND DOES IT HAVE VEGAN INGREDIENTS?

Cruelty-free, vegan and natural products are a growing trend in the industry. A brand that avoids chemical nasties and uses vegan ingredients to nourish the skin is ideal. Not to mention one that is certified cruelty free, as well as being free of parabens, alcohol and petrochemicals.

WHAT’S THE RATE OF TAN DEVELOPMENT?

It’s often difficult to judge the results of a tan, so look for a brand with a two-hour rapid tan that continues to develop over the next eight hours. Sunescape’s spray tan formula gives you a guide bronze. That way, you can get a sense of the final outcome, and your client can rinse off while still allowing the tan to develop.

DOES IT FADE NATURALLY?

One of the biggest woes about faux tans is accelerated, uneven fading! All regular tanners dread the snakeskin look and hate it, even more, when it happens a few days in. If a tan fades naturally, your client will get more bang for their buck and will keep them coming back to your salon. Steer clear of solutions that streak, saving hours of concern over unreliable spray tans from drying formulas.

Sunescape Tan is formulated to give you a natural-looking and feeling tan. We provide salons and consumers with a safe, ultra-moisturising bronzed glow; one that smells amazing fades evenly and is long-lasting. Our products are focused on treating the skin with care, containing added vitamins, antioxidants and oils to nourish skin, as well as hydrating ingredients to leave skin smooth. The proprietary formula is certified approved natural DHA, not tested on animals, and free from alcohol, parabens and petrochemicals.

The Beauty Spot wins Salon of the Year- again! PBS Skin Summit 2019 Wrap Up

Hannah Oliver accepting the award on behalf of The Beauty Spot

There’s nothing we love more than celebrating the achievements of our salon partners, and the 2019 PBS Skin Summit – held over two days (19th & 20th May, 2019) at Sydney’s beautiful Doltone House Darling Island - was the perfect combination of celebration and education. Kicking off in style with the annual PBS Gala Dinner and a very special Image Skincare Worldwide Launch party, over 200 salon owners and beauty therapists came together to celebrate success, network with like-minded business owners and employees, and let their hair down!

The gorgeous Dani Lombard of Dani Lombard PR made for a hilarious MC, and there was plenty for guests to enjoy on the night - from Brazilian dancers shaking their tailfeathers and live band Bermuda Social playing dancefloor fillers, to a delicious 3-course meal and free-flowing drinks!

We were so excited to announce the newest brands to join the PBS Collective - Australian-made skincare brand Organic Nation, the entry-level priced Dermalux Flex, and the UK’s Lynton Lasers – and interactive displays meant guests could check out the new products for themselves throughout the evening.

As always, a photobooth provided hours of fun for attendees, but our favourite moments of the night were presenting our hardworking salon partners with their well-deserved Salon and Stockist of the Year Awards! The star of the evening was The Beauty Spot - an elegant and tranquil salon in the heart of Victoria’s Swan Hill, which scored a total of 3 nominations and took out the prestigious 2019 Salon of the Year Award for a second year running!

“Salon owner, Christine Ewart, and the amazing team at The Beauty Spot have been extraordinary ambassadors of PBS brands, and their ongoing growth proves how passionate they are about providing their clients with the best possible treatment and care. It’s one thing to have a selection of world class brands available in your salon, but The Beauty Spot also delivers outstanding treatments, next-level customer service, and life-changing results for their clients.” Matt Williams - PBS Managing Director,

 Of course, Christine and her team were thrilled with their back-to- back win - “We’re so stoked to be awarded ‘Salon of the Year’ from PBS again this year! To be recognised two years in a row is just unreal, and it really motivates and inspires us to do more and be better.”

Day Two of Skin Summit was a full day of education and training designed to help our salon partners grow their business and maximise profits, and we heard from the experts on a range of business-building topics. We were honoured to have the incredibly knowledgeable Jacquelyn Hill - Image Skincare's Director of Education - join us all the way from the US to give us the inside scoop on the new range of Image masking products, and let us in on her top branding, consulting, and merchandising tips.

Guests also heard from our very own in-house Educators and Business Development Managers who ran through the latest products to join the PBS Collective, and shared insider tips on how to plan a successful and profitable event. PBS CEO Matt Williams went on to explain why a Dermalux LED System is the single best way to increase your salon's profitability, and we wrapped up the jam-packed day with a super-inspiring panel discussion, where our top salon owners shared their invaluable stories and advice. Guests benefited from the expert knowledge and practical teachings shared on the day, and walked away from the event feeling empowered to take their business to the next level!

Congratulations again to all our 2019 finalists and winners!

·         Salon of the Year - The Beauty Spot

·         Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Stockist of the Year - La Bella Medispa

·         Image Skincare Stockist of the Year - Body Wisdom

·         Pure Fiji Stockist of the Year - Aztec Day Spa

·         Bestow Stockist of the Year – Skinovations

·         Sunescape Stockist of the Year - Ooh La La Beauty Boutique

·         Body Sugaring Australia Stockist of the Year - Saya Medispa

·         Dermalux Stockist of the Year - Fresh Face Bar

·         ECOCOCO Stockist of the Year - Bella Spazio

·         Award for Marketing Excellence - Breathe Indulgence & Beauty

·         Award for Best Newcomer - Face Medispa

·         Retail Therapist of the Year - Shyana Carnie, Bella Spazio

·         PBS Hall of Fame - The Beauty Collective of Dubbo

·         Highest Annual Growth - Zwar Beauty

Salon of the Month July 2019 – Blush Boutique

Based in tranquil Gold Creek Village, ACT, Blush Boutique prides itself on offering a complete experience thanks to a full range of services that allow clients to be pampered from head to toe. Blush’s award-winning, fully qualified team of beauty therapists and hairdressers can do it all - specialising in makeup artistry, spray tanning, body sugaring, nails, hair styling, skin care and advanced skin treatments, including LED and needling.

Having first stocked Youngblood 8 years ago, owner Sammi Barton has since gone on to add Image Skincare, Sunescape, Dermalux LED, Bestow Beauty, Pure Fiji, Body Sugaring Australia, Wotnot and Cherry Blooms to her salon’s offering, with great success.

“We started with Youngblood many years ago and fell in love with the products - as well as the support that came with being a PBS salon partner. And as PBS grew, so did we! One by one we took on new brands that we knew PBS loved and trusted, and there’s not one brand we’ve put in the salon that we haven’t loved and that hasn’t flown off the shelves. The results that each brand delivers really do speak for themselves!”

As part of their marketing activities, Blush Boutique hold at least one VIP event a year which includes an evening of education, makeup demonstrations, and a hands-on contouring and brow class. They’ve held Skin School workshops to educate clients on effectively caring for their skin using the Image Skincare AM/PM principle, and Sammi has also implemented a client membership/loyalty program that’s noticeably increased the frequency of customer visits and in salon spend.

As Blush Boutique continues to flourish, Sammi credits not only her amazing team of therapists for the salon’s success, but also the invaluable support PBS provides. Using PBS’s Marketing On A Platter (MOAP) on a daily basis to share campaigns and implement marketing strategies, both in salon and on social media, has been crucial to the success of Blush Boutique, and has freed up Sammi to focus on other areas of her business.

“As every salon owner would know, it’s extremely hard to find the time to schedule marketing and put together campaigns, so having access to social media graphics, posters and EDMs via Marketing On A Platter has been amazing. Not only has it helped me increase my average client spend and visit frequency, but it also makes merchandising in the salon a lot easier! Instead of just having a wall of products, the marketing materials from PBS help me create stories within the displays – allowing me to create eye-catching point of sale areas.”

Well done to Sammi and her team on their gorgeous salon! PBS are excited to be a part of Blush Boutique’s success story, and we can’t wait to see how the salon continues to grow. Congratulations on being our PBS Salon of the Month!

Has your salon found success using PBS products and MOAP? Want to see you and your therapists featured in the next Salon of the Month? We want to hear from you!

Share your unique success story and tips and tricks with us and you could WIN $300 in promotional items for your salon.  Email marketing@probeautysolutions.com.au for information on how to nominate your salon for PBS ‘Salon of the Month’.

Salon of the Month May 2019 – Beautorium

Beautorium is a professional home-based beauty salon, designed to be the ultimate beauty destination for the busy working woman. Doing business for almost 7 years and going from strength to strength, Beautorium’s mission is to empower clients to believe that their appointments are an important part of their self-care routine, and not just a luxury.

Owned and run by Angela Sanchez, Beautorium offers flexible after-hours appointments and 1-on-1 customer experiences that offer skin and body solutions via new and innovative treatments and exceptional customer service. Angela strives for excellence in all that she does and wants to involve her clients in their skincare and wellness journey as much as possible.

Beautorium’s relationship with PBS began two and a half years ago when they took on Image Skincare and since then Angela has welcomed LUK Beautifood, WotNot wipes, CherryBlooms, Body Sugaring Australia, Sunescape and Ecococo Crystals into the salon. Says Angela, “Three years ago I felt lost, with no idea how I could grow my business, but partnering with PBS has lifted my business to new heights! It’s so important to find a brand partner who supports, encourages and recognises small business success and that partner is PBS! I’m so proud to partner with PBS because they continually deliver on their promises and always keeps me motivated to strive towards my business goals and growth!”

As part of their marketing activities, Beautorium ran a super-successful International Women’s Day Bestow Beauty Breakfast at a local café, which resulted in introducing 10 existing clients to Bestow Beauty and gaining two new clients to the salon. Attendees made ‘Bestow Glow Smoothie Bowls’ at this event, and they’re now being added to the cafe’s menu! Angela has also created a Beauty Addict Membership program which has increased customer frequency and spend within the salon.

Beautorium also uses the PBS Marketing on a Platter (MOAP) on a daily basis to share campaigns and implement marketing strategies in salon and on social media.

“I don’t have to view content creation as being a setback anymore because the MOAPs do it all for me! Using the MOAPs saves me so much time and I’ve definitely noticed that consistent marketing really does pay off. It’s so rewarding when your clients say something like, ‘Oh, what’s that facial roller thing I saw you doing on your stories?’ which then leads them to book a facial or buy the product and implement it into their daily routines.” – Angela Sanchez, Beautorium owner

Well done to Angela for creating such an amazing salon! We’re excited to be able to be a part of Beautorium’s success story and can’t wait to see how the salon continues to grow. Congratulations on being our PBS Salon of the Month!

Salon of the Month - Toowoomba Hair Designers

A boutique salon in Hodgsonvale, 15 minutes outside Toowoomba City, Toowoomba Hair Designers specialises in hairdressing and beauty therapy. For over 17 years the team at Toowoomba Hair Designers have been devoted to providing exceptional service while offering a complete beauty experience in a relaxing environment – a lifesaver for time-poor clients.

Toowoomba Hair Designers journey with PBS started out with Youngblood over 13 years ago and they then introduced Sunescape four years later. They’ve since added Image Skincare and Bestow Beauty to their stable of brands, with both proving to be hits with their clients!

“Youngblood has been a favourite with our clients for many years because of how easy it is to use and the fact it’s a very high-quality product that can be used on all skin types,” says manager Cathy Ferguson. “I’m finding Image Skincare a very exciting brand to work with as well, and my clients are really starting to embrace and enjoy the results that Image Skincare’s products have been delivering over the past year.”

Cathy believes the business excels because they put their clients first and focus on delivering top notch customer service. In order to create a welcoming and caring environment the salon staff go out of their way to personally get to know each client and take an interest in their lives, ensuring the salon is somewhere clients look to return to for friendly conversation, relaxing treatments and great results. “To ensure we have a loyal cliental we always make sure our customers are happy and excited about their new looks and treatments, and we always educate them thoroughly about their chosen products to ensure they keep seeing results,” says Cathy.

As a part of their marketing activities the salon recently held a Bestow Beauty VIP night where they cooked up Bestow recipes, sampled Bestow herbal teas and gave out complimentary Bestow samples for clients to try. They also gave clients the opportunity to try products from the other brands they stock and even held a raffle to win a hamper of Bestow, Youngblood, Image Skincare and Sunescape products! Needless to say, the VIP night was a total success and the salon immediately saw an increase in sales of Bestow teas and recipe books, as well as Image Skincare’s I Conceal foundations.

When it comes to day-to-day promotion of the business through social media, the team at Toowoomba Hair Designers always make sure they take advantage of the monthly PBS MOAPs, using the graphics across their social media platforms to advertise special offers and discounts.

Well done to owner Kate and the team at Toowoomba Hair Designers! We’re excited to be a part of their success story and look forward to seeing how the salon continues to grow. Congratulations on earning Salon of the Month!

Salon of the Month - The Beauty Collective of Dubbo

The Beauty Collective is a boutique beauty salon nestled in the rustic hub of Dubbo's CBD (NSW) in a beautifully restored 1800s cottage.

Owner Danielle Pearce, a professionally trained beauty therapist and highly sought-after make-up artist, has spent many years shaping her business to reflect what she personally seeks from beauty therapy and her focus is to offer professional and personalised beauty treatments with friendly customer service.

As one of the leading local businesses in the Central West area, The Beauty Collective attributes its reputation to the lasting customer relationships that have developed over the years and the belief that all customers deserve the highest level of service.

As Danielle explains, “because The Beauty Collective is solely owned and operated I’m able to provide the highest quality, personalised service to each and every customer. This is what makes us unique, as clients are guaranteed the same friendly therapist at every visit.”

After taking on Youngblood a decade ago after Professional Beauty Solutions took on the distribution, The Beauty Collective now stocks a total of six PBS brands including Sunescape, Image Skincare, Pure Fiji, Cherry Blooms and Wotnot. Before taking on a new brand Danielle thoroughly researches and trials the products to ensure that she personally experiences positive results, and she has seen firsthand the amazing results that PBS brands can deliver.

“As a makeup artist, Youngblood has always been the number one makeup choice for me because of its consistency, product range and company ethics. Stocking Pure Fiji in our salon provides that extra touch of luxury and also allows the client the opportunity to purchase the products that were used during treatment so they can create a similar experience at home. As for Image Skincare, I cannot recommend the range more highly! Having utilised many skincare products over the past 20 years in the industry, Image Skincare is by far the best cosmeceutical skincare range and the results truly speak for themselves.” Danielle Pearce, The Beauty Collective owner

One of the things that makes The Beauty Collective a stand out salon in the Dubbo area is their attention to detail. By establishing a close relationship with their clients they’re able to maintain the highest level of personalised service, every visit. “A follow up call with our clients after a skincare analysis or facial is a must to ensure they’re happy with the results,” says Danielle. She also like to surprise clients with small gestures like a complimentary hand massage, mini promotional products and signature refreshments.

The Beauty Collective’s marketing activities have seen them collaborate with many businesses in the area and they’ve been involved in a number of stunning bridal photoshoots using Youngblood products, which has boosted the salon’s profile as well as that of the Youngblood brand. The Beauty Collective also makes regular use of the PBS MOAP sets on its social media channels and in salon displays to generate interest and excitement around new product releases and special offers, and Danielle says this type of promotion means the products and services sell themselves.

Well done to Danielle for her amazing achievements! PBS are excited to be a part of her success story and we can’t wait to see how The Beauty Collective continues to grow. Congratulations on earning Salon of the Month!