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Beyond Sephora: Beauty-Focused Retail Franchises To Consider for 2024
You might not be able to franchise a Sephora, Ulta or MAC, but there are plenty of great brands for an entrepreneur to consider in the booming beauty industry.
The makeup and skincare industries are taking the world by storm, with influencers sharing their daily routines using their favorite products and cosmetic competition TV shows flooding the major streaming services.
The biggest player of them all, of course, is Sephora, the $2.6 billion beauty store that’s found in shopping centers across America. Unfortunately for aspiring entrepreneurs looking at the beauty space, the company is private and franchising isn’t an option.
But it’s not all bad news: There are alternatives in the beauty, cosmetics and skincare industry that are available for aspiring franchisees to own — they may just need to widen their lens.
Dr. Hamdan Abdullah Hamed is the co-founder of beauty and hair-care brand PowerYourCurls. Like many beauty brands, PowerYourCurls runs corporate-owned stores. But Dr. Hamed noted that there’s a great deal of opportunity across segments.
“As a company in the beauty industry, we've witnessed how brands are growing in market segments,” he said. “We're observing a more definite segmentation of the market and improving consumer loyalty. So, it's a good time to jump in and cement that with good customer service and support.”
Here are a few successful brands that do offer business ownership opportunities, as well as a look at the big-name brands that do not.
Cosmetic and Skincare Retail Franchise Brands
Initial Investment: $115,619 - $215,415
Unit Count: 1,100
Founded 90 years ago, Merle Norman offers a range of skincare products and cosmetics that are all the brand’s own, for women of all ages and with all skin types. Its products range from anti-aging skin care serums to foundations to eye, cheek and lip colors. The brand also offers three types of facials.
Initial Investment: $966,010 - $1,230,590
Unit Count: 29
Heyday focuses on skincare, offering facials to consumers outside of the typical luxury spa environment and making these treatments more approachable and affordable. The brand also acts as a retail outlet for specialized skin care products, with experts who give personalized advice.
Initial Investment: $66,000 - $93,045
Unit Count: 34
This hair removal and waxing franchise was founded in 1993 by Noemi Grupenmager. Grupenmager developed a natural, elastic wax as an alternative to the painful honey wax and paper strips she found at other spas when considering waxing options for her daughters. Today, the brand offers 160 waxing services — from eyebrow waxing to facial waxing, Brazilian bikini wax and full body wax — for unisex customers.
Initial Investment: $99,500 - $256,000
Unit Count: 78
Kid-focused hair salon Pigtails & Crewcuts, established in 2003, boasts a family-friendly approach and a focus on community involvement. The brand offers a unique franchise opportunity, combining a low-investment, simple business model with a deep commitment to family values and operational excellence.
Initial Investment: $101,000 - $282,500
Unit Count: 4
Honest Lash is a new beauty franchise that offers lash extensions, brow tint, waxing and lamination, and natural lash lifts and tints. Founder and CEO Jonathan Ellis built the brand informed by a family tradition of entrepreneurship. While lashes are the medium, the central traits and goals of the business are all centered around family.
Big Name Beauty Brands That Do Not Offer Franchising
Sephora has taken the skincare and cosmetic retail industry by storm. The brand offers both well-established beauty brands and new, up-and-coming products to keep things fresh and exciting for its customers. Currently, Sephora does not offer franchise opportunities and all locations are corporately owned.
Ulta Beauty offers a range of cosmetics, skincare, hair care and fragrance products that appeal to consumers seeking both high-end and drugstore brands. The brand has over 1,200 company-owned stores across the U.S. and offers great brand recognition.
MAC Cosmetics has unparalleled name recognition in the beauty industry. The brand doesn’t offer traditional franchise opportunities; however, it does offer opportunities for partnership that could be very beneficial to existing business owners.
While there may not be droves of beauty retail franchise opportunities, there are definitely some worth considering. Consult this list before your next consultation!
If you’re interested in learning more about franchise opportunities in the beauty industry, check out these stories and resources:
