Beauty Tools Industry Overview
The beauty tools and equipment are items used for enhancing the appearance of various parts of our body like hands, legs, nails, hair, face etc. Some of the important beauty tools are hairbrush, scissors, shaving tools, pedicure and manicure tools, make up equipment, etc. Most of these tools are used in beauty salons and spas. Generally these products are selected on the basis of their applicability and quality rather than their price. These products usually have very high profit margins.


Major Products
The various kinds of products manufactured by this industry can be divided into eight heads. These are as follows:

• Pedicure and Manicure Tools- These tools are used to enhance the beauty of hands and feet using various products like nail brush, nail buffer, nail shiner, nail nipper, nail clipper, pumice stone etc.
  
  
• Shaving Tools- The shaving tools are used to remove hair from various parts of the body. Some of the generally used tools are shaving brush, shaving blades and shaving razor.
  
  
• Make up eproducts- Make up products are the tools generally used by ladies to enhance their beauty and includes compact mirror, cosmetic brush, dispenser, eyelash curler, powder brush, vanity box etc .
  
  
• Facial Equipment- Facial equipments are used in various facial treatments and include products like facial bed, facial chair, facial massager, spatulas, towel warmer etc.
  
  
• Salon Furniture- The different types of furniture used in a salon which can be classified as massage bed, shampoo chair, make up chair, barber chair, stool etc.
  
  
• Salon Equipment- There are many types of equipments used in the salons according to the type of cosmetic treatment being done like body fat monitor, flat hair iron, hair vacuum, heating blanket, UV sterilizer etc.

The year 2004 showed tremendous growth in beauty tools and equipment market. Almost all beauty segments grew by 15-20% far outstripping the growth of other promising markets. The total current volume of the global beauty tools and equipment market is estimated at $6.2 billion dollars. Euromonitor business analysts forecast that the market will triple to $18 billion by 2010 with imported beauty tools and equipment and cosmetic products constituting 53 percent of the total market. Despite this, the market is currently less developed and offers definite potentials for many niche segments awaiting further development. Specialized beauty tools and equipment are now experiencing strong growth as consumers are now more discriminating due to the large marketing campaigns of major western beauty tools and equipment chains. Consumer awareness can be seen in the diversity of premium products being demanded and the numerous different formulas sought to improve skin tone and appearance. New niche brands of beauty tools and equipment are multiplying rapidly.


Major Consumers
The countries manufacturing beauty tools and equipments includes USA, UK, China and France. Most of the beauty tools and equipment are supplied in spas and salons and as, people will become more beauty conscious, the demand for tools in these countries will also rise as the treatments are done with the help of these tools.

Global Trade Volumes and Trends
The Beauty tools and equipment industry has shown massive growth potential in the recent few years. Presently China’s beauty tools and equipment industry is the largest and fastest growing market for beauty tools and equipment. In China big salons and spas have reported 15% rise in their sales. The traditional markets of USA and UK are still vibrant, but new markets are also emerging all over the world. It has been estimated that there are more than 200,000 licensed beauty salons in USA alone and 127 million people visit them every month. The revenue of professional salon industry is rising at the rate of 6% annually. The main factors responsible for this growing trend are as follows:

• People all over the world have become more beauty conscious and are spending a lot of time and money on their facial appearance and look.
  
  
• A number of salons and spas have opened up giving good treatments and using great quality products of leading brands.
  
  
• Introduction of services like skin care treatments, hair treatments, weight loss treatments, body contouring and skin whitening is leading people flocking these salons and spas for looking more attractive and beautiful.
  
  
• Establishment of beauty and hair salons and spas in hospitals, health centers, fitness clubs, aromatherapy clinics, resorts etc has led to an increased awareness and demand for these services.
  
  
• A rise in the standard of living and purchasing power of the people in most of the developing countries like China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Venezuela etc has led to a rise in the demand for these products.
  
  
• Massive advertising has made people more aware about the variety available to them and the need of these products.
  
  
• Latest fashion trends and emergence of new brands have made these products more popular.
  
  
• One of the most important and noticeable trends in the industry is that men are increasingly getting attracted towards these products. According to a survey by the International Spa Association, male customers of these products constitute 29% of the total customers. The sale of men products showed an increase of 37.3% in the last 6 years.
  
  
• The anti-aging treatment is the latest craze among people and a lot of people are visiting salons and spas providing this treatment, which has in turn given a push to the demand for different tools and equipment used in this treatment.

The industry is showing excellent growth rate since the past five to six years. This can be analyzed by the fact that a number of beauty salons are opening up mostly in affluent cities of the world. As more and more people are opting for beauty treatments, to enhance their look, the sales of the different beauty tools and equipments is increasing day by day. Earlier the market for this industry was largely concentrated in the developed countries of the world like USA, United Kingdom and France but now new markets for these products are emerging and the largest among them is China.


Future Prospects
The way the beauty tools and equipment accessories industry is growing, the trends for the future show that it will be one of the most profit making and luxurious industries in the world. The growing number of salons and spas around us give a peep in to the future of this industry. Most of the beauty tools and equipment are supplied in spas and salons and as, people will become more beauty conscious, the demand for tools will also rise as these treatments are done with the help of these tools. Earlier only the developed countries like USA, UK and France were considered as big markets for these products but now new markets are emerging fast and the best example in this regard is China where this industry is growing at a very rapid pace. According to an estimate there are around one million beauty salons, spas and clubs offering beauty and hair care treatments in China. Thus it can be guessed that there would be a great demand for furniture, tools and equipment used in these salons and spas in the near future.