The beauty business is growing nationwide — and is about to expand in Richmond

The beauty business is undergoing a boom, and Richmond soon will have a school to train the growing number of aspiring stylists getting their cosmetology degrees in California.

Employment in the cosmetology industry is expected to grow by at least 7% in the next 10 years, better than the 4% projected growth for all other industries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 2022 report ascribes this to people’s growing awareness of their appearance because of social media, and a surge in nail and grooming work, with new trends in hair styling that are more labor intensive.

A total of 36,686 degrees were awarded by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in the last fiscal year, an increase of 66% from 2019, according to data from the California Department of Consumer Affairs. 

But Richmond has lacked a beauty school, the main pipeline for stylists, electrologists, estheticians and manicurists in California, where beauty students are required to practice for 1,000 hours and pass an exam to earn their license. The closest is Moler Barber and Cosmetology School in San Pablo

This is set to change. In October, SID Tech Beauty College was approved by the Planning Commission to set up at the Macdonald 80 Shopping Center. Owner Sunil Sharma did not respond to multiple requests for an interview about what his plans are for the school.

Sharma currently runs Fremont Beauty College, which offers a cosmetology course for around $12,000. Moler which has four branches in the East Bay, charges $14,000 in fees and tuition. 

“There’s always going to be a demand in the beauty industry,” said JC Rivas, operations head at Moler. “It is growing significantly.”

Richmond has a wide array of beauty salons, especially in the Point Richmond Business District. A stroll around the neighborhood turns up at least six beauty salons and two barbershops. 

Richmond Economic Development Commissioner Diana Wear said she has observed “an enormous number” of nail and hair salons across the city. 

There is increased demand for all beauty services, but some areas, such as men’s grooming, are growing faster. A decrease in the requirements for licenses also plays a role, said Fred Jones, an advocate for the Professional Beauty Federation of California.

Supply not as high as demand

In 2021, the state changed the requirements for earning cosmetology and barbering licenses, lowering the number of practice hours from 1,600 and 1,500, respectively, to 1,000 for each, and dropping the practical exam entirely. Beauty schools then lowered their number of instructional hours.

Jones thinks this was a mistake. The exam today focuses more on health codes and safety, than on skill and creativity. 

“You’re dealing with right-brained artists, not left-brained accountants,” Jones said.

However, these changes have helped lift the number of people getting licenses. There are around 60,000 salons in California, and around 2% of Californians have had a barbering or cosmetology license at some point, according to Jones.

Despite this, there are not enough credentialed cosmetologists to meet the growing demand.

“Lack of supply is always a perennial issue of concern, especially for chain salon companies,” Jones said. “That’s why they largely support reducing schooling hours and other barriers to entry.”

Beyond the issue of worker supply, the biggest problem remains regulation, Jones said. For instance, before the new SID Tech Beauty School in Richmond can open, the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education will have to inspect the premises, which can sometimes delay schools substantially, he said. 

Pay also can dissuade some, as beauty professionals remain on the low end of the American workforce, with women accounting for about 90% of the field. The median income for a cosmetologist is about $35,000 annually. However, many stylists develop the clientele and reputations that put them high demand and enable them to make significantly more money.

For some, the draw isn’t so much the money as it is the profession’s flexibility to pick your own hours and be your own boss. 

School versus apprenticeships

It costs about $16,000 on average to go to beauty school, with the average student incurring s over $7,000 in debt, says a 2021 report by the Center for Justice. 

On the other hand, Point Richmond resident Marissa McCray paid $2,400 to be an apprentice through an online program which allows her to work and develop a customer base as she earns her license. After getting into cutting her own hair during the pandemic, she approached Sam Charles, who owns Park Place Barbers in Point Richmond about being his apprentice. 

Now she rents a seat at Cuts 1st Class across the street but is able to continue her legally mandated hours of practice. She tracks her hours of “technical instruction,” “shaving” and “health and safety” on a chart. She can take the test for licensure in December 2025, but McCray says, thanks to the apprenticeship, she is ready to pass it today.  

“My expenses are very low, so I have the freedom to do this. I don’t know how people are doing it,”  McCray said.

While it takes 10 months to finish barbering and cosmetology schools, it takes two to three years to complete an apprenticeship, noted Rivas, from Moler Cosmetology School.

Beauty schools also offer test prep and graduate students at a higher rate than apprenticeship programs, said Jones, from the Professional Beauty Federation. 

The federation opposes any laws that interfere with the pipeline of stylists. And no part of the pipeline is more important than private beauty schools because they matriculate the vast majority of students into the industry. Community colleges are the second largest source of licenses, followed by apprenticeship programs, according to Jones.

He’s encouraged by the growth projections, which ensure stability in the beauty field for decades to come. As Jones says of the industry, “It is recession and out-source proof.” 

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