Yes, I’m one of those who doesn’t typically watch The Oprah Winfrey Show. But I love comedian Chris Rock and will be sure to DVR the Sept. 30 show, where he’ll be promoting his new documentary GOOD HAIR.

Check out this Oprah show promo link. Oprah and singer Solange Knowles (younger sister of Beyoncé) will also be discussing their own hair stories.

Back on Sept. 4, we reported on this upcoming movie (see this), which I can’t wait to see when it opens. I believe it will get people talking about hair and the black community—and that’s good.

Salon industry statistics guru Cyrus Bulsara tells me that his company, Professional Consultants & Resources, provided data and insights on the salon industry and hair color, and discussed multicultural hair trends and appliances with Oprah’s staff.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

The October issue of Allure is out, and savvy beauty store owners and managers are promoting the products they carry that made the magazine’s annual Best of Beauty list. Allure came up with 189 products this year, and among the honored items are:

• Hot Tools Professional Jumbo 1-Inch Curling Iron. The tool “prevents limp curls like nothing else,” notes the magazine on page 244.
• Spornette International G-36XL Porcupine Brush. This round hairbrush “smooths hair and creates volume,” adds the magazine on the same page.
• Tweezerman Slant Tweezers. From the same Tools page, they’re “so precise, they firmly grip strays without pinching skin.”
• Miss Jessie’s Original Curly Pudding. Listed under Curl Definer on page 210, it’s described as “perfect for African-American textures, softening brittle curls and streamlining ballooning ones.”

As any good beauty store owner/manager knows, beauty products aren’t just about salon SKUs, and these prestigious picks once again reflect this. For the entire list, visit Allure.

As in past years, the magazine’s Master List (pages 246-258)—which includes where to get the products—is heavily New York City-centric, which bothers me. I do see numerous beauty stores on the Master List, and it’s not just ULTA and Sephora. It’s good to see Urbanbella in Atlanta get some recognition too.

Note to Allure editors: Among other places, consumers shop for beauty products at Beauty Brands across the Midwest, at GBS The Beauty Store in Florida and at Peninsula Beauty and Beauty Collection in California.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Last Thursday, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics started an interesting public-education project. This national coalition of nonprofit heath and environmental organizations released the first in a series of short videos designed to introduce more people to what it says is “the myth of cosmetics safety” and “inspire them to join our efforts to give the beauty industry and the FDA a makeover.”

The collective goal of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is to “protect the health of consumers and workers by requiring the personal care products industry to phase out the use of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other serious health concerns, and replace them with safer alternatives.”

I’ve already seen links to this video on Facebook, read tweets about it on Twitter and read posts on some blogs. Check it out by clicking on this.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Whether you’re selling beauty products online or providing information about them, do you want some free advice about your website? We’re starting an editorial project for retailers with two online beauty industry experts.

Both, in fact, spoke at the New Media: Greater Sales for Beauty Stores seminar that I moderated at Cosmoprof North America 2009: Shawn Tavakoli, chief executive officer of Beauty Collection, a prestige multi-location and online beauty products retailer in Southern California; and Lawrence Mortenson, a marketing and management consultant specializing in, among other things, the online arena.

If you’re interested in participating, email me at mbirenbaum@creativeage.com.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

The Smart Heat by Gold ’N Hot Elite line from Belson Products has one of the most exciting, new technologies in the salon industry these days. I’ve known it for some time, and a ton of buyers at Cosmoprof North America 2009 realized it too.

Stylists and consumers are also getting the message. There’s a great mention of the line’s 1 ¼-inch Smart Heat Nano Ceramics Curling Iron (with a product image on page 143) in the September issue of PEOPLE STYLEWATCH now out. It’s called the ideal “splurge” secret pro-beauty weapon for perfect polished waves. “Press the button that lists your hair type, and this high-tech iron will automatically adjust to the right temperature,” the magazine states. On the same Beauty Trends page are images of Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Connelly and Gwyneth Paltrow.

If you already carry this excellent line, I strongly suggest buying the issue-—it’s on display until Sept. 21—and incorporating it as a sales tool in your beauty store. If you don’t have any of the line’s SKUs in your inventory yet, contact Belson, 800.327.8384.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc