Powered by Women: The Beauty Workforce

This Women’s History Month, we’re recognizing the millions of women whose skill, care, and expertise sustain one of the fastest-growing service industries in the U.S.

Every day around the world, millions of people walk into a salon, spa, or medspa hoping to leave feeling a little more confident than when they arrived.

They come in before job interviews, big presentations, weddings, even first dates. Sometimes they come in after a hard week or during a moment of transition, looking for something that feels steady or familiar. Beauty appointments often sit quietly at the intersection of the practical and the emotional, part maintenance, part ritual. And more often than not, the person guiding them through that experience is a woman.

She’s the one cutting your hair before you start a new job. The one adjusting your treatment plan after you’ve struggled with your skin for months. The one noticing how you’ve been wearing your hair differently lately and asking if you want to try something new this time. These moments may seem small, but they add up to something much larger: an industry that is overwhelmingly built on women’s labor, expertise, and care.

Beauty Is One of the Most Female-Led Workforces in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists are among the most women-dominated occupations in the American workforce, with nearly 89% of roles held by women.

That means that behind nearly every haircut, facial, manicure, or skincare consultation is a workforce made up largely of women. Many of whom are balancing creative skill with business ownership, technical training with client education, and service delivery with emotional intelligence. Beauty isn’t simply influenced by women. It is sustained and scaled by them.

For generations, beauty has served as both a creative outlet and a viable pathway into entrepreneurship for women who might otherwise have been excluded from traditional leadership roles. Long before the rise of modern startup culture, salons and treatment rooms were offering women a way to build income and independence through their own expertise.

Today that legacy continues, often in small businesses where the provider is also the manager, marketer, inventory buyer, mentor, and bookkeeper. They’re also expected to manage digital booking, client communication, payments, and marketing all while maintaining the personalized care that defines the client experience. 

As technology becomes more deeply integrated into the way beauty businesses operate, modern tools are helping professionals scale their businesses without sacrificing the human connection that makes their work meaningful. Technology may now be part of how beauty businesses operate, but it hasn’t replaced the work at the center of them. It has simply made visible how much of that work has always existed. The relationship-building, the follow-ups, the remembering of preferences, the effort it takes to ensure that each client feels seen and valued. 

Women Are the Infrastructure

The demand for beauty and wellness services continues to rise as clients prioritize experiences that make them feel more confident and prepared for daily life. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists will grow 5% between 2024 and 2034 — faster than the average for all occupations.

This growth translates to tens of thousands of new job openings each year, many of which will be filled by individuals entering the beauty workforce for the first time or returning after time away. For some, it will be their first career. For others, it will be a second act after raising children, changing industries, or pursuing additional education.

Beauty continues to provide something rare in today’s labor market: a flexible, skill-based profession that allows women to shape their schedules, grow their income over time, and build long-term relationships within their communities.

Care Is the New Standard

While the workforce continues to expand, the nature of the work itself has evolved. Today’s clients aren’t just evaluating a service based on how they look when it’s over. They’re paying attention to how they feel during the process, whether their time is respected, preferences are remembered, and whether the experience feels tailored to their individual needs.

According to The Self-Care Client Report 2026:

66% of clients say that having their preferences remembered plays a key role in earning their long-term loyalty. Nearly half expect a same-day follow-up after an appointment, and more than half want the opportunity to schedule their next visit before they even leave. In other words, the work doesn’t end when the service does.

Beauty professionals are increasingly responsible for maintaining communication, tracking preferences, and creating continuity across visits. They also have to juggle this during the brief moments between clients or after hours. The job has expanded beyond technical delivery into relationship-building, coordination, and care management.

And because women make up the majority of this workforce, they are often the ones carrying that expanded responsibility. This is especially significant when viewed alongside broader labor trends. Research from the Global Economy and Development Program at Brookings shows that, in an average week, women still spend significantly more time on unpaid household labor including caregiving and domestic work in addition to their paid employment. For many beauty professionals, the care they provide doesn’t stop when the appointment does. It continues at home.

Beauty Remains Essential — Even in Uncertain Times

In moments of economic pressure, spending habits tend to shift. Clothing purchases may be delayed. Shopping trips may become less frequent. But personal care services remain one of the last categories people are willing to give up.

The Self-Care Client Report found that 73% of clients keep salon visits in their budgets even when reducing spending elsewhere. That resilience speaks to the role beauty plays in everyday life. A haircut or treatment is rarely just cosmetic. It’s preparation for something — a meeting, a celebration, or simply the week ahead.

For many clients, maintaining those routines feels less like an indulgence and more like an investment in their ability to show up in the world as their best selves. And the women delivering those services, who frequently operate small businesses or work independently, are the ones sustaining that stability across communities.

Women’s History Month: The Hands Behind the Industry

Nearly nine out of ten professionals in core beauty service roles are women.

Every day, they are helping someone walk into a job interview with a little more confidence.
Helping someone feel comfortable in their own skin after years of insecurity. Helping someone show up to a meeting, a milestone, or a new chapter of their life ready to be seen.

Their work lives in the moments that matter — the ones that shape careers, relationships, and how people move through the world.

The beauty industry is often talked about in terms of creativity or trends. But behind every transformation is a trained professional who has mastered their craft and supports someone else’s sense of self. This is skilled work. It is emotional work. And it has a real impact.

This Women’s History Month, we’re honoring the millions of women whose expertise helps others step forward with confidence and whose work keeps this essential, growing workforce moving every day.