2026 Industry Leader Roundtable & Research Findings

Beauty Changes Lives Industry Roundtable Report Calls for Greater Industry Alignment

Beauty, barbering and wellness are navigating rapid change—from workforce challenges and evolving career expectations to AI, education and economic pressures. The 2026 Beauty Changes Lives Industry Leader Roundtable Report explores how greater collaboration, stronger data and shared priorities can help the industry adapt and move forward together.

Managing Change in an Unpredictable Landscape

Rapid change is reshaping beauty, barbering and wellness—from AI and evolving consumer expectations to workforce challenges, economic pressure, education, licensure and questions about career value. The 2026 Beauty Changes Lives Industry Leader Roundtable Report captures how industry leaders believe organizations—and the industry collectively—can respond.

Held during Premiere Orlando, the Roundtable created an agnostic space for dialogue, shared learning and collaborative problem-solving. Keynote speaker and facilitator Phil Le-Brun challenged participants to view change not as a one-time initiative imposed on people, but as a continuous process carried out with them.

He identified three conditions that help organizations adapt:

Clarity: Ensure people understand what matters, why it matters and how success will be measured.
Ownership: Reduce unnecessary barriers and move decisions closer to those with the most relevant information.
Curiosity: Encourage leaders and teams to challenge assumptions, experiment, learn and adjust.

Phil also emphasized that AI should be treated as an organization-wide capability—not delegated to one person or department. Its greatest value will come from reducing low-value work and creating more time for the human judgment, creativity, care and connection that distinguish this industry.

What Industry Leaders Said

The Roundtable discussions reinforced several important messages:

The industry must better understand today’s consumers, students and workforce rather than relying on outdated assumptions.
Recruitment and retention require meeting people where they are and strengthening confidence, mentorship and a sense of belonging.
Frontline employees should be empowered to act, provide feedback and help shape change.
AI and technology should support—not replace—the human experience at the center of beauty, barbering and wellness.
Greater progress will require clearer priorities, stronger data, shared language and more meaningful collaboration across industry segments.

What the Research Found

The post-event participant survey reinforced both the optimism and urgency expressed during the discussions:

Nearly 80% of participants reported moderate to high confidence in the industry’s ability to adapt over the next one to three years.
Workforce recruitment and retention ranked as the force most likely to shape the industry’s future, followed by technology and AI.
Most participants believed the industry was only moderately or slightly prepared for the challenges ahead.
Career earnings and compensation were identified as the areas most in need of better data and shared insight, followed by workforce trends.
Participants called for greater collaboration, stronger data, clearer standards and a more unified vision for the future.

From Discussion to Action

The report identifies three priorities where greater industry alignment is both important and achievable:

Standards: Create greater consistency in education, licensure, terminology and real-world readiness.
Story: Build a clearer, more credible career narrative grounded in accurate data.
Sustainability: Strengthen recruitment, onboarding, mentorship, retention and long-term professional growth.

The industry does not need uniformity, but it does need greater shared direction. Schools, salons, associations, manufacturers, distributors, state boards, technology organizations and professionals all influence its future.

The industry challenge—and opportunity—is to answer one critical question:

What can we accomplish collectively that no organization or industry segment can accomplish alone?

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About BCL (Beauty Changes Lives)

Beauty Changes Lives (BCL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization—not a membership group. BCL is dedicated to uniting the beauty industry in support of the next generation of professionals. Since its founding, the organization has raised more than $8 million to fund scholarships. These programs elevate and advance careers in beauty and wellness.

About Pivot Point Research

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