THE TEXTURE OF CHANGE is a powerful movement committed to transforming the future of professional beauty. With an estimated 65 percent of the U.S. population having curly, coily or wavy hair*, the L’Oréal Professional Products Division (PPD) has led the way in the transformation of the entire stylist and salon community with the commitment to provide inclusive and equitable access to textured hair education and business resources. As part of this movement, L’Oréal PPD partnered with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) to form the Texture Education Collective (TEC), an alliance of professional industry leaders with a shared goal to encourage states to adopt textured hair education as part of their curriculum and state board exams. The alliance issued a call-to-action/petition calling on elected officials to ensure this texture-inclusive education is included in their state standards.
On May 24, 2024, Minnesota became the third state in the nation to require training, education, and testing on all hair types and textures in order to earn a cosmetology license when Governor Tim Walz signed legislation into law. This monumental achievement for inclusive beauty in Minnesota will ensure hair stylists have the skills and knowledge to provide proper and safe hair services for all.
The legislation was sponsored by Minnesota State Senator Bobby Joe Champion, Representative Esther Agbaje, and the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) in conjunction with the Texture Education Collective (TEC). Louisiana enacted a similar mandate in November of 2021. Following this success, the TEC was founded and helped to champion the passing of New York’s texture education legislation, (November 2023), followed by Minnesota and Connecticut (May 2024).
Valencia Montgomery Johnson, cosmetology educator at Aveda Arts and Sciences Institutes Minneapolis who testified before the State Senate said, “I applaud the legislators and the advocates who championed this bill. Minnesota's melting pot of cultures deserves a beauty industry that reflects its diversity. This is a victory for stylists, clients, and future of our profession.”
Senate President Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) said, “Minnesota continues to take steps to recognize and celebrate our racial and ethnic diversity. One part of that effort is helping people to feel comfortable in how they look. This new law will increase the knowledge base and cultural competence of the cosmetology industry in our state. This education will open stylists up to new clientele populations and make it easier for BIPOC customers to get the service they need to feel and look their best.”
Myra Reddy, Government Affairs Director, Professional Beauty Association said, “This legislation marks a significant milestone for the TEC. Getting bills signed in three states in under six months is a huge feat, demonstrating the growing momentum and systemic change to achieve greater equity in the beauty industry. We congratulate the Minnesota legislators on this important progress and encourage other states to follow suit, driving greater equity in education for stylists and consumers alike.”
This is a significant step, but there’s more to come as the TEC plans to bring this important progress to other states soon. In parallel, L’Oréal and SalonCentric are accelerating their commitments to inclusive and equitable education in 2024, by extending textured hair education and business development programs to diverse stylists and salons through online and offline platforms.
If you have not already done so, sign the petition and follow @thetextureofchange on Instagram to continue raising awareness and driving greater equity across the professional beauty industry.
*As reported in the 2018 Texture Report from NaturallyCurly.com.
