Life Saving Wax: A new campaign calling on waxers

I was invited to Treatwell’s London head office for the unveiling of a very special new campaign: Life Saving Wax.

The initiative was created by the online beauty booking platform with Public Health England’s Cervical Screening Saves Lives campaign. Treatwell is inviting its partnered salons and beauty professionals to ‘open up the conversation on screening’, utilising client relationships to help break down taboos and encourage clients to book their test.

The Life Saving Wax initiative was created in response to the startling fact that attendance to screenings are at a 20-year low, with 1 in 4 (28.6%) of women aren’t attending when invited. In contrast, Treatwell revealed that it has seen a year-on-year increase in the number of bookings for intimate waxing. Its research found that 9 in 10 women are maintaining their ‘hair down there’ in some way, with approximately 1.2 million visiting the salon to do so.

With these stats in mind, it asks the question why women are happy to bare all for beauty treatments – but not a potentially life-saving screening. This campaign is hoping to bridge this gap, encouraging the beauty pro to start the conversation.

The event revealed the new campaign and saw a panel of experts to explain the campaign, its aims and also bust myths surrounding screenings, too. To an audience of press, influencers and beauty therapists, the stage was hosted by writer and podcaster, Emma Gannon, and saw:

• TV personality, Dr Zoe Williams
• Liz Hambleton, beauty director at Treatwell
• Gynaecology care specialist, Dr Christine Ekechi
• YouTuber & author, Hannah Witton.

“We were really shocked when we found out that figures were at a 20 year low for attendance for screenings, while here at Treatwell, we’ve seen a huge surge in bookings for intimate waxing,” revealed Liz Hambleton to the audience. “To us, those figures didn’t correlate so we wanted to empower our partners and beauty therapists to open up the conversation in an environment where clients feel safe. We know they trust their relationship with their therapists, and more than anything it’s about just starting that conversation, raising the awareness and getting women to understand the importance of screening.

“We have about 400 salons involved across England and there is a variety of materials available, from posters to take-away cards. The aim is to empower the therapists to give people that information in a way they feel comfortable.

“Our professionals are not health experts, but they are human and they speak to women all day, everyday. They are uniquely placed to be able to empower women on the subject and provide them with the information needed to make an informed choice.”

“We know some women feel embarrassed or worried about their cervical screening, and that’s perfectly normal,” explains Dr Zoe Williams. “However, please remember that doctors and nurses are trained to make the process as comfortable as it can be. Screening only takes a few minutes and provided your results are clear you will only have to go once every 3-5 years depending on your age. It’s a few minutes the could save your life.”

The event also saw the attendance of Cara De La Hoyde, former Love Island-er turned influencer, who revealed her support for the campaign. “I attended my routine cervical screening a couple of years ago and the screening identified some abnormal cells. Luckily after treatment, everything was fine, but it reminded me how important screening is. I’ve lost loved ones to the disease, so I know first-hand that anyone can be affected by cervical cancer, which is why I’m so passionate about this topic.”

The campaign is part of the Public Health England Cervical Screening Saves Lives campaign, and is supported by charities including Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and The Eve Appeal.

See snaps from the event and the campaign’s video below!

Read more about the Life Saving Wax campaign by clicking here!