MOVERS & SHAKERS

Beauty trends & innovations conference lead woman nails

Beauty Trends & Innovations Conference to offer insight & inspo to pros & brands

By Helena Biggs | 20 August 2025

Are you free on 24 September and want to level up your trends knowledge and accelerate the growth of your brand? The Beauty Trends & Innovations Conference is returning to London for its 13th year, welcoming over 40 beauty brands and retailers. These include L’Oréal, Unilever, Marks & Spencer, Amazon,…

Read More
Demitris zacharia collection

UCA graduate adds 5,000 false nails to fashion project

By Jess Watts | 19 August 2025

Demitris Zacharia recently graduated from UCA with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Design. His final major project, titled ‘The Good, The Bad and The Glamorous’, caught the eye of Scratch due to its unusual and innovative use of false nails. Demistris shares his inspiration and ideation, and why false nails…

Read More
Scratch snap contest aug 2025 fruity nails

99 fruit nail designs: nail art contest entries & winner reveal

By Rebecca Hitchon | 18 August 2025

The winner of Scratch’s monthly salon-style nail art contest for August has been announced as Emma Laverton of @failtefae. In a showcase of talent, UK&I techs created nail designs inspired by theme, Fruity Fingertips, in the bid to win a HD Professional Nail Systems prize. Entries were judged by Hazel Dixon, award-winning…

Read More
Aug 25 low res scratch cover

Read the latest issue

Call to action

Coronavirus: MPs issue Call to Action to support beauty industry during lockdown

By Scratch Staff | 13 May 2020

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing heard from industry representatives on the impact that coronavirus pandemic on the sector in a virtual session. Panelists from industry associations representing hair, beauty, spa and wellness business – including Lisa Gerrard, chair of the BCA and Gerrard International and Ian…

Read More
Amy rickaby tgb tortoiseshell

The Gel Bottle collaborates with UK tech to launch tortoiseshell nail kit

By Scratch Staff | 12 May 2020

The Gel Bottle Inc has collaborated with nail tech and TGB brand ambassador, Amy Rickaby, to launch the ‘Tortie Kit’. The kit contains products required to create the popular tortoiseshell nail art design, and a version coined by Amy – the ‘Blonde Tortie’. “Sometime in 2017, even before I was…

Read More
Coty logo

Coty sells 60% share of Professional Beauty division for $4.3bn

By Scratch Staff | 12 May 2020

Coty‘s Professional Beauty and Retail Hair businesses, which include the OPI, Wella, Clairol and ghd brands, have sold a 60% stake to American private equity firm, KKR. The estimated cost of the stake is $4.3 billion, and saw KKR fight off competition from Henkel. Coty will retain the remaining 40%…

Read More
Closed sign covid

Coronavirus: Hair & beauty businesses likely to remain closed until at least July

By Scratch Staff | 11 May 2020

Following Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s, address to the nation on Sunday 10 May, it is likely that hair and beauty businesses will remain closed until at least July due to the coronavirus pandemic. Small changes to the nation’s freedom of movement were announced, including abolishing the one hour per day…

Read More
Gift voucher

Salons sell over £1 million in gift vouchers during lockdown

By Sophie Nutt | 8 May 2020

Salons across the UK are still managing to generate revenue despite being closed since late March due to government measures against coronavirus. To support small and medium businesses to continue thriving during the crisis, Phorest Salon Software released its online voucher functionality on April 1st. So far, salons have sold…

Read More
Face mask

Here are the at-home beauty treatments consumers are attempting during lockdown

By Sophie Nutt | 7 May 2020

As lockdown continues and salons remain closed, consumers are taking matters into their own hands and attempting D.I.Y beauty treatments at home. The team at Cosmetify has compared Google Trends data for the three weeks before and after the UK lockdown rules were put in place to discover the most searched-for beauty…

Read More