Italy’s hairdressing reform: chair rental, new professions and what changes for brands
In short: Italy is working on a reform of hairdressing and beauty, known as the Ancorotti bill. According to Confartigianato, CNA and Casartigiani it concerns about 150,000 businesses. It recognises chair and cabin rental, creates new professional profiles, toughens controls on unlicensed work and strengthens training. On 20 September 2026 the government committed to supporting a quick approval. If you sell to Italian salons, this is the rulebook your customers will be playing by.
What the bill contains
- Chair and cabin rental becomes an organisational model recognised by law.
- New professional profiles: nail technician and lash and brow technician.
- Oncology specialisations in hairdressing and beauty are recognised.
- Unlicensed work faces stricter controls and penalties.
- Training paths are reinforced.
On 22 July 2026 the three craft associations asked the Senate to pass the text before the summer break. It did not happen. On 20 September, at the Stati Generali dell’Acconciatura organised by Confartigianato Acconciatori in Milan, the sponsoring senator Renato Ancorotti, rapporteur Gianpietro Maffoni and undersecretary Mara Bizzotto were present, and the government promised its support. At the time of writing, the bill is not yet law.
Chair rental is not a shortcut
Abroad, chair rental is often read as a sign of a modern, flexible market. In Italy it will be a tool, and tools can be misused. A stylist renting a chair is a business with costs, taxes and purchasing decisions. A salon owner renting out chairs to escape labour costs is building a team that does not belong to anyone. Both will exist after the reform.
For a brand, that matters a lot. One salon can become five small customers under the same roof, each with its own product choices. Or it can become a salon with less shared education and less loyalty to any line.
What foreign brands and distributors should watch
- Who your customer is. With chair rental, the buyer may be the individual stylist, not the owner. Sales models built only on the salon owner will miss part of the market.
- New categories. Recognised nail and lash profiles open space for brands in those segments to work with salons through education.
- Professional credibility. A stronger fight against unlicensed work strengthens the professional channel. Products that are clearly professional, with education attached, gain from that.
- Timing. Plan for the final text, not for headlines. The operating rules will be in the approved version.
For context on costs and prices in the same market, read what the 2027 labour contract renewal means for Italian salons, what 1,006 Italian salons tell us about price lists and how much a salon chair should earn per hour.
FAQ
Is the Ancorotti bill already law?
Not at the time of writing. In September 2026 the government committed to supporting a quick approval.
Will chair rental be legal in Italy?
The text recognises it as an organisational tool. The detailed rules will be in the approved version.
Sources: Confartigianato, Stati Generali dell’Acconciatura, September 2026; Confartigianato, 150,000 businesses waiting for the new law, July 2026.
