Hair Product Representatives: An Endangered Species?
From Kings to Survivors
In the 1980s and 1990s, being a hair product sales representative was a badge of honor. You earned well, dressed with style, and knew every formula and every new launch. The representative was the company’s voice — the brand’s ambassador.
Today? Most get by improvising, sharing catalogues over WhatsApp, and unable to answer even a basic technical question.
The result? A profession that’s disappearing.
The Voice of the Salons (20 interviewed by MdP)
We asked 20 Italian salons what they think about hair product representatives. Here’s what they told us:
8 out of 20: “We don’t need them anymore, we buy everything online.”
6 out of 20: “They’re unprepared, they don’t know the products they sell.”
4 out of 20: “They’re useless figures, just another cost for the companies.”
2 out of 20: “I’d gladly work with a good rep, but I haven’t met one in years.”
The result? 80% of salons no longer believe in this role.
The Comparison with the Past
Once upon a time, the representative took you to trade fairs, opened exclusive doors, made you feel part of something bigger.
Today they forward a PDF and drop off a sample.
You tell me — is that professionalism?
Max Randi’s Opinion
I’ll say it plainly: hair product representatives are becoming extinct.
Partly their fault, sure, but also the fault of companies that turned them from consultants into pushy salesmen.
If you’re a representative and this hits home — study, train yourself, become truly valuable to a salon.
If you’re a company — stop sending unprepared people into the field.
If you’re a hairdresser — demand real consultancy, not digital flyers.
Conclusion
Ten years from now, if nothing changes, we’ll be talking about hair product representatives as a piece of history — dead and buried.
And the blame will belong to everyone.
Your Director, Max Randi
