ASCP Skin Deep

MARCH | APRIL 2017

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52 march/april 2017 But reaching this stage of acceptance has taken much time and effort. There were technical obstacles, as well as numerous misconceptions and prejudices that could be overcome only with patience, facts, and hard work. CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE The modern concept of extensions reached technical maturity several years ago, but has only recently caught the wind of popular acceptance and turned rather magically into "a craze." From the 1970s onward, false lashes were a fashion faux pas. This was still true by the early 2000s, when they were acceptable only for Halloween and the theater. More recently, fashion trends have become more dramatic and glamorous. As a result, consumers have slowly grown more open to the idea of eyelash extensions, including strips, flares, and tabs. A key element here was the development of extensions that look so natural they can barely be distinguished from naturally long lashes with a good coating of black mascara. The early 2000s saw the beginnings of quality product development. In the United States, test applications were necessary, but deep-seated resistance to extensions meant models would volunteer to have them applied only after the extension pro promised to remove them immediately afterward! For the testing, the use of short, fine-diameter extensions and the blending of sizes to mimic natural hair growth would sometimes persuade a volunteer that the extensions looked convincing enough to wear in public. Volunteers were surprised to find they actually liked the outcome. Very slowly, consumers began to take notice and consider extensions as something they'd like to try. However, the great majority of estheticians and cosmetologists still believed there was no difference between these new extensions and so-called "tabbing," "flares," and "clusters." Another five years or so would pass before esty minds hesitantly began to open. This acceptance required enormous time, effort, funding, travel, education, advertising, and marketing. MADE IN THE USA It was long believed that the techniques and materials for modern eyelash extensions developed in South Korea and then migrated to the United States in the 1990s. But research shows the novel idea of applying extensions to individual lashes originated in the United States. On November 17, 1931, the US Patent Office granted patent no. 1831801 to Marjorie Birk for a technique of securing a "single fiber to a single natural eyelash." Unfortunately, Birk's idea was a commercial failure, perhaps because she did not have access to those with the proper skills in chemistry and engineering. A second stage of development occurred in South Korea of the 1990s. But those Korean extensions did not look very good and were not durable. The third stage of development also began in the United States. In the early 2000s, an education and distribution network began to develop. Consumer acceptance began to grow, and demand for longer, thicker, and more dramatic styles was born. So, this new branch of cosmetics grew in response to two pressures: top-down (from professionals) and bottom-up (from consumers). After the arduous beginnings, momentum eventually created a surprisingly rapid ascent into the present genuine craze. According to Women's Wear Daily, not only were lash services growing even during the economic crash of 2008, they were the only segment of the beauty industry that experienced growth. It was—and still is—exponential growth. The US innovators of this third stage of extensions created the world's first supply network and educational program. Over the years, they reinvested their profits in medical research, worldwide education, and in lobbying for legislation that established health and safety regulations. They authored textbooks and training manuals. This former "fringe" service now has distributors around the world. The US innovators avoided the technical and safety complications that killed Birk's original concept. Likewise, they avoided the safety and efficacy failures hampering the Asian model. The third time was the charm—the industry now stands on its own and grows larger every year.

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