Women in the eyelash extension industry: Thriving entrepreneurs or Burned-out workers?
It is rightly said that eyes are the door to human soul. Long and beautiful eyelashes are the dream of every girl. Eyelash Extensions have been around for decades to enhance the length and thickness of eyelashes to give a beautiful vibe to your eyes. They are in various shapes and sizes and are made of different materials to increase their durability and ease of use. The wide acceptance and usage of eyelash enhancements have also generated many relevant industries of manufacturing, engineering and applying the right eyelash enhancement on customer.
But, women entrepreneurs in this industry are very limited. According to a report by Forbes published in 2013, only 2% of the eyelash business is owned by women. This low level of involvement shows that either the industry has very little opportunities for women or is very male centric like some other industries in the market. Yet, there are many women led eyelash extension salons and companies which are doing good business and their clientele is Global as well. But the male dominance in this industry is visible and women entrepreneurs are thriving to make their mark in this industry.
The eyelash extension industry with its rapid development and fame has seen a boom in common usage. As more and more people are opting for eyelash extensions simply because fake eyelashes are hard to maintain and also the busy schedule doesn’t allow the comfort of a proper time to doll up yourself. Having beautiful eyes that speak for themselves is a great way to enhance your personality. Having eyelash extension is not a difficult job. An exert eyelash extension specialist would install the eyelashes in about 2 hours. Although women entrepreneurs are attracted towards this industry given the fact that they want to beautify themselves according to latest beauty trends. But the male dominant market makes it harder for women to maintain their position in the market.
Although eyelashes extensions are designed in three materials, mink, synthetic and silk. But, mink are the most suitable and give off a natural look. Women entrepreneurs such as Reyna Nabekar who is the founder of Cherry lash Salon says,
“Women in cosmetics and beauty industry are hard to survive, but when you stick to a goal, believe in that, I had come across many hurdles in life and being a women entrepreneur is a tough job, but if you gotta do it, you have to be fearless and believe in what you do“.