What happened at the matrix and biolage conference in lanzarote

HJ enjoyed three days in Lanzarote with Biolage and Matrix to discover what’s in store for the brands over the coming months. Biolage and Matrix’s managing director Sussan Verghesse opened the conference by describing 2018 as a roller coaster with a challenging market and a challenging political environment. She told delegates Biolage and Matrix went on a journey of transformation to become more client centric and salon oriented, which is essential for future success. Sussan explained: “The world is shifting and consumer ideals are changing but there’s never been a better time for the power to be in a professional's hands. Hairdressers are giant influencers and in a recent survey of who influences consumers most, almost half (47 per cent) chose hairdressers.” Clean beauty, vivids and blondes   There are three main priorities for Matrix and Biolage this year – clean beauty, vivids and blondes. Clean beauty is disrupting the beauty and hairdressing industry as a whole and Sussan is keen for salons to remind clients that Biolage is perfect for anyone who want products that are clean from the inside and out. Biolage has launched a selection of Deep Treatments that have the look and feel of products that could be found on a YouTuber’s Sephora beauty haul and the packaging allows you to get every last drop out of the tube. While, the Biolage Coconut All-in-One Spray taps into the fact coconut is one of the most searched ingredients online for its health and beauty benefits. The second priority is the ongoing trend for bright and vivid hair colours. Matrix aims to build on the trend following on from the launch of So Color Cult in 2018 with its new vivid shade Starfish Coral, a colour lamination service and a trend in a box, which will contain all of the products required to recreate a specific bright look in the salon. Finally, the mantra for Matrix salons to remember in 2019 is ‘blondes mean business’. Blondes are more likely to return to the salon on a regular basis so Matrix has created a number of products specifically for them – fast toners, which works in five minutes, acidic toners for maximum protection and ultra lifts that can give 5 levels of lift. Matrix x Biolage creations The conference concluded with a stunning hair show featuring a variety of beach-ready looks. Matrix and Biolage’s hair artists and ambassadors Paul Falltrick, Ashleigh Hodges, Desmond Murray, Christian Wiles and Sharon Peake created the looks live on stage before the models strutted the wearable styles down the catwalk.  Matrix: Blondes Mean Business On day two delegates took part in workshops with a variety of hands-on exercises. The Matrix workshop focused on the blondes mean business mantra. Attendees learned toners have seen an increase in terms of uptake in the salon but only 20 per cent of clients understand what a toner means for their hair. The Matrix team explained that education will be key to promoting Matrix’s new acidic and fast toners. Attendees were also told the colour market has grown by 6% but clients are going into the salon less frequently. Matrix has created a solution, specifically for blondes called the Tone, Love and Care (TLC) package. The package includes products and a professional service that will encourage blondes to return to the salon between colour visits in a bid to protect the condition of their hair. For the first exercise attendees were asked to show the steps it would take for a celebrity client to go from a dark shade to a blonde shade to demonstrate how the brand’s new toners will come into play. Biolage: Instagram-worthy shots    Paul Falltrick, Biolage’s new global ambassador introduced the Biolage workshop. He explained his new role will include putting together imagery for the brand and writing education courses. The Biolage mission is to elevate the professional beauty industry, create memorable experiences for clients and to educate stylists and consumers in sustainable beauty practices. Biolage is growing its digital presence in 2019 with a dedicated website for the brand and the Biolage Instagram account is also growing. For the first exercise, attendees were asked to experiment with creating an Instagram-worthy flatlay image featuring Biolage’s new deep treatments. After this, the group were asked to apply the new Biolage Color Last Shampoo onto wefts of hair to see how it can be used to neutralise brassy and yellow tones in the salon. An evening of recognition On the final evening, attendees were taken a restaurant at a beautiful fort overlooking the sea for the Matrix & Biolage Recognition Awards, which were dedicated to the brands’ educators, distributors and sales teams. Alan Howard was named the Education Partner and Distributor of the Year, while Salon Success was named the Sales Team of the Year.