Originally posted https://professionalbeauty.co.uk/professional-beauty-london-2026-highlights
With packed education stages, hands-on product discovery and conversations turning into new business, Professional Beauty London 2026 proved the value of bringing the industry together face-to-face
Professional Beauty London brought 22,378 visitors to Excel London on October 4–5, as beauty, spa and aesthetics professionals came together to discover what’s next for the industry, learn from leading experts and make connections that could shape their businesses for years to come.
Co-located with Salon International, this year’s event put beauty, spa and hair professionals under one roof, with 34,173 visitors to Salon International.
And the numbers tell only part of the story. Across two busy days, the Professional Beauty show floor became a meeting place for salon and spa owners, therapists, clinic professionals, educators, students, distributors and some of the industry’s leading brands.
Treatment demonstrations took place metres away from business conversations, professionals got hands-on with technology they had previously only seen online, and stages brought audiences together to debate where beauty is heading next.
For an industry increasingly connected through screens, Professional Beauty London demonstrated the value of being in the room.
Mark Moloney, managing director of Professional Beauty Group, said, “Professional Beauty London has always been about bringing the profession together, and while the show continues to grow in scale and ambition, it is important that we never lose the essence of what makes professional beauty special.
“This year delivered that balance brilliantly. From the unique World Spa & Wellness Convention and four packed stages covering professional beauty, aesthetics, business, skin and longevity, to Nailympia, the National Massage Championship and outstanding education, there was something to inspire every part of the profession.
“Most importantly, it brought together the brands, salon owners, therapists, spa professionals and innovators who continue to drive this industry forward. That combination of community, education, innovation and genuine professional beauty is what makes this event so special.”
22,378 beauty professionals come together at PB London
For many visitors, Professional Beauty London has become a fixture in the professional calendar.
Wioleta Janik, director of Harmony Massage, has been attending for almost two decades, since she was a beauty student.
“I love coming here every year because it's a great place to meet other brands, test, try, and what I love the most is you can educate yourself in sorts of different things,” she said.
“It’s a brilliant place for someone who's just starting in the industry, who's in college learning, and someone like me with 20 years of experience who just wants to hang out, learn something new and meet people.”
That mix of established professionals and those building the next generation of beauty businesses was evident throughout the event.
Louise Tilden, founder of Louise Tilden Beauty Therapy, also first visited the show as a student and has since used it to help make decisions about suppliers and technology for her business.
“I would recommend every interested student, any student, any salon owner, to come, mix with all these amazing people, take part in the stages, go and hear people speak and what they've got to say because it's such a source of inspiration,” she said.
For Smita Ahluwalia, founder of Smita London, staying connected to what is happening in the wider industry is another reason to return.
“I come every year because as a facialist, you want to know what's going on, what's new out the re, what is innovative, and you want to learn,” she said.
“There are so many stages, and you've got so much to learn from, with free education and free expertise from industry experts.”
Where beauty professionals discovered what’s next
The exhibition floor gave visitors the opportunity to do something that cannot easily be replicated through a website, social feed or sales call: compare products, treatments and technologies side by side and experience them for themselves.
Hundreds of suppliers, manufacturers and distributors joined the 2026 show, with names including Dermalogica, Dermalux, CACI, Guinot, Thalgo, Natura Bissé, Gharieni, Glitterbels, Nouveau Lashes and HD Brows, Professional Beauty Systems, Million Dollar Facial, 3D Aesthetics, Dermapenworld and many more represented across skincare, spa, nails, lashes, advanced treatments and salon essentials.
Visitors could explore developments spanning regenerative skincare and exosomes, LED, AI-powered skin diagnostics and device technology, while international pavilions introduced products and manufacturers from markets beyond the UK.
For salon owners considering a significant investment, seeing technology working in person and speaking directly to the people behind it proved particularly valuable.
Jamie-Lee Jones, director of B-Unique Beauty & Aesthetics, attended with her team while researching new machinery for the salon.
“It has been absolutely amazing seeing all the different brands here and networking with other salon professionals,” she said.
“We’ve been looking into bringing in some new machinery into the salon to start offering some new treatments so we’ve been speaking to quite a few different brands about that. It’s so hard to make a decision because there are so many really good brands at the show so I’m going to have to reconvene with my team to make a decision.”
Gemma Jarvis, owner of Beauty Lounge, agreed: “I love looking at all the new equipment and getting the opportunity to be hands-on – there’s nothing like it.”
Education worth leaving the treatment room for
Education was a major part of Professional Beauty London 2026, with busy audiences gathering throughout the weekend for free talks, panel discussions, interviews and live demonstrations.
Across the Professional Beauty Stage, Skin & Longevity Stage sponsored by Dermalogica Pro, Business Stage sponsored by Mii Cosmetics and the IIAA: Active Ageing Stage, the focus was firmly on knowledge professionals could take back to their treatment rooms and businesses.
The calibre of speakers reflected the breadth of the industry.
On the Professional Beauty Stage, iconic makeup artist and entrepreneur Ruby Hammer MBE discussed building a career beyond trends, while Blink Brow Bar founder Vanita Parti MBE explored how to scale a service business without losing what makes it special.
Facialist Joanne Evans shared the lessons behind building an A-list reputation, while panels and demonstrations tackled everything from choosing worthwhile training and social media strategy to Korean lash lifts and spray tanning.
On the Skin & Longevity Stage, Dr Vanita Rattan explored acne and hyperpigmentation in skin of colour, while sessions with experts including Candice Gardner, Dr Kai Rajeswaran and Teresa O'Nwere-Tan took visitors deeper into longevity, menopausal skin and the relationship between health and treatment outcomes.
Meanwhile, the Business Stage tackled the realities of running a beauty business in 2026, from profitability, PR and marketing to AI, team management, client growth and building a successful home-based business.
The new IIAA: Active Ageing Stage expanded the educational programme further with evidence-led conversations around healthy skin, inflammageing, the gut-skin connection, supplements, intelligent peeling and professional skincare careers.
Dr Kai Rajeswaran, aesthetic practitioner and GP, said, “The educational stages were excellent, with a great variety of speakers and topics, and the live demonstrations were a real highlight, giving practitioners the opportunity to see techniques in action and take away practical learning.”
From global expertise to conversations around the table
Learning extended beyond the main stages. The Cidesco Workshops brought an international line-up of educators to London for hands-on sessions spanning Japanese facial massage, Thai medicine, Ayurveda, advanced facials, cosmetic acupuncture and therapist ergonomics, alongside discussions around emerging treatment considerations such as facial changes following rapid weight loss.
Senior spa and wellness professionals also gathered for the World Spa & Wellness Convention, with international leaders sharing their expertise through keynotes, panels and workshops, while the International Manufacturers and Distributors Forum (IMF) connected brand owners, manufacturers and distributors looking to build partnerships and expand internationally.
Elsewhere, PB’s Power Hour Round Tables gave salon owners the chance to move from listening to talking, working through real commercial challenges in smaller groups covering areas including launching profitable services, client acquisition, retention, rebooking and team management.
Competition brought another dimension to the show floor, with talented professionals putting their skills to the test at Nailympia London 2026 and the National Massage Championship 2026, showcasing technical skill, creativity and expertise across nails and massage.
Together, the different education and event formats meant professionals could watch, listen, question, debate, compete and share experiences – whether they were at the beginning of their career or running an established multi-site business.
The conversations you can't have through a screen
If there was one theme that came through repeatedly from visitors, it was connection.
“Every year I come to Professional Beauty London and have done since my college days,” said Jarvis. “I love connecting with people and with the brands. You always learn so much from others – you just can’t beat that in-person connection.”
Elly Makinson, medical aesthetics marketer and host of The Contraindication podcast, added, “It's such a valuable opportunity to connect with people across the industry, meet both established and emerging brands, and see the latest innovations coming through.
“There’s a real energy to having so much of the industry together in one place, sharing ideas, building relationships and seeing what’s next for beauty and aesthetics.”
For Jones, that community extends beyond networking for networking's sake.
She said, “Coming to the show is not just about seeing all the different brands, it’s about networking too – knowing that you’re not alone and that there are other people out there that can support you – it just brings all of us professionals together.”
And for exhibitors, conversations became business
While visitors were discovering their next products, treatments and business ideas, exhibitors were meeting the professionals responsible for deciding what comes next in salons, spas and clinics.
For Luxury Skincare Brands, those conversations produced tangible results. Co-founder and director Misia Pearce said, “It’s been great, we’ve been so busy and had some good quality leads. We had some visitors who are building a new spa and were interested in Estime & Sens so I sent them home with a facial routine and they came back first thing the next morning saying ‘we loved it, our skin feels gorgeous and we’re going to go ahead’, which was amazing. So that in-person connection is so important.”
For first-time exhibitor Kast Training Academy, demand was enough to require emergency trips to the printer.
Director Amy Bird said, “This is my first time exhibiting and I have loved it. To listen and speak to therapists who are in beauty therapy but want to move into more advanced treatments, the value of conversation has just been unbelievable.
“We’ve had to go to the printer downstairs four times to print more information about the courses because there has been so much interest.”
Professional Beauty Systems also reported a strong event.
“It’s been exceptionally good for us, extremely busy,” said head of marketing Gerard Gavan. “We’ve met some great new customers. Getting in front of the professionals who use our brands, the customers, is extremely important.”
And for ABT Insurance, exhibiting provided an opportunity to deepen existing relationships as well as make new ones.
“The show's been incredible. It's been super busy for us,” said marketing executive Ella Figgit. “We've really been able to connect with our members and sit down and have proper conversations with people.”
Why being visible still matters
In a market where brands can reach professionals every day through email, search and social media, Professional Beauty London demonstrated why physical presence still has a different value.
A stand gives professionals the chance to experience a brand rather than simply scroll past it: to ask questions, try products, watch demonstrations, meet educators and discuss whether a treatment, range or piece of equipment makes commercial sense for their business.
For Matis Paris, that visibility was even helping to rekindle relationships with former accounts.
“The show has been really, really good for us. It's probably the best one of the year for us,” said Jayne Austin, business manager UK at Matis Paris.
“We've met some new potential clients, which is exciting. But for us as a brand, what we've had is people that were with us 15 years ago, not anymore, and now they're coming back.”
With 22,378 professionals passing through Professional Beauty London across two days, the brands on the show floor were there when salon owners, therapists, spa professionals and clinic decision-makers were actively looking, learning, comparing and planning their next moves.
For brands wanting to build relationships with the professional market, those are valuable conversations to be part of.
Missed Professional Beauty London? Save the dates for 2027
Professional Beauty London may be over for another year, but there are already two dates for your 2027 diary.
The industry will come together again for Professional Beauty Spring at Olympia London on February 28–March 1, 2027, with another opportunity to discover new products and technology, learn from industry experts, meet suppliers and make valuable connections.
Then, Professional Beauty London returns to Excel London on October 10–11, 2027, once again co-located with Salon International.
Whether you're looking for your next treatment, supplier, piece of technology, business idea or simply the opportunity to reconnect with the industry around you, make sure you're in the room in 2027.
For brands looking to put their products, education and expertise directly in front of the professional beauty market, enquire now about exhibiting at Professional Beauty events in 2027.
