Stop Telling Women Their Worth: Pricing, Value and Respect in Beauty

We need to stop normalising telling women their worth, especially when it comes to how they price their services in the beauty industry.

Day in and day out, I see people, mostly women, telling other women in the industry that they are charging too much. I absolutely love seeing women succeed in business and achieve financial freedom. Women have fought, and continue to fight, for the right to control their own finances and careers. It is a right we shouldn't still have to fight for, and certainly not against each other.

Why are women so quick to tear each other down?

Ours is an industry built by women. The NHBF's 2024 industry statistics show that more than 85% of the UK hair and beauty workforce are women. So when the criticism of someone's prices comes pouring in, it is very often women judging other women.

In just two weeks, I came across several examples. Screenshots of one person's course pricing were posted online, and hundreds of women piled in to criticise it, debating whether she had the "right" to charge that much.

Here is a reality check: it is not your business to judge her prices. She doesn't need to justify them to you, and I am pretty sure she didn't ask for your feedback. No one is forcing you to spend your money with her, and she didn't need anyone's permission to set her rates.

In another case, a skin specialist mentioned she had added a £100 service to a facial. Again the criticism poured in, with people questioning her right to charge it. She has every right to charge whatever she feels is appropriate. That is a matter between her and her client, and that is how business works.

When it happened to me

I have had my own prices questioned too. When I launched the directory, it was completely free to use, yet I was told the fee we planned to introduce later was too high, even though it worked out at less than the cost of one coffee a week. Why? Because I could potentially earn too much, and I should be doing this to help people.

But here is the reality: I have a pool on my vision board, and helping people for free won't get me there! I don't give away free leg waxes in the salon because it is not the client's fault they have hair. The same principle applies.

A client once told me another salon owner had said I charged too much for my lash extensions. At £80, once you take off the VAT, that is around £66, and a full set takes around two hours. That is roughly £33 an hour in turnover, before a single cost or wage is paid. How many other skilled businesses would be happy with that per hour, in turnover, not profit?

They tried to devalue me, but instead they devalued themselves. If you want to see how quickly costs eat into a price, take a look at why so many beauty business owners undercharge.

Your prices are your decision

Prices should be set by the costs you need to cover and what you have decided you want to earn. Some people value their time more highly than others, and that is their right.

Many have invested a lot of money and time in their education and skills. Some have limited hours available and need to earn more per hour because of it. Some are building a premium brand. There are many reasons, but ultimately it is their business.

I invest a lot in my own training and have completed some pretty expensive courses. There have been times I mentally questioned the price, but in the end the course provider had decided what their knowledge was worth, and I decided they had something of value that I wanted. That is the key: does the buyer see the value? Because that is what truly matters.

Financial freedom is nothing to apologise for

My aim is financial freedom, and I won't apologise for that any more than I will apologise for how I choose to spend my money. It is nobody's business. Yet every day I see people making other people's prices their business.

I come from a working class background, and the message I grew up with was to get married and let someone else earn the money. That was pretty standard in the 80s, but it is not the world we live in now. We need to show the next generation that they can know their worth, and we do that by supporting each other to achieve it.

If you are one of the people judging and being vocal about other people's prices, ask yourself why. Is it because you think everything should be cheap, or is it because you wish you were doing the same?

Price tells clients who you are for

Another thing to consider is who you attract with your prices. People really do read price as a signal of quality. In a well known Caltech study published in PNAS, volunteers tasted the same wine labelled with different prices. They rated it as more enjoyable when they believed it was more expensive, and brain scans showed more activity in the area linked to pleasure. The price changed the experience itself.

Many of the women being criticised have a clear target client in mind and understand that their pricing will attract exactly the right people. I love Primark, but there are people who will never set foot inside because of how cheap it is. Which bracket have you priced yourself into?

Pricing is about your value and your choice, and none of us should project our own choices onto someone else. So the next time you see a price that surprises you, scroll on, cheer her on, or book in. All three are better than tearing her down.

If you price with confidence and want clients who see the value in what you do, list your business on the directory for free and show them the standards behind your prices.