National Hair & Beauty Federation

What National Hair & Beauty Federation does

The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) is a UK trade association founded in 1942, headquartered in Bedford, and operating as NHBF Limited. It serves as the recognised industry body for the hair, beauty, barbering, and aesthetics sectors, representing an estimated 49,000 UK businesses within a sector that contributes approximately £9 billion to UK GDP and supports around 275,000 jobs. The federation operates under a membership-based model with leadership headed by CEO Caroline Larissey and a workforce of approximately 26 employees.

The NHBF's product portfolio centres on membership subscriptions priced at approximately £310 per year (marketed at under 85p per day), bundled with Business in a Box compliance toolkits, Assured Trade Membership listings, an Alternative Dispute Resolution service, a sector magazine, podcast, webinars, and an awards programme. These offerings cover compliance templates, business support resources, dispute mediation, and continuing professional development pathways for member salons, beauty clinics, barbers, self-employed chair renters, and trade suppliers. The underlying delivery model is association-led content, advisory, and events-based services rather than a software platform.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership subscriptions, with supplementary income from ADR fees, awards, training resources, magazine and event sponsorships, and partnerships with trade suppliers. The federation also engages in regulatory advocacy with UK government bodies on licensing, professional standards, and sector-wide policy issues. No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or material capital-raising activity are disclosed in the available data, consistent with its not-for-profit-aligned trade association structure.

Name

National Hair & Beauty Federation

Legal name

NHBF Limited

Website

https://nhbf.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Hair & Beauty Federation is a UK trade association founded in 1942, serving approximately 49,000 hair, beauty, barbering, and aesthetics businesses through membership subscriptions, compliance toolkits, ADR services, regulatory advocacy, and sector events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Social Protection & Occupational Safety Standards Cooperation (BPADANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Trade association membership
• Hair and beauty sector
• Salon business support
• Professional compliance resources
• Sector advocacy lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from salon owners, barbers, beauty businesses, clinics, and self-employed professionals. Membership is priced at less than 85p per day.
2. Assured Trade Membership: Annual subscription at £248.00 for verified suppliers and service providers who pass due diligence, including website promotion, newsletter visibility, and NHBF Magazine features.
3. Product Sales (Business in a Box): Sale of physical and digital toolkits including health & safety guides, policy documents, risk assessment templates, and compliance materials for hair and beauty businesses.
4. Research Reports: Sale of industry research reports including the VAT Threshold Smoothing report and other industry statistics publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NHBF is a UK trade association that sells annual memberships to hair salons, barbershops, beauty clinics, aesthetics practitioners, self-employed chair/space/room renters, and verified trade suppliers. Members receive 24/7 legal and employment helplines, health & safety guidance, GDPR and apprenticeship support, contract templates, insurance introductions, ADR services, and exclusive discounts. The federation also runs a paid product shop selling Business in a Box toolkits, employment contracts, and compliance guides, and conducts sector advocacy on VAT reform, apprenticeship funding, and licensing.

Product overview

The National Hair & Beauty Federation operates as a trade association providing a portfolio of membership-based products and services for the UK hair, beauty, barbering, and aesthetics sector. The core offering is NHBF Membership, which provides access to legal helplines, business support resources, health & safety toolkits (Business in a Box), employment contracts, and ADR services. The Assured Trade Membership program extends verification and promotional benefits to vetted suppliers and manufacturers. The federation also produces NHBF Magazine (SalonFocus), the Sofa Talks Podcast, and NHBF Webinars as information products. Annual events include Top 50/100 Awards. Advocacy campaigns like 'Respect Our Sector' represent key non-commercial offerings. The product architecture is a membership-as-a-service model combining advisory content, legal/compliance resources, and promotional channels rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NHBF Standard Membership Annual trade association membership for UK hair salons, barbershops, beauty clinics, aesthetics practitioners, and self-employed chair, space, and room renters. Includes 24/7 legal and employment helplines, business support, health & safety guidance, GDPR support, apprenticeship support, PPL music licence, ADR access, and exclusive member discounts.
• NHBF Assured Trade Membership Annual subscription membership for verified manufacturers, suppliers, training providers, and service organisations serving the hair, beauty, and aesthetics sector. Includes a dedicated website listing, exclusive member offers, newsletter visibility, NHBF Magazine features, and digital branding credit. Priced at £248.00 per year.
• Business in a Box - Health & Safety Toolkits Comprehensive physical and digital health & safety toolkit for hair salons, barbershops, and beauty salons. Contains policy documents, risk assessment templates, fire risk assessments, first aid materials, mandatory posters, accident book, and compliance guidance documents. Sold in the NHBF Shop at member and non-member prices.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) National Alternative Dispute Resolution process for client-business grievances in the hair, beauty, barbering, and aesthetics sector, providing mediation and dispute resolution support to NHBF members and consumers.
• Employment Contracts Pre-drafted employment contract templates for salons and barbershops, specifying probationary periods and employment terms. Sold through the NHBF Shop.
• Chair Renting and Room Agreements Legal agreement templates for self-employed chair, space, and room renters operating within hair and beauty businesses. Sold through the NHBF Shop.
• Apprenticeship Support Services Comprehensive apprenticeship support for salons and barbershops, including guidance on government reforms, end point assessment preparation, apprenticeship qualifications, and lobbying for sector-specific apprenticeship incentives and funding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Contributes £9 billion annually to UK economy
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) / Beauty Industry Group (BIG)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025NHBF works with CTPA and BIG colleagues on regulatory matters including the EU TPO ban on gel nail products, providing coordinated industry response to ingredient restrictions.
• TikTokminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2025UK Government partnered with TikTok on a safety campaign to warn people about risks of travelling abroad for cosmetic treatments. NHBF welcomed this initiative as supporting public safety and professional standards.
• Pragmatix AdvisoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2024Independent research consultancy that produced the ground-breaking VAT Threshold Smoothing paper for NHBF, modelling options for VAT reform in the sector.
• British Chambers of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2024National business organization that supports NHBF's VAT reform proposals and advocated for smoothing mechanisms around the VAT threshold.
• British Independent Retailers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2024Trade body supporting NHBF's VAT threshold smoothing proposals, representing independent retailers across the UK.
• UK ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF works with UK Parliament to influence legislation affecting the hair, beauty, barbering, and aesthetics sector, meeting regularly with ministers, MPs, and officials to raise sector issues and represent members' interests.
• Scottish ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF engages with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government on devolved policy matters affecting the sector in Scotland, including apprenticeship funding and aesthetics regulation.
• Senedd Cymru / Welsh ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF works with the Welsh Parliament on matters affecting Welsh hair and beauty businesses, including engagement with ministers on sector support.
• Northern Ireland AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF engages with the Northern Ireland Assembly on policy matters affecting the sector in Northern Ireland.
• Department for Business & Trade (DBT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF works closely with DBT on business support policies, skills development, and sector representation at national level.
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF engages with HMRC on tax policy affecting the sector, particularly VAT reform, the VAT threshold, and self-assessment requirements for self-employed professionals.
• Low Pay Commission (LPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF works with the LPC on National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage policy that affects sector employment costs and apprenticeship hiring.
• HM GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942General engagement with HM Government on cross-departmental policy matters affecting the hair, beauty, barbering, and aesthetics sector.
• Jensten Insurance Brokers LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1942NHBF Limited is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Jensten Insurance Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This partnership enables NHBF to offer insurance products to members.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK membership association for small businesses across all sectors. Comparable as a broader trade body providing legal helplines, tax/VAT advice, and policy advocacy to the same SMB constituency NHBF serves, though at a wider scope.
• British Chambers of Commerce: National accredited network of UK chambers supporting businesses across sectors. Comparable as a larger, broader umbrella business body that has publicly supported NHBF's VAT threshold smoothing proposals and is a co-advocate on small business policy.
• British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA): UK trade association supporting independent retailers. Comparable as a peer umbrella body that has publicly backed NHBF's VAT reform proposals and represents a partially overlapping SMB base in retail and personal services.

Direct peers

• Guild of Professional Beauty Therapists: UK membership association for beauty therapists offering insurance, training, and professional recognition. Closely comparable as another membership body serving overlapping beauty and aesthetics practitioners with similar compliance and insurance offerings.
• British Beauty Council: UK non-profit industry body representing the broader beauty sector, including hair, beauty and aesthetics. Directly comparable as a membership-based trade/advocacy organisation operating in the same constituency on policy, skills, and sector recognition.
• Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP): UK self-regulating body for non-surgical cosmetic practitioners. Comparable as a membership/register-driven organisation focused on aesthetics standards, practitioner registration, and public safety — a direct adjacent peer in NHBF's aesthetics vertical.
• Habia (Hair and Beauty Industry Authority): Government-recognised standards-setting body for the hair, beauty, nails, and spa sectors. Directly comparable as the sector's official authority for qualifications, apprenticeships, and national occupational standards — overlapping with NHBF's apprenticeship and standards work.

Emerging players

• Professional Beauty Association (PBA): US-based membership association for beauty professionals. Comparable as a peer trade association for the beauty industry providing education, advocacy, and member benefits, though it primarily serves a US rather than UK constituency.
• Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA): UK trade association representing the cosmetics, toiletry and perfumery industry. Comparable as a federated partner on regulatory matters (e.g., EU TPO ban), serving supplier-side constituents that overlap with NHBF's Assured Trade Members.

Others

• Jensten Insurance Brokers: UK insurance broker with which NHBF has an Introducer Appointed Representative partnership. Listed as an OTHERS peer because it is a commercial partner / enabling service provider to NHBF's insurance-led member benefit, not a competing trade body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubenhbf.co.uk/media/nhbf-youtube-channel
• Facebookfacebook.com/nhbfsocial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nationalhairandbeautyfederation
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhbfsocial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Hair & Beauty Federation