Today, these gatekeepers want much more than a trendy product and edgy packaging. Most salons will only take on new brands that solve problems, make hairstylists’ lives easier or enhance creative coiffures. And they want to work with distributors or reps who understand the business, says colorist Jax Williard Fritas of Manhattan’s newly opened Suite Reyad. “There are tons of products and tons of distributors and reps,” she says, “but now it is all about relationships.”

You have to be ready to approach salons with a convincing program of education, marketing and financing. They prefer a brand that sells itself. If you don’t have one, an industry consultant can assist. The good news is that, after a slew of distributor acquisitions a few years ago by large national players such as CosmoProf and SalonCentric, second-, third- and even fourth-tier independent distributors are growing in numbers, and they’re interested in indie brands.

Andre Chiavelli, founder and CEO of Andre Chiavelli Consulting, says, “Distributors in the top tier have full portfolios, but there are more opportunities for indie brands than ever because of the revival of smaller distributors that want the spillage of what the top tier can’t take.” Fritas adds that the growing number of small salon businesses creates more demand for emerging brands. The chic salon teamed up with Virtue Labs Hair Care because it’s a small, growing that Fritas trusts.

To help you navigate changes and prospects in the salon distribution market, Beauty Independent tapped experts to share recommendations for getting in the good graces of the hairdressing set.