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Engineering the Future of SALON INNOVATION

What would make a colour technician’s life easier? Procare CEO and engineer Jon Crowley talks to HJ about the thinking behind the new 247AIR, from dual-textured foil and precision dispensing to UK manufacturing and the importance of listening to the professionals who use it every day.

HJ: You’ve spent many years engineering products for technicians. What problem have you been trying to solve?

Jon: Procare was born more than 25 years ago with an ambition to manufacture premium-quality products that make the stylist’s life easier and help them achieve quicker, better results.

Foils were often sold in white plastic paint tubs to prevent damage, but the foil itself could be so hard that it cut your hands when folded. That led us to develop our first premium, UK-manufactured foil: soft, easy to apply and fold, and designed to enhance the professional experience. It also contains a special copper formulation that is safe to use and won’t react with colourants or chemicals.

HJ: You introduced an automatic foil dispenser 20 years ago. Why was it time to redevelop it?

Jon: Valuable time was being spent on prep when it could have been spent with clients. Trends, the demand for premium foils and the salon environment have all changed, so our goal was to create something trusted that adds real value and delivers a great experience for both stylist and client.

HJ: As an engineer, where do you start when designing a new product?

Jon: Knowing your market and customer is the priority. We start by watching and listening to stylists and understanding what they need. We work with professionals both locally and nationally to develop concepts and ideas. Our Write & Wipe Trolley is a great example. Stylists kept asking for labels to put on bowls so they could write down formulas and not forget them. That’s where the concept came from. The stylists at Salon International were the original designers, not us!

HJ: How long do you observe professionals before designing?

Jon: Many years, followed by trials and more trials. Designers can suffer from perfection paralysis, which can delay or even cancel projects. At some point, you have to trust your instinct and have confidence in the product. We get that confidence from professionals using Procare every day.

HJ: What frustrations were technicians consistently telling you about?

Jon: Being able to pick up foils easily, having different grades of foil and choosing the exact length required. There was also growing awareness of making more sustainable choices in everyday salon life.

HJ: What was the biggest engineering challenge?

Jon: Creating a dual-textured foil that grips the hair without sticking to itself, while landing perfectly ready for use at whatever size is selected. The longest development stage was the air feature that separates the grippy foils, alongside the tray design. This allowed us to reduce the machine’s size while still accommodating both super-long and super-short foils.

HJ: Why redesign the foil as well as the machine?

Jon: There was a need for lighter foils with real grip, rather than standard embossed foils. We wanted to bring those premium foils together with the dispenser in one unit.

The Dual-Texture Foil has one silky side and one super-grippy side. It can be handled without creasing or hurting your hands and picked up easily when stacked. Its design allows the pockets to hold colour, keeping the hair in place and supporting consistent colour results.

“WE START BY WATCHING AND LISTENING TO STYLISTS AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY NEED.”

HJ: Was reducing foil waste part of the sustainability brief?

Jon: Absolutely, and so was personalisation. Previous machines and foil sheets dictated the size used, but now the stylist is in control and can choose the exact length needed for each head. Just 3cm on a 30cm foil is 10% less waste.

HJ: Can technology help salons become more sustainable without changing how technicians work?

Jon: Absolutely. It can also help monitor and educate the next generation of stylists around cost management, with real costing models for individual clients and stock management for salons.

HJ: How do you make sure technology doesn’t make products complicated?

Jon: We have a mantra: keep it simple but functional. The 247AIR is designed around this. You can use the mobile app to control as little or as much as you want, while still having manual controls to cut and fold different foil lengths.

HJ: Why is UK manufacturing still important to Procare?

Jon: UK manufacturing is a passion throughout the business and provides local jobs here in Bristol. Markets are tough for us all, but it’s great to continue bucking the trend and make a quality product in the UK. We’re very proud of that.

When guests visit the factory, they don’t believe we handmake every Procare 247AIR until they see it in production.

HJ: What excites you most about the future of salon innovation?

Jon: What’s next! We’re constantly watching, listening and talking to stylists. The next idea could come from anywhere and, if our history is anything to go by, it may come from a problem that nobody has quite figured out how to solve yet.