News

On March 14, a meeting was held with the Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMEDA). The meeting was attended by Elnara Nahmadova, Chairman of the Association of Beauty Salons “Support to Entrepreneurs in the Field of Beauty Services” and Head of the Beauttech network, Meftun Khalilov, Head of Mesa Group, Rashad Gasimov, Co-founder and Director of Azestetik Group.

The meeting discussed the laser hair removal service, which is an integral part of beauty salons, and the difficulties experienced by entrepreneurs in this area.

Topic
Beauty salons have always offered hair removal services. Previously, this service was carried out using traditional methods (wax hair removal, electrolysis), but later, with the development of modern technologies, laser hair removal became widespread.

According to the document “Classification of Professional Education Specialties”, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 313 dated September 7, 2023, the activity of “laser epilation and depilation technician” is included in the subgroup of the “barber” specialty.

However, there are currently a number of problems related to the implementation of laser epilation services in beauty salons:

• Incorrect legal assessment and pressure from regulatory authorities
• Uncertainty of the status of laser equipment
• Laser devices used in beauty salons are not considered medical equipment.
• However, some institutions incorrectly classify these devices and impose additional legal requirements, which creates additional difficulties for entrepreneurs.
• Statistics and Potential Threats

According to the data of the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan as of January 2024, 14,384 barbershops and beauty salons operate in the country. The vast majority of these businesses are run by micro and small entrepreneurs, especially women.

If laser hair removal activities are artificially restricted, this will lead to thousands of female entrepreneurs losing their jobs and creating a serious employment problem.

Proposals and Solutions Discussed at the Meeting.