Hygiene in the United States Brow Shaping Industry: A Benchmarking Report

Purpose: To provide a current benchmark of hand hygiene and brow cleansing in the brow shaping industry across the United States of America. Background: Brow abscesses have been linked to the microtrauma associated with brow shaping. This paper provides an understanding of normative standards of hand hygiene and brow cleansing in the brow shaping industry at both the regional and national levels. Methods: This project involved a phone survey of 255 brow salons across the United States – 5 from the most populous city in every state and Washington, D.C. Uni- and multivariate associations between regional and national brow hygiene practices were explored using chi-square testing and multinomial logistic regression modeling. Results: Of 255 brow salons included in this study, 137 performed waxing (54%), 72 performed threading (28%) and 46 performed both (18%). Hand hygiene was required at 97% of brow salons, most commonly using alcohol-based sanitizer (59%), hand washing (22%), or some combination of the two (16%). Brow cleansing was required at 80% of salons, with the vast majority using an alcohol-based cleanser (75%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis of hand and brow hygiene methods, including hand hygiene frequency and service type, failed to show regionally predictive differences. Hand hygiene was performed more routinely than brow hygiene nationwide (p<0.01). Conclusions: The brow shaping industry is performing hand hygiene nearly across the board, but would benefit from increased rates of brow cleansing. Keywords: Waxing, hand hygiene, salon, eyebrow