Hairdressers have always offered a professional service: they cut hair, as well as style it and make it more attractive. A hairdresser often plays a role that informs and educates clients about social issues. L’Oréal Corporate Foundation and UNESCO combined their forces in 2005 to promote awareness among the global hairdressing community about the prevention of HIV. They initiated a training module that is now part of the hairdressers’ curriculum in L’Oréal Professional Products’ training centres throughout the world.

To extend its reach and help hairdressers engage more conversations about HIV/AIDS in their salons, a 2011 ‘Hairdressers against AIDS’ Celebrity Calendar will be available in 20 countries in professional salons which are partners of the programme. On December 1, it was in 5000 salons in France to raise funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS. This Celebrity Calendar showcases the hairstyles of 12 famous models including Diane Kruger, Vanessa Paradis, Monica Bellucci and Audrey Tautou as captured by renowned photographer John Nollet.

In 2010, program will continue its mission of sensitization among hairdressers and consumers. Active in 30 countries by the end of 2010, the program will be launched on December 1 in the USA, with the ambition to reach, in the USA only, more than 500 L’Oréal Professional Products educators, 500,000 hairstylists and 100 million Americans.

Key figures of the Hairdressers Against AIDS program:
26 countries; 30 by late 2010
1.3 million contacts since 2005 among the profession
500,000 hairdressers trained every year
5,000 trainers mobilised in our 300 L’Oréal professional products’ training centres millions of dialogues about HIV/AIDS genrated in salons.

Objectives for 2012 are to be present in 50 countries and have 3 millions contacts.