Did you know that there is a regulated beauty industry in New Brunswick? When you visit a licensed hair stylist or aesthetician in our province, you can be assured that your service provider has had proper training and follows rigorous health and safety protocols based on professional standards set by the Cosmetology Association of New Brunswick (CANB). In fact, having a fully regulated beauty industry in this province sets us apart from some others in Canada.
The CANB is the professional, regulatory, and licensing body for our trade in this province. We have been proudly representing cosmetologists and protecting customers since 1998. Our purpose is to protect the public and preserve the integrity of our profession by ensuring the education and training of our members, and maintaining excellent services and clean, safe facilities for the public.
We administer professional licenses, conduct health inspections, and oversee training and industry standards across the province. Anyone in the province offering cosmetology services are required to have a license which demonstrates that they meet our Association’s professional standards and requirements.
Cosmetology is a skilled trade and requires extensive training. Given the use of chemicals, sharp tools, heat, and other products, as well as the vulnerability of clients receiving services, it is important that cosmetologists are regulated to maintain a high level of professionalism in the industry.
Cosmetologists are in the business of self-care and relationship-building. We play an important role in helping our clients take care of themselves mentally and physically, by tending to their skin, hair, and nails, and offering relaxation and nurturing. In our profession, we hear everything from our clients – as confidants as they navigate personal situations as well as medical issues that often manifest as hair, skin, or nail problems. Indeed, we are often the first ones to notice a medical issue by identifying irregularities in our clients’ appearance. We are also active participants in the Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign, recognizing, and intervening when we observe signs of domestic violence or human trafficking.
The CANB is proud that of its more than 8,000 members – about 70 percent of members are self-employed, and more than 80 percent are women. As practitioners providing an array of beauty services including, but not limited to, hair styling, cutting, and colouring, skin, and aesthetic treatments, make-up application, lash extensions, manicures and pedicures, non-permanent hair removal, and depilatory treatments, cosmetologists have the privilege of being a part of a small but trusted circle of care for their clients.
For the past 31years, the Association has been entrusted with the devoted and capable hands of Gaye Cail, its Executive Director. In addition to Mrs. Cail, the CANB is managed by 6 full-time employees, working from the Association’s Fredericton office, and a dedicated Board of Directors constituted by 10 cosmetology professionals.
The CANB encourages every New Brunswicker seeking the services of a cosmetologist to make sure that their practitioner is licensed by simply searching for their practitioner on their public database. If you are unable to locate your cosmetologist on our database, please contact us to verify that they have a valid license.
For the past 25 years, the Cosmetology Association of New Brunswick has been defending the integrity of the industry, one license at a time, and it is incredibly proud of the services its members are providing every day.