Health Supplements

This is important because if a manufacturer wants to market a product containing an ingredient that was not used in commerce prior to the passage of DSHEA, the FDA must be notified in advance and provided with safety data. At any time, the FDA is fully authorized to require manufacturers to recall a product if the agency believes it presents a health risk.

"Under the DSHEA, makers of dietary supplements are limited as to the type of claims they can make about their products," Taylor says. "Statements of nutritional support, commonly referred to as structure/function claims, are restricted to explaining how a particular product or ingredient affects the structure or function of the body. A supplement maker may not claim that a product is intended to ‘diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease.’"

The manufacturer must have substantiation that the statement is truthful and not misleading and must notify the FDA within 30 days after first using the claim in the marketplace. It’s important for salon operators to understand and educate themselves and their employees about every supplement they sell.

Weight-loss products, which are sometimes grouped with sports- nutrition products, sell well. Experts say that for a salon to really take advantage of this market, it should focus on niche-supplement sales—supplements that are not always available at your local store and that have a purpose like weight-loss.

"Weight-loss is a tremendous avenue for tanning salons to sell. People are always into diets. It just works well with tanning," says another supplier. "If a salon is not afraid to be a little risqué, sexual-enhancement products are very popular and becoming widely accepted since the successful launch of Viagra."

Tanning supplements are another niche item growing in popularity. Experts agree that it is the biggest thing salons are missing out on. "I am a big advocate of achieving the darkest tan through proper nutritional supplements. Our products possess what we call a tanner’s blend of vitamins like proper tyrosine, beta carotene, B6 and copper, which all help give tanners a darker, longer-lasting tan," says another industry supplier.

An unknown social philosopher once said that money is to a man’s social existence what health is to his body. Offer health supplements to your customers and your social existence can reap the benefits. The most important aspect of all is for salons to educate themselves before they decide to sell health supplements. It’s a good idea to read magazines and go to the health-food store and ask questions. When you know what you’re talking about, it’s easier to make a sale.