Following 15 years of development with leading dermatologists, Colourstart sets a new standard for professional allergy screening.
The Colourstart system combines the first clinically proven test for allergy to hair colour with a license from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and a fully auditable Passport technology platform.
This universal system of testing is a complete game changer for professional salons. For the first time, business owners can train staff and educate clients with a compliant system for use across all colour brands, as well as demonstrating duty of care and insurance compliance without inhibiting creative freedom.
You can order Colourstart online at colourscreen.me or direct from their salon. It comes in the form of a PPD patch application at home. Tests should remain on for 2 days and any reaction recorded 2 days after removal. Redness, itching or inflammation indicate allergy to PPD and colouring is not recommended; even if the intended colour does not contain PPD.
Clients record the whole process using the free, fully auditable Colourstart Passport App. Their green ‘OK to Colour’ status is also redeemable at any participating salon. Future colours require clients to complete a simple rescreening questionnaire. Green status may be re-issued if there are no changes.
Colourstart is compatible with any colour manufacturer that recommends a patch test. This makes it an ideal universal solution to skin testing in a professional setting.
The process of patch testing and interpreting a skin test can present a risk in salons. This is particularly the case with the application of more than one colour. Businesses using Colourstart get coverage from most major insurers and where they are not get direct cover from a special Colourstart Vendors Extension.
Colourstart gives colourists peace-of-mind to unleash their complete colour creativity.
For further information on Colourstart email hello@colourstart.com, visit colourstart.com or call 0330 3905888.
As it’s allergy week, this is a really well timed article. Well done. Would love to wake up one day and find there being a single system the UK trade could use to screen and this could be it. I am not at all confident my insurance company really understands how difficult and inconvenient it is to run a the instructions required by manufacturers, or even their protocols.
Thanks for your comment Marie. You raise a very interesting and important point. I have forwarded your comment to the communications team at Colourstart whom I know are trying to engage with this very issue.
Hi Marie, my sentiments exactly, how I wish we all used a standardised test. I think as an industry we are making moves in the right direction. As for insurance, my personal opinion is we need specialised insurance, policies bought online or off the shelf seem to me to be generic for small retail businesses which is ok if you have a cafe or a boutique. I use Colourstart in my salons, and frankly, because Colourstart is MHRA approved and has its own indemnity insurance I told my insurance they should give me a discount.
Hi Marie. I have been talking to one insurance company in particular about this today and they just seem to me to not understand our industry at all. Ultimately, if the hair colour you plan to use on a client recommends a patch test, you can recommend they use Colourstart to test for allergy to PPD. As Debbie has said, the great advantage of using Colourstart is that you automatically get direct cover from their Vendors Extension insurance. So really, I would use this as my insurance against any potential claims – which is highly unlikely if you have used Colorstart in the first place!