How Much Do Eyelash Extensions Cost [Case Study]

When I opened my first eyelash extensions salon I had to figure out how to price my services. There are many variables to consider but an important one is how much eyelash extensions cost in my area. I wish I could have relied on market data or research but I couldn’t find anything. Instead, I had to manually search the pricing of eyelash salons in the area and figure out the average price.

From a client perspective, it would also be really useful to know if the pricing you are getting is fair, cheap or completely ridiculous. Sure a quick google search will yield some websites making claims about the cost of eyelash extensions. However, these numbers are rarely backed up by anything or often represent one single salon.

So, I decided to do all the research myself and write this article to help clients and salon owners with pricing questions. For those who just want a quick answer, there you go. So, how much do eyelash extensions cost?

Eyelash extensions cost on average $164 for classic lashes, 192$ for hybrid lashes and $227 for volume lashes. Lash refills cost on average $71 for classic fills, 84$ for hybrid fills and 95$ for volume fills.

In this article, I will cover current market data available, the methodology I have used to gather the data and several really interesting findings the numbers tell us.

Let’s get started!

Review of Current Research

Before starting my own research, I used Google to find out what was already available. Nothing truly answered the question specifically of how much are eyelash extensions. However, some findings are still interesting. Here are the most relevant ones:

1- According to this report from ZipRecruiter^[1]:

• Eyelash extension technician make an average salary of 47,396 a year in the United States.
• The average hourly rate for an eyelash technician is between $20 and $25.
• The average pay varies greatly suggesting a lot of variance based on location but also skill level and years of experience.

2- Glad Lash conducted an industry survey in 2016 and collected answers from 450 lash artist world side. Here are a few takeaways^[2]:

• The industry average is between $81 and $120 for a full set of lashes.
• The industry average is between $41 and $80 for a refill of lashes.
• 55% of lash artists have been in the industry between 1 to 5 years.
• 94% of lash artists perform classic lashes and 54% perform volume lashes.
• 80% of lash artists are satisfied or very satisfied with their career.

3- According to a report on the false eyelash market from Grand View Research, Inc.^[3]:

• The false eyelash market was valued at USD 1.1 billion in 2018.
• Individual eyelash extensions are projected to experience the highest CAGR of 6% from 2019 to 2025
• Synthetic eyelash extensions are the most popular choice of material with a market share of 60%.

Methodology

In order to stay laser focused on my objective (I want to answer how much eyelash extensions cost!) I needed a clear game plan. I created a spreadsheet to help me organize all the data and keep track of my findings.

1- Data to collect: For my results to be useful, I wanted to collect the following data from numerous eyelash extension salons:

• Salon Name
• Salon Website
• State
• Classic Set Price
• Classic Refill Price
• Hybrid Set Price
• Hybrid Refill Price
• Volume Set Price
• Volume Refill Price

Most articles I found online that were claiming an average price for lash extensions didn’t discriminate between classic, hybrid and volume lashes. These are 3 very distinct techniques with very different prices.

For example, classic lashes are applied to each individual natural lash one by one. This is typically the first technique lash artists will learn. Volume lashes on the other hand are applied one to many. A fan of eyelash extensions is created and applied to one single natural lash. This is an advanced technique that requires more skills and usually is done by more experienced lash artists. Hybrid lashes are a mix of classic and volume lashes.

I decided not to include a category about mega volume lashes because truthfully only a small proportion of salons offered it. Some salons simply included it within the volume category. Having said that, things change quickly and the eyelash extension industry is constantly evolving. Should mega volume become more mainstream, I will definitely update my research!

Check out our article about mega volume lashes if you would like to know more about this technique.

Also, if you are relatively knew to the world of lash extensions, check out our beginners guide to eyelash extensions.

2- Geographic representation: Because location has a significant impact on prices, I wanted to have a full representation of the United States. I googled “Eyelash Extensions + [ STATE ]” for each state in the U.S. I picked the top 2 or 3 salons that google returned without any subjectivity from me. This was a very mechanical exercise.

Here is what the Google results would look like for “Eyelash Extensions California”.

Because I believe in full transparency, please find below the list of websites I collected.

3- Salon eligibility: To be included in my research, a salon had to meet 2 criteria:

1) Offer at least classic lashes. Hybrid and volume lashes are optional.
2) Have a clear pricing page where I could collect information. Some salons requested a call to book and find out prices. Those were excluded in the interest of time and transparency.

4- Comparing apples to apples: Eyelash salons sometimes offered different tiers of pricing. The most frequent examples are:

1) Tier pricing based on lash artist seniority or skill level. In such cases, I picked the middle seniority / skill level pricing.
2) Tier pricing based on the number of weeks for refills. In such cases, I picked the 3 weeks refill pricing.

Alright. The table has been set. Time to show the results!

How Much Do Eyelash Extensions Cost

I have summarized the data collected in a simple table below.

Takeaways:

• The cost for a full set of classic lashes averages $164 with a median of $150. The standard deviation is $48.27.
  
  From this data, we can see that there are a few really high cost outliers that pushed the average above the median. Also, the results are quite dispersed with that standard deviation.
  
  I thought it was really interesting to see that these results are significantly higher than what was communicated in the Glad Lash survey. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the survey dates from 2016. It is possible that prices have increased since then.
  
  
• The cost for a full set of hybrid lashes averages $192 with a median of $183. The standard deviation is $50.88.
  
  Overall, the pricing for hybrid lashes follows a similar pattern than the pricing for classic lashes albeit slightly more expensive.
  
  
• The cost for a full set of volume lashes averages $227 with a median of $215. The standard deviation is $62.15.
  
  Again, similar pattern than with classic and hybrid prices. The standard deviation is quite high though fueled by several prices really far from the mean.
  
  
• The average price for refills is $71 for classic, $84 for hybrid and $95 for volume. These prices are consistent with what I would expect.

Are Eyelash Extensions Worth It

Eyelash extensions are an expense – there is no denying it. Whether or not they are worth it remains a personal preference.

If you take a more mathematical angle to the question, you could think of all the time you save up during your morning routine. You wake up beautiful and ready to go, no makeup needed. If you are always running late for work, you don’t have to worry about spending too much time on eyeliner and mascara.

So how much do you value your time in the morning? Some might say every minute counts!

And of course there is the more intangible love for lashes. How much do you value those beautiful lashes that enhance your eyes like nothing else could?

You could argue that these extensions are a small price to pay for the beauty and confidence that they can provide.

Having said all this, lash extensions remain a luxury product and you need to plan them in your budget if you want to maintain them every few weeks with regular refills.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed doing this research even if it took me several days to complete and write this post! It allowed me to validate the pricing of my own salons. My own pricing was within the range of the median for all 3 categories.

If you are starting your business, I would highly recommend you to look into the area market prices and check what are the average prices in your area before making your pricing strategy. If there is enough research done on your local market you will not need to spend days like I did trying to determine what the average price should be.

Also, keep in mind that there are several other factors to consider when establishing a pricing strategy such as : – How many clients are expected to show up? – What do you want to achieve in terms of revenue? – How much experience do you have in the industry? Etc.

All these variables deserve your attention and should be integrated into your pricing strategy.

If you are a client looking to get lash extensions, I hope this guide was useful for you and will make your decision process easier to complete! I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post and will feel more comfortable about going to get your lash extensions done!

Please let me know if the comments below how you salon’s pricing is compared to my results.

All the love <3

– Asako

References

1. ZipRecruiter. Eyelash Technician Salary. Retrieved from https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/false-eyelashes-market (Accessed on 05-05-2021)
2. Glad Lash. Eyelash Extensions Infographic – Industry Survey Results Paint a Picture of a Beautiful Lash Life. Retrieved from https://blog.gladgirl.com/eyelash-extensions-infographic-industry-survey-results/ (Accessed on 05-05-2021)
3. Grand View Research, Inc. (2019). False Eyelashes Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Strips, Cluster /Accent, Individual), By Constituent (Natural, Synthetic), By Distribution Channel, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 – 2025. Retrieved from https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/false-eyelashes-market (Accessed on 05-05-2021)