Kérastase is excited to announce the signing of hairdresser Hovig Etoyan as Global Professional Ambassador. Already a trustworthy Kérastase partner for three years, Etoyan will officially represent the brand’s professional heritage in this new role. As Global Professional Ambassador, Etoyan will work closely with Kérastase development teams in Paris, advising, co-creating and testing innovations first hand. He will also continue to contribute to the brand’s image and content for stylists and consumers, including social activations and professional tutorials and tips.
As the world’s #1 professional luxury hair care brand, Kérastase maintains the highest standards of talent for its partners. Etoyan is an exceptional professional who specializes in hair care services and maintaining hair integrity. He is also an inspiring young entrepreneur who represents the best of his profession while still maintaining a relaxed, relatable air that encourages stylists and consumers to be creative and precise with their haircare.
Etoyan takes a modern approach to haircare, often inventing his own solutions and techniques. This dedication to excellence and innovation, along with his love for Kérastase hair products, makes him the ideal choice to represent the brand’s dedication to professional luxury hair care.
Passionate and driven from an early age, Etoyan opened his first salon in Beirut at 20, with instant success. He later moved to France to work in salons and photo studios before opening his own location in 2016. At the high-end atelier in the 6th arrondissement, Etoyan’s care rituals and ultra-personalized services are designed to encourage high performance and well being for his esteemed clients.
Kérastase is proud to reaffirm its professional DNA with Etoyan, who shares the brand’s care-first philosophy. Etoyan is the perfect partner in Kérastase’s ongoing endeavor to enhance and celebrate all types of hair and its relationship to the beauty of all individuals.
Q&A with Hovig Etoyan
Why did you decide to become a hairdresser? What do you love most about your profession?
That’s a question that brings me back to my childhood. At age 11, I passed by a salon in a working-class neighborhood in Beirut. All of a sudden, I let go of my mother’s hand and went inside. It was magic for me: such a lively place, very positive, very happy. I can still feel this magic today. A woman can walk into a salon feeling down and walk out smiling, more confident. When a client feels more beautiful and thanks me for it, it’s a privilege to share that intimate moment with someone. It’s universal, touching people’s hair and caring for it. It’s profoundly human.
What does becoming Kérastase’s Global Professional Ambassador mean to you as a hairdresser?
It’s almost unbelievable! I’ve come a long way from my childhood in Lebanon. I’m so grateful that Kérastase trusts me because I grew up knowing the brand and I’ve been using its products from the beginning. Getting to know the people behind it, and the innovation that goes into it, it’s a dream.
Why is Kérastase so special to you? In what ways has the brand inspired and assisted you on your career path?
The smell of Kérastase is embedded in my memory of childhood. Bain Satin and Masquintense take me back there. Kérastase opens the senses: the smell, the touch, the beauty. When I became a professional stylist, I immediately understood the beautiful results you get with this brand, how it answers to the needs of all different hair types. I knew I could address all of my clients’ concerns and desires with one brand. The rituals we do in the salons truly care for the clients’ hair. I can see that it really works over time.
What is your care philosophy and how does it fit into your work in the salon?
Care is the number one priority in the salon. Before everything, there’s hair care. Before cut, color, blow-dry, anything. And that’s for a logical reason. Technically speaking, if I don’t have healthy hair, I am limited in what I can do. The color cannot be as shiny, the cut will not be as beautiful. I need to think about healing the hair first, the scalp and the fiber. To achieve beautiful hair, you need great products that are appropriate for each client’s hair type, texture and concern. Kérastase always brings the best care to support the skills of the stylist.
