The pigmentation industry experienced an unprecedented revolution with the emergence of microblading in 2014. This technique rapidly dominated the world of semi-permanent makeup, bringing about a transformative shift. Its rise was so meteoric that any resistance from practitioners of other techniques, like traditional powder brows or shading methods such as cashmere or fully tattooed brows, proved absolutely futile. There were phases when the popularity and demand for microblading services doubled every month, underscoring its overwhelming success. Why did this happen? Many artists who helped to compose this article were in the middle of all that and have been involved with modern-day microblading since its inception.
Reasons for Extreme Success
When experts reflect on the reasons behind microblading's success, they often point to various factors. For an extended period, the prevailing opinion was that microblading had no significant flaws or vulnerabilities and there were only positive aspects. Its strengths were numerous, with the following attributes being the most significant contributors to its success: Simplicity of learning, extremely low entrance cost, and demand for natural-looking “pattern” brows.
Simplicity in Learning
While learning microblading is certainly not easy, its appeal lies in its simplicity. It's important to distinguish between “simple” and “easy.” Acquiring any new skill, including microblading, poses challenges, and our extensive research shows that the learning experience varies widely among students, often unrelated to their previous skills or experiences.
For some, the challenge might be mapping the brow accurately, while others might struggle to understand colorimetry theory. Many find mastering the patterns most difficult, and some experience anxiety associated with physically performing the procedure, especially when it involves making skin incisions or encountering blood. These varied challenges indicate that learning microblading is not universally “easy.”
However, the " simplicity " aspect set microblading training apart and contributed to its widespread popularity. A well-structured training program, guided by a competent trainer, can lead students of varying abilities to a point where they can satisfactorily perform microblading procedures. This doesn't necessarily mean they'll immediately gain clients or produce outstanding results. Instead, it indicates a level of proficiency where they can correctly execute the procedure. Despite the different challenges faced by students, this simplicity in learning made microblading an accessible and appealing skill to acquire. In other words, the training could practically always guarantee, that if you pay the fee, you get the skills necessary to perform the procedure. You may need to practice excessively, but becoming an artist was a function of a certain amount of known variables.
Cost Factors
The affordability of starting and maintaining a microblading practice has played a significant role in its explosion in popularity since late 2014. This affordability aspect challenged the norms in the semi-permanent makeup industry, which had been shrouded in mystique and perceived as a high-cost venture. In other words, the PMU industry has set up the ideal stage for microblading to disrupt it because it had gone “too far,” presenting the brow pigmentation procedure as a “skill that took years to acquire.”
In other words, for years, industry leaders positioned pigmentation as a niche skill akin to medical treatments, accessible only to a select few who could invest heavily in training and equipment. This elitist approach created a perception that semi-permanent makeup was beyond the reach of many aspiring artists. Microblading shattered this illusion by demonstrating that the procedure could be performed effectively without prohibitive start-up or operational costs.
Thus, microblading opened the field to a broader demographic. It showed that individuals without extensive experience or investment could achieve results that were more attractive in natural appearance and shape and objectively superior to traditional pigmentation methods rooted in tattooing. This opened doors for younger artists to compete effectively with industry veterans and win in every aspect. It is not an exaggeration when one makes a claim that “microblading did change the semi-permanent makeup industry forever.”
The start-up costs for microblading were significantly lower than other career paths in the semi-permanent makeup field. The essentials - blades, pigments, and disposables - were relatively inexpensive, especially compared to the investment required for pigmentation machines and their associated overpriced cartridges. This aspect of microblading was particularly appealing as it allowed artists to enter the field without the substantial financial outlay previously required.
Furthermore, microblading signified breaking away from traditional marketing structures. This means that microblading’s rise challenged the prevailing business models in the industry, which often resembled multi-level marketing schemes where artists became de facto sales representatives for specific brands and their expensive products. Microblading presented an alternative to this model, emphasizing skill and artistry over brand allegiance and expensive equipment, democratizing the field and making it more accessible to a wider range of aspiring artists. That was a phenomenon that could not simply be reversed.
Demand for natural "lines"
Another crucial factor in the remarkable surge of microblading's popularity was the market's readiness for a new approach to brow pigmentation. Customers had grown accustomed to the heavily filled, dark brows of previous pigmentation methods, which, by modern standards, often seemed unnatural and ridiculously heavy.
The preference for more natural-looking brows created an optimal environment for microblading to thrive. As customers became aware of the possibility of achieving a more natural brow appearance through microblading, the technique's demand skyrocketed. The contrast between the "old" heavy brows and the subtle, lifelike results offered by microblading made the choice clear for many seeking brow enhancements.
The technique's arrival at a time when there was a clear shift in preference towards naturalness played a significant role in its rapid adoption. Customers began to recognize microblading as the superior choice for brow pigmentation, leading to a widespread and sustained demand for the service. The widespread recognition of microblading as the “new number one technique” fueled a paradigm shift in brow aesthetics to a degree where even random pigmentation procedures started selling manifold better in regions where microblading had not yet been actually introduced if the artist just renamed those “microblading.”
Thus, this unprecedented transformation in customer preferences and the subsequent rise of microblading heralded a tectonic shift in the semi-permanent makeup industry. It departed from the traditional, heavier brow styles and set a new standard for natural-looking, aesthetically pleasing brow enhancements. This transformation elevated microblading to a prominent position in the industry and influenced broader trends in cosmetic brow treatments.
Evolutions in Microblading Technique
Despite its popularity, microblading faced challenges, particularly in how the lines healed. Often, lines blended into a single color during the healing process, losing their initial distinctiveness and sharpness. This issue was primarily due to the depth of blade penetration, especially when young artists pushed the blade too deep into the skin, reaching the hypodermis. This over-penetration and the use of organic pigments often resulted in blurred lines.
Despite these setbacks, clients were generally forgiving, partly because artists had informed them about potential limitations and challenges. Many clients attributed the blurring to their skin's unique properties or post-procedure care, which helped maintain the technique's popularity.
By 2016, many professional practitioners realized the issue with depth and began performing microblading with a lighter touch, "brushing" the skin and using “tapping” techniques rather than pressing deeply. This adjustment reduced skin trauma and improved the visibility and sharpness of microblading lines after healing and the initial touch-ups. This evolution marked a significant improvement in the technique, aligning outcomes more closely with the initial promises of microblading. In other words, the third year of microblading with the improved techniques marked the achievement of the initial promised results. Thus, the trajectory of microblading continued to go up and to the right.
Nanoblading as a term. "Nanoblading" emerged as a marketing term for using finer needles. Although it didn't fundamentally differ from traditional microblading, the label implied a more refined technique. "Nanoblading" essentially referred to blades composed of needles with slightly smaller diameters, offering the potential for even finer, more precise lines. While not a revolutionary change, this evolution represented an incremental improvement in the microblading technique, contributing to its ongoing popularity and client satisfaction.
The financial triumph
The refinement in microblading techniques improved client satisfaction and opened doors for financial success for artists. Documented cases (we have fact-checked this) reveal some microblading practitioners earning more than $50,000 monthly with just the procedures. This extraordinary income resulted from their dedication and insane work hours, often involving seven-day work weeks and back-to-back appointments from morning to night. These figures are not speculative but verified accounts of what some practitioners were able to achieve.
It can be said that the success of microblading extended beyond individual artists to the academies that offered training in this technique. These academies profited from teaching microblading skills and capitalized on selling related products, creating multiple revenue streams. The financial success of these training centers was sometimes so substantial that owners could make extravagant purchases, such as buying luxury vehicles like Bentleys outright in the second half of 2015. This level of financial achievement is not a hyperbole but a fact-checked and verified reality, demonstrating the significant impact microblading had on the beauty and semi-permanent makeup industry.
