Industry Advocacy: Speaking Up on the Cooling-off Period

Representatives of the Hong Kong Beauty Industry Union attended an important session at the Legislative Council on the industry's behalf. At the meeting, on the issues of keenest public concern — the 'statutory cooling-off period', the 'contract-term cap' and other operating restrictions — we conveyed directly to the councillors and officials present the genuine voice and worries of front-line practitioners and merchants.

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Facing the enormous policy challenges ahead, the beauty industry must stand united and forge the strongest possible voice. We need your participation:

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In response to the Government's public consultation on the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, the Hong Kong Beauty Industry Union (BIU) has formally submitted its views to the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Customs and Excise Department, and Legislative Council members.

With northbound consumption now the norm amid high rents and high labour costs, small and medium beauty salons already stand on the brink of closure. We understand the Government's original intent to protect consumers, but excessively harsh legislation would only pile hardship on hardship — potentially triggering a wave of closures that would ultimately harm consumers.

We set out three key risks and our core requests (see the submission below):

We urge the Government to face the industry's voice, not to punish every law-abiding merchant with a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, and to work with the industry towards the best balanced solution that protects consumers while sustaining the livelihoods of tens of thousands of practitioners.

Hong Kong Beauty Industry Union

Facing an increasingly severe business environment and regulatory pressure, harsh regulation alone would only crush the industry's room to survive. The Hong Kong Beauty Industry Union (HKBIU) is committed to building an 'industry self-improvement mechanism' that establishes two-way protection for merchants and customers:

Consumer safety assurance: a well-established mediation mechanism to uphold customer confidence and the industry's credibility.

First-phase free support: professional legal and business consulting to help merchants operate in compliance.

Digital empowerment: introducing POS systems to optimise service quality and customer relations.

Information defence network: real-time alerts so the industry can respond together to malicious troublemaking and unfair treatment.

We firmly believe that replacing excessive restrictions such as clause 5.4 of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance with proactive industry self-regulation is the only way to a genuine win-win-win for consumers, merchants and the Government!

The Union has always paid close attention to any policy measures affecting the operating environment and professional development of Hong Kong's beauty industry. The Union is deeply grateful to 邵家輝, Legislative Councillor for the Wholesale and Retail sector, whose active coordination brought together many industry representatives and representatives of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) for an in-depth meeting conveying the industry's demands directly on major issues such as the 'statutory cooling-off period'.

During the meeting, industry representatives offered practical views to the Bureau on core concerns including the enforcement details and scope of definition of the cooling-off period and its real impact on small and medium beauty salons. We stressed that protecting consumer rights and safeguarding the survival space of small enterprises are equally important, and urged the Government, as it advances any policy, to listen fully to front-line practitioners and avoid a 'one-size-fits-all' approach that would place unnecessary pressure on beauty merchants operating lawfully.

The Union will maintain close communication with 邵家輝 and the relevant government departments, closely follow legislative and policy developments, strive for the greatest benefit of the beauty industry, and push the industry towards healthy, professional and sustainable development!

All members and industry peers are welcome to keep following the Union's latest updates and to speak up for the beauty industry together!

The Union has been closely following policy measures affecting the operating environment and professional autonomy of Hong Kong's beauty industry. Today (28 August), the Union was deeply honoured to be received by DAB Legislative Councillors 林琳, 周浩鼎, 葛珮帆 and 陳曼琪, joining many front-line industry representatives for an in-depth and candid discussion of the industry's current challenges and opportunities.

At the meeting, industry representatives actively conveyed core issues including clarifying the details of the 'statutory cooling-off period', the real operating pressure the regulatory framework places on small and medium beauty salons, and the industry's long-term development. We stressed that any policy must balance consumer protection with the survival space of law-abiding merchants, and expressed the hope that empirical data and front-line experience would help the councillors grasp the industry's realities more fully and explore more grounded, more flexible enforcement options together.

We thank the four Legislative Councillors for listening carefully to the industry's voice and for their valuable advice on the direction of policy advocacy. Going forward, the Union will continue its pragmatic approach, maintaining close communication with councillors across parties and with government departments, and working to move the beauty industry towards a more professional and sustainable path.

All members and industry friends are welcome to keep following the Union's latest news and to cheer on the future of the beauty industry together!

#香港美容從業聯會

#周浩鼎議員

#葛珮帆議員

#林琳議員

#陳曼琪議員

#法定冷靜期