After 148 years, American Salon has still got it.
The oldest beauty industry media brand in the U.S. won two 2025 Jesse H. Neal Awards — the premier honor in business-to-business journalism — recognizing its coverage of the nationwide push to require licensed cosmetologists to be trained in caring for textured hair.
American Salon’s award-winning coverage included an overview of the state-by-state movement, led by the Professional Beauty Association and the Texture Education Collective, and its broader racial and societal implications beyond the beauty industry.
It also included features about two hairstylists — Aveda's Renée Gadar and Texture Versus Race founder Keya Neal — who became leaders in the national push to close the educational gap about textured hair in mainstream cosmetology training.
American Salon and its Editor/ Content Director Eileen Loh were honored in the categories of Best Series and Best DEI Coverage, and placed as third runner-up in the best-in-show 2025 Grand Neals Award.
American Salon has covered the beauty industry since it was first published in 1877 as a 12-page magazine called The American Hairdresser, offering business tips and techniques on how to create the latest hairstyles.
Now owned by B2B media and event producer Questex, American Salon continues to lead in coverage of beauty industry news, trends, business and career development, education, and community building.
It's the media partner to the International Beauty Show, the longest-running professional beauty event in the United States.
The Jesse H. Neal Awards, now in their 71st year, are the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. Named after the first managing director of American Business Media, the Neal Awards were established in 1955 to recognize editorial excellence in business media.
