Origin:
In the early 20th century, in New Orleans and later in busy port cities across the United States, brothers Marcel and Lucien Moreau grew up in a French beauty family. Marcel, with a flair for management and business vision, and Lucien, a meticulous artisan with an eye for detail, noticed the burgeoning nail trade lacked consistent standards for professional recognition and safety. They decided to create a system of standards to honor and recognize outstanding nail salons across America.
Founding year: 1908
Founders: brothers Marcel and Lucien Moreau
Philosophy and goals
Founded by the two brothers, the US Beauty Award is built on three core values: craftsmanship, client experience, and sanitation & safety. The goal is to celebrate salons that preserve traditional techniques while innovating creatively, and to set professional standards for a still-developing industry.
Marcel
handled organization and assembling the judging board
Lucien
developed the technical criteria based on professional experience and European traditional techniques.
The early scoring system consisted of:
30%
Technique
25%
aesthetics & creativity
20%
client service
15%
sanitation & safety
10%
consistency
To ensure objectivity, they used both anonymous visits and formal inspections, along with interviews of salon owners and verification of staff training.
Growth and influence in the 20th century
In subsequent decades, the US Beauty Award became an industry hallmark, helping outstanding salons gain recognition and raising professional standards nationwide.
The brothers also launched training classes and small internal publications to pass on techniques and safety procedures
In the
1940s - 1950s
as the beauty industry modernized, the organization updated its criteria to balance tradition with new technologies.
Maintaining credibility
From the start, Marcel and Lucien kept the organization independent, avoiding conflicts of interest by not accepting direct sponsorship from nail product manufacturers when evaluating salons. Evaluation processes were documented and archived for review when necessary.
Legacy and future vision
The Moreau brothers’ legacy is a professional standard that elevated nail work from a secondary service to an honored craft. The US Beauty Award continues to evolve, blending early-20th-century traditions with modern safety standards, aiming to expand its influence and improve welfare for nail industry artisans.
