2 Million BARBICIDE® Certifications Go Digital & Contactless With Merit Partnership

How To Save BARBICIDE® Certificates To Your Smartphone For Contactless Access

If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that commitment to cleaning and disinfection plays a key role in maintaining a safe salon environment—and a successful business! For almost 75 years, BARBICIDE® has provided equipment and training to help professionals keep their workspaces clean and disinfected, and when COVID-19 hit, they stepped up again to become a go-to resource for certifications.

On March 1, 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand released its online BARBICIDE® Certification course, followed shortly by the BARBICIDE® COVID-19 Certification course. These courses teach and test pros on the latest cleaning and disinfection safety guidelines and best practices.

Fast forward 12 months since the program launched, and more than 1 million professionals have earned more than 2 million BARBICIDE® certifications. Pretty amazing, right?!

Access Certificates Digitally On Your Smartphone

BARBICIDE® didn’t stop at offering education and certifications for professionals. The team went a step further for the industry by partnering with Merit to make those certificates digitally available on smartphones for secure, contactless sharing. Starting in December 2020, every salon pro’s certifications were sent via Merit. Now, the million-plus professionals who have already been certified, and any future professionals who become certified, can easily show their dedication to providing safe services and meeting client expectations.

Merit is a verified identity platform that works with trusted government and private organizations to send and verify digital credentials. Merit’s free smartphone app makes it easy for people to store, manage, access and share those credentials—whether it’s a certification from BARBICIDE® or a cosmetology license from a state licensing board.

In fact, due to Merit’s existing partnership with Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, beauty pros in Virginia can also manage all of their state-issued professional licenses with Merit.

How To Get Started: Watch This Video!

 

 

 

 

 

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Beauty Pros Can Now Store Certifications, Licenses & Trainings On One App

Sarah Williams is a licensed cosmetologist, licensed permanent cosmetic tattooer and certified makeup artist who lives in Richmond, VA. “When we came back after COVID, we wanted to show that we were BARBICIDE® COVID-certified,” she says. “That was an amazing thing to have right at that time.” In addition to her BARBICIDE® certifications, Sarah keeps all of her licenses and trainings in Merit. “All of the accomplishments are right in the palm of your hand,” she says. “It makes everything so much easier. I know if I went to Florida tomorrow, I could say, ‘This is all of my stuff from Virginia.’”

Watch The Video: Sarah shares her experience! Click here.

What’s Next For BARBICIDE® & Merit

Several states have passed legislation requiring beauty pros to be educated about the signs of domestic violence and how to respond. Shear Haven Domestic Violence Training is one program that equips stylists with the knowledge and resources to recognize the signs of domestic violence, successfully navigate conversations with clients who may be in danger and pass along tools that can help them get to safety. BARBICIDE® now hosts the free training program on its site. Since April 2021, proof of course completion will be available in the Merit app to store alongside their other certifications and licenses.

 

 

 

 

 

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The BARBICIDE® x Merit partnership has been successful due to the overwhelming response from beauty professionals, as well as the pressing need for contactless solutions for showing certifications. As the pandemic hopefully comes to a close and the economy fully reopens, partnerships like BARBICIDE® and Merit’s will continue to evolve and push forward the professional beauty industry.

For more info, visit barbicide.com.