TOKYO - Hair salons are beginning to use generative-AI 'image models' in advertising to reduce the time and cost of photo shoots, a shift that has drawn both interest and concern from customers.
Operators and consumers described how Instagram, TikTok, and magazine photos heavily influence where people book appointments and what styles they request.
Many said they visit about once a month, with typical outlays ranging from around 12,000 yen for a cut and color to about 25,000 yen when adding smoothing treatments or skipping straightening.
Sai, a company that sells AI-generated images for hairstyles, eyelash extensions, and nail designs, said it launched the service after hearing from salon owners that “shoots are hard to manage.” The company noted that customer acquisition is a major challenge for salons and that the expense and effort of hiring and photographing human models can strain operations.
The financial backdrop is severe. According to Teikoku Databank, there were 157 salon bankruptcies from January through August 2025, outpacing the record pace of 2024, with inflation and labor shortages cited as key pressures.
Because AI images are cheaper than hiring human hair or salon models, adoption is spreading. On the street, some consumers welcomed the variety and lower costs, saying AI images are fine as long as they can see the hairstyle. Others were skeptical, questioning whether the advertised look can actually be delivered, whether a style that suits an AI-generated face will fit their own features, and how differences in a stylist’s technique could affect the outcome.
A Sai representative acknowledged those worries and said the company believes it is important for the industry to consider a common framework so both salons and customers can feel secure about how AI imagery is used.
Practitioners are also weighing the trade-offs. Masataka Mitsuhashi, manager of Hair Medical Salon Shinjuku, said that hiring models is costly and AI could help reduce expenses, but added that showing “more real” images remains ideal. He suggested a hybrid approach in which AI complements, rather than replaces, photos of actual models.
With inflation and staffing shortages squeezing the sector, AI models may become a fixture in salon marketing. Whether they take root as a standard tool will depend on how convincingly salons bridge the gap between AI visuals and real-world results.
Source: FNN
