In South Africa’s beauty industry, trends come and go. Yet for Sorbet, the country’s largest professional salon group, longevity has never been about chasing the next big thing. Instead, it’s about something far simpler: people.
“Everybody does nails, hair, skin,” says Linda Sinclair, Group CEO of Sorbet, “but it’s about how you make people feel when they’re in your space and when they’re in your store. That really has been our fundamental difference… it’s about touching people’s lives and making them better, look better and feel better.”
Building a Brand on Culture
Sorbet has been in business for two decades, and its growth—more than 200 salons nationwide—speaks for itself. Yet when asked what has driven that success, Sinclair doesn’t point to numbers, flashy campaigns, or even trends.
“It comes down to one thing,” she explains. “It’s about the culture of the brand, and it’s about making sure that every single person lives the culture of the brand. We’ve always put people first, and we make sure that the guest experience is of the utmost importance to us.”
For Sinclair, culture is more than a slogan—it’s the brand’s heartbeat. It shapes how Sorbet’s teams (affectionately called “citizens”) interact with guests and with one another, making the salon floor a place of community rather than transaction.
Dermalogica: Two Decades of Partnership
Sorbet’s story is also one of collaboration. Its partnership with Dermalogica began on day one, when the skincare giant became the first professional brand stocked in Sorbet’s opening store.
“Dermalogica has literally been with us since day one,” says Sinclair. “We actually opened our first store 20 years ago with Dermalogica as one of our brands. It’s been an incredible journey… really delivering the results that our guests want, meeting them where they are, and making sure that we are advancing the skincare treatments.”
Over the years, this partnership has allowed Sorbet to offer advanced treatments such as needling, nano-infusion and lumen fusion—techniques that reflect global trends but remain accessible to South African clients.
Women Leading Women
It’s fitting that Sorbet’s 20th anniversary coincides with Women’s Month, as the brand itself is a testament to women’s leadership and resilience.
“The brand is actually predominantly for women and run by women, and I think that is so important,” Sinclair reflects. “We’ve got incredibly fierce leaders. They are inspirational, they are dynamic, and they’re creating opportunities for other women—women who really feed families, extended families, giving them employment opportunities, establishing dreams, building a reality for them, and really investing in women.”
For Sorbet, empowerment is not a seasonal campaign but a lived reality. Its stores are filled with women at every level of the business, from therapists and stylists to franchise owners and managers.
“Women’s Month is really about celebrating the women who have gone through the struggles in the past and really made sure that women were able to succeed and grow and to develop,” Sinclair adds. “At Sorbet, that’s what we’ve been doing for 20 years—transforming the industry and providing equal opportunities for both women and men.”
A Future Rooted in Innovation
While Sorbet’s foundation is people-first, its gaze is firmly on the future. Sinclair hints at exciting new developments but is careful not to reveal too much.
“That’s coming for all our trade secrets,” she says with a laugh. Then, more seriously: “It’s always about making sure that we address our consumers’ needs. This industry is evolving. There’s lots of technology coming into the industry, and it’s about how we embrace technology—not to take away from the guest experience and that personal touch, but to actually enhance that experience.”
From digitisation and new booking formats to sustainable beauty and homegrown product ranges, Sorbet is positioning itself at the intersection of innovation and care.
“We’re very excited about the future of Sorbet,” Sinclair continues. “We believe we’ve got lots of runway in terms of store growth, especially with brands like Sorbet Man and our Hairbar brands, which really have transformed the hair industry around inclusivity and being able to accommodate all hair types within our space.”
The Sorbet Promise
Two decades in, Sorbet has proven that beauty can be more than surface-level. It can be a means of empowerment, a livelihood, a space of care and comfort, and a promise of possibility.
As Sinclair says: “It’s about the culture, it’s about people, and it’s about how we can touch people’s lives and make them better, look better and feel better.”
And that is the Sorbet way.