Framar

Framar is a family-owned Canadian company that makes professional hair-coloring tools and salon accessories, based in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was founded in 1986 by Maria, who built the business from the back of her husband Frank's hair salon and became the first person in Canada to produce foil made specifically for hair stylists [1][5]. The company's name is a contraction of the two founders' first names, Frank and Maria.

Four decades on, Framar remains independent and family-run, and its products are sold internationally through both salons and direct online retail. The brand is still led by Maria, with her three sons now involved in running it.

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

The business traces back to 1978, when Frank opened an eight-chair salon in Niagara Falls; he and Maria later met there [1]. The brand itself dates to 1986, the year Maria began producing professional foil — so the salon predates the company by several years, and sources distinguish the two milestones accordingly [5]. According to Framar, the idea came from Frank, who brought it back to Canada from the United Kingdom; Maria then taught herself the subject and, by the company's account, ran production, sales and order fulfilment largely single-handedly for the first twenty years [6].

The brand's own Our Story page refers to the founders by first name only, as Maria and Frank. Independent trade sources name them as Maria Gallo and Frank Gallo and describe Maria as the company's founder and chief executive [6]. Framar describes itself as female-founded.

Framar is privately held and has remained a family business throughout its history; the packet records no parent company or acquisitions. The company says Maria continues to lead it as president and founder, and that her three sons — Giovanni, Francesco and Roberto — are now active in the business, with a particular focus on international expansion and digital strategy.

Framar specializes in tools and disposables for professional hair coloring rather than cosmetics or hair-care formulas. Its range spans hair foil — sold as pre-cut sheets, pop-ups and rolls — along with sectioning clips, color brushes and brush sets, hair brushes, gloves, capes, combs, color bowls and assorted salon disposables. The company describes itself as designing colorful, salon-grade equipment with the working colorist in mind.

Among the products the brand highlights are its embossed Pop Up foils, which it says are textured to grip and hold without slipping; the Bleach Blenders; the Dreamweaver combs; and a barrier cream called Dye Defender. An independent Canadian industry source singles out the Triple Threat color brush set [5].

Framar positions the stylist as the creative lead and itself as a behind-the-scenes supplier of the tools. "Everything we create is done with you, the colorist, in mind," the company states on its homepage, framing its products as a support to the colorist's craft. Its stated ethos is that "stylists are superstars," and it uses the tagline "Good Deals & Good Vibes Only." The brand emphasizes staying connected to working stylists through social media to shape the products it develops.

Framar is an actively trading company. Its website is current, it continues to launch products, and it maintains accounts across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter; the company has also noted a warehouse relocation planned for spring 2023 [4]. It reported around 25 employees at its headquarters.

The company's stated international reach varies between sources. Framar's Our Story page describes distribution in "over 190 countries" [1], while its own Find Framar page gives "over 70 countries" [3] and aggregated trade sources cite 54 countries [6]. The figures differ by source and date; all indicate broad global distribution.