A History of Servicing The Professional Salon Industry
For over 30 years, STARS Companies and its family of distributors has been an industry leader in the distribution of professional salon products. Founded by Jeff Cohen, STARS Companies strive to be the ultimate resource in product, business building, education and customer service.
By continuing to serve the Professional Salon Community , the Stars family of companies has become the largest independent professional salon distributor with divisions based in New York, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, California, Washington DC, and Arkansas.
1989 Four Star Salon Services opens, representing Focus 21
1993 Four Star begins distributing L’Oreal Professionnel.
1994 Four Star begins distributing Redken.
1996 First Four Star Store opens in Huntington, NY
1997 March - Four Star opens their Flagship Offices in Hauppauge, NY
1997 Future Vision Salon Services begins distribution in New Jersey
1999 Southern Star Salon Services opens in Southern Florida with KMS California
1999 Four Star Salon Services and their divisions become the US Distributor of ColorDesign
2004 Southern Star begins distribution of Goldwell in Southern Florida.
2006 February - First Florida store opens in Pompano Beach
2007 Symbiotic Salon Systems opens, distributing Goldwell and KMS California in New York
2010 Four Star begins distribution of Moroccanoil
Western Star Salon Services begins distribution in California of Difiaba, Abba, MOP and ColorDesign
2011 TruStar Salon Services is formed by the merger of Evolution, the Salon Source
and Southern Star Salon Services, distributing Goldwell, KMS, Moroccanoil,
and Davines among their lines
2012 Mountain Star Salon Services launches in Colorado and New Mexico
distributing Davines, Difiaba, ColorDesign and Moroccanoil
2013 Midway Star Salon Services begins distribution in Illinois and Indiana,
representing Ouidad and ColorDesign
2014 Rising Star Salon Services begins distribution of Keratin Complex and Ouidad in New York
2016 Stars Creations is formed with the acquisition of ABBA and MOP from Colomer,
joining ColorDesign.
2017 Keratin Holdings purchases Keratin Complex as the STARS Companies continues to
strengthen its portfolio of brands.
STARS Companies begin distribution of PHYTO in New York and Illinois, later expanding to
all divisions in 2018
Atlantic Star opens distribution in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina and Washington DC.
2018 Nova Star begins distribution in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
STARS Companies introduces Revlon Professional nationwide through all divisions
Mountain Star begins distribution of Goldwell and KMS in Arizona and Southern Nevada.
2019 Symbiotic Salon Systems and Rising Star Salon Services merge to become the premier
distributor in the Northeast United States, serving New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and
Pennsylvania.
2022 STARS Companies add Truss Professional and Lipsmart to their porfolios of products, further
expanding to meet the demands of a diversified salon community.
2023 STARS Natural Beauty Connections launches as a seperate STARS division to represent AVEDA
in the New York region, continuing the tradition of representing the premier manufacturers in the
beauty industry.
2024 STARS Companies begin distribution of K18 in the Symbiotic and TruStar divisions
Our story
Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.
What began as a passion project has evolved into something more. We’re proud of where we’ve been and even more excited for what’s ahead. What sets us apart isn’t just our process—it’s the intention behind it. We take time to understand, explore, and create with purpose at every turn.
Driven by passion
We're not here to follow trends—we're here to build something timeless. With a blend of creativity, strategy, and heart, we help ideas come to life. Every project we take on is an opportunity to learn, grow, and do something meaningful. We treat our clients like partners and our work like craft.
Their attention to detail and commitment to quality truly stood out. We’ve already recommended them to others.
—Former Customer