A hot night all around for the 70th edition of The L’Oréal Colour Trophy UK. Temperatures soared and the excitement quotient heated up to extreme, so it felt appropriate to head for London’s giant landmark, the O2 in North Greenwich for the 2026 Grand Final of this fabulous colour event. Billed as an evening of hair artistry, colour innovation and live competition, the L’Oreal Colour Trophy is arguably the world’s longest-running live hairdressing competition. And Colour World was there for it. As well as many of our favourite colourists, this was a night to champion our long-running association with the L’Oreal colour brands.
How it played out
Earlier in the year, eight regional semi-final heats across the UK decided the finalists to compete live at the Grand Final. They needed to recreate the looks that won them their finalist spot on a live model. The intention? To demonstrate creativity, technical skill and individuality shaping the future of professional colour.
Before the competition winning looks were announced, there was equally as much excitement about the hair shows that form such an important part of the proceedings. After drinks and dinner (accompanied by a live orchestra), the esteemed auditorium of the O2 offered a great platform for two immense shows:
‘Off the Earth’ by Toni & Guy. Delivering exactly the escapism we adore from the Toni&Guy artistic team, this was a treat. Which other company can work the shows of Fashion Week, entice loyalty and admiration on the High Street for commercial looks, and provide the imagination and audacity of avant-garde flights of fantasy. We were impressed by the work, led by Cos Saakas, Efi Davies and Indira Schauwecker.
‘Eras of Hair‘ was devised to celebrate seven decades. The event marked 70 years of a competition that has launched careers, transformed salons and championed the craft of hairdressing since 1954.
A collective of hairdressers each shared their vision of a chose decade. Sally Brooks played lead creative to ensure the cohesion of the concept – got to love this girl for her passion in creating visionary teams. Respect!
“The O2 venue is incredible, and we were so excited to welcome everyone here to experience the show. As a collective, we took the audience on a journey through different eras of hair, brought to life in our own unique way. Walking through the corridors, you can feel the history in the artwork and the names on the walls, and the sound in the arena is just amazing. With an audience like this, it was brilliant to see everyone get up, dance and celebrate with us.” – Sally Brooks, Brooks & Brooks and L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2026 UK Grand Final Lead Creative Show Director, Collective Show
Competition time
Back to the winners of the 2026 L’Oreal Colour Trophy. Judged by a panel of leading names from across the hairdressing industry,
The winners are:
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Award
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Overall Winner: Scullion and Scot – Lewis Inkles & Jessica Elwell, Sheffield
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2nd Place: Tribe Clapham – Elle Foreman, London
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3rd Place: Brooks & Brooks – Charlotte Illi, London
“When our names were called, we felt completely overwhelmed and so proud of each other. To win in the 70th year of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy makes it even more special, and to know our small Sheffield salon is achieving the recognition it deserves is an incredible feeling.
Lewis Inkles and Jessica Elwell, Scullion and Scot
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Award – Regional Winners:
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Northern Ireland: Leighann Rea Hairdressing – Leighann Rea, Belfast
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Scotland: Garçon – Grant Carr, Glasgow
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North Eastern: Scullion and Scot – Lewis Inkles & Jessica Elwell, Sheffield
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North Western: Drew Udall & Co – Drew Udall, Shropshire
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Western: Zoe Hodgkiss – Hair Artistry – Zoe Hodgkiss, Holsworthy
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Eastern: The Secret Garden – Darren Cunningham & George Waterfield, Leicester
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Southern: Peg Hair – Daniel Stanley, Brighton
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London: Tribe Clapham – Elle Foreman
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Star Award: Scullion and Scot – Millie Grierson, Sheffield
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Afro Award: Headmasters Dulwich – Danielle Louis, London
L’Oréal Colour Specialist Award: Daniel Wilson Hairdressing – Adriana Seagrave, Southampton
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Future Talent Award
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Amy Mcdonald
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Charlotte Rikunenko
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Evie Fisher
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Olivia Dare
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Patrice Rhatigan
L’Oréal Colour Trophy Social Colour Creator Award: Willow Fox Hairdressing, Lauren Fox, Sheffield
The temperature inside and outside the O2 arena hadn’t dropped a jot all evening. We won’t have it any other way!
For more information on L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2026, visit https://www.lorealcolourtrophy.com/
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