Pepper Tree Hair Studios says it's maintained a great relationship with American company Aveda, despite the tariff war.

By Tommy Osborne

U.S. tariffs

“Very grateful” Prince George business maintains good relations with U.S. company despite trade war

Apr 15, 2025 | 3:37 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – As U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war continues, frustration and uncertainty mount for many industries and businesses that have faced a tariff situation that seems to change every week. This has led to tensions and some hostility between Canada and the U.S., but Pepper Tree Hair Studios, a Prince George business, is happy to say its maintained a great relationship with U.S. company Aveda amid an ongoing trade war.

“Aveda had told us that they weren’t going to be increasing the cost of Aveda due to any tariffs. I don’t know what the back cause of that is on their end, but I do know that I feel very supported by Aveda and I’m very grateful that our costs aren’t being increased,” said Pepper Tree’s owner Shannon Wright.

CKPG News reached out to Aveda for more details, but did not hear back. According to the Government of Canada’s website, hair products do not fall under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, meaning they are subject to the 25% counter-tariffs put in place. Had the costs gone to Pepper Tree, rather than Aveda keeping costs the same for the Hair Studio, Wright says it would have put her business in a very difficult situation.

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“If costs were to go up, we would be put in a position to decide: is this a cost that our small business would have to absorb? Because that would be devastating to us, but also we wouldn’t want to have to pass that off to the consumer either,” she said.

“We wouldn’t be certain if we could continue doing business with Aveda, as much as we love it because they’re sustainable, they’re environmental, they align with our with our values. So for us to have to be in that position of deciding: do we continue doing business with a higher cost, or do we look elsewhere? It would be devastating,” she added.

Wright has been in business with Aveda since 2018 and says she spends $10,000-15,000 a month on their products, so the 25% tariff would have resulted in a monthly cost increase of anywhere from $2,500 to $3,750 a month.

“I’m super grateful that they’re taking care of their Canadian friends and we are being supported during this uncertain time,” Wright said.

In the same way costs often get passed down to a consumer when tariffs are implemented, Wright says Pepper Tree and Aveda have been able to pass the savings onto the customer, so there is a 25% discount on all Aveda products in Pepper Tree Hair Studio until April 22.

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