SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TEXAS
MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS franchise in Texas: what the public record shows
Franchisees of MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS in Texas have taken 35 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $68,711). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted at a rate not clearly different from franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 8 charge-offs among 32 resolved loans, where about 6.5 would be expected (1.2×). MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's national ratio is 1.0× (not clearly different from 1.0×). Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 108 franchised outlets in Texas (fiscal 2025) — about 0.35 per 100k residents.
Loans in TX
35
Charged off (all years)
8 of 32
Loss ratio in TX (not clear)
1.2×
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TX. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
6,224
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
19.9
national 26.6
Versus the country
-25%
thinner
Every business in MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's industry operating in Texas — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$743
Texas, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+6%
costlier to staff
What MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's industry actually pays workers in Texas, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 121 | 0 |
| 2024 | 116 | 0 |
| 2025 | 108 | 0 |
| System | Loans in TX | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in TX | Units in TX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Clips | 154 | 3 of 136 | 0.1× | 204 |
| GREAT CLIPS | 97 | 9 of 84 | 0.7×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Mary Kay Cosmetics | 69 | 24 of 56 | 2.9× | — |
| Fantastic Sams | 65 | 9 of 57 | 0.8×NOT CLEAR | — |
| European Wax Center | 58 | 0 of 50 | 0× | — |
| Amazing Lash Studio | 53 | 2 of 32 | 0.6×NOT CLEAR | 81 |
| SUPERCUTS | 45 | 2 of 34 | 0.5×NOT CLEAR | 196 |
| Planet Beach | 42 | 15 of 35 | 2.0× | — |
| The Lash Lounge | 22 | 1 of 7 | — | — |
| Deka Lash | 21 | 4 of 11 | — | — |
| GLO Tanning | 20 | 0 of 5 | — | 25 |
| WAXING THE CITY | 16 | 1 of 7 | — | — |
Other systems in MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Texas. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.