As far as hair is concerned, in 2018, choice is the maxim – closely followed by customisation.
People have always been happy to spend on their hair, that much is obvious, but the sheer choice of colours and formulas available to them now is staggering – and it is only proliferating.
The hair care industry may have come a little late to the 'make your own shade, blend your own ingredients and do it your own way' party, but it is making up for lost time now, and professional salons and brands in particular have jumped on the bandwagon with gusto.
When it comes to giving consumers a massive amount of choice, there can be few brands that have gone as far as Wella Professionals.
Its latest Color DJ rollout is a device that allows hairdressers to mix a bespoke hair colour from almost 60 billion colours using technology via an iPad. Yes, you did read that right: 60 billion.
And what's more, the customer can then take home their bespoke shade in a jar, with their name on, to freshen up their colour look whenever desired.
And if that wasn't enough, the customer can also choose what fragrance to add to the dye: Sicilian Bergamot, Hawaiian Orchid or Marrakesh Wood.
Custom hair colour is being taken to new heights by brands including Wella Professionals with Color DJ
The Color DJ machine mixes colours for stylists to create a more precise shade, instead of relying on the old hand-mixed methods of the past, which could be prone to mistakes.
This way every person is invited on his or her own journey, and the brand cleverly makes them feel valued and individual, a great marketing ploy for future business.
German giant Schwarzkopf has also followed suit, debuting SalonLab in its Schwarzkopf Professional range for bespoke shampoo creation.
A handheld device equipped with near-infrared and visible light sensors measures inner hair quality, moisture and hair colour.
The device then sends this information to the SalonLab Customizer which then mixes a bespoke shampoo based on the results.
Dr Nils Daecke is VP of Digital Marketing at Henkel Beauty Care. He previously told Cosmetics Business via cosmeticsbusiness.com: "The hairdresser is the expert when it comes to hair styling, cutting and coloration techniques, but when it comes to assessing inner hair condition
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