The humble dry shampoo is entering its high-tech era, with elevated formulations and sustainable packaging designs expanding the product’s functionality beyond its traditional uses.
As well as absorbing excess oil from tresses to extend the time between hair washes, today’s dry shampoos now offer next level odour reduction, nourishing scalp care and more sustainable application methods to reflect broader trends in consumer behaviour.
Hair care giant Batiste unveiled its “smartest dry shampoo yet” this year, which comprises sweat-activated technology to keep hair looking, feeling and smelling fresh during and after physical activity.
Colab’s Pure Nude Dry Shampoo has been developed specifically for sensitive scalps, using soothing ingredients such as camomile and vitamin E to help tackle scalp dryness and irritation.
Beauty brand Hair Gain, meanwhile, has created a non-aerosol dry shampoo with a padded puff applicator for a more eco-friendly application, reducing product waste.
As more prestige brands like Olaplex and K18 enter the dry shampoo category, consumers could expect more high-tech ingredients and claims within the segment
“The category is transforming from simply oil-absorbing and style-extending products into comprehensive hair and scalp care solutions,” says Lorna Radford, cosmetics scientist and Managing Director of formulation lab Enkos Developments.
“This shift not only meets current consumer demands for multifunctional products but also opens new avenues for future innovations in the intersection of hair styling and scalp health.”
This fresh wave of hybrid products makes sense when the dry shampoo market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% to US$4.09bn by 2032, found analyst Global Market Insights.
Online beauty retailer Lookfantastic has also reported a 42% increase in dry shampoo sales from August 2023 to August 2024, with searches for 'powder dry shampoo' soaring 516% during this period.
K18's first-ever dry shampoo AirWash is making a splash in the US
Smell of success
A focus on the scent appeal is helping both category newcomers and long-standing dry shampoo giants to separate themselves from the competition.
Bond repair-focused hair care player K18 broke into the styling category this year with its first-ever
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