This article was originally published in the Hair Care Trend Report. Receive your copy here
Hair care is a hive of innovation.
Whether it’s trends such as expensive-looking glass hair inspiring product launches, or the skinification of the segment as consumers prioritise their hair and scalp health, hair care is awash with activity and consumers are more engaged than ever before.
The performance of the segment, which is valued globally at US$89bn according to Euromonitor International, reflects its gleaming status within beauty, as it benefits from a continued boom in premium products.
Prestige hair care sales across Europe grew by 15% between January and June 2024, according to Circana.
Yet while in other beauty categories price rises have driven much of the growth, in hair care it is being driven by consumer demand, demonstrated by the 12% gain in units this year.
The US saw sales increase by 10%, with hair products priced above an average of $30 growing at three times the rate of lower-priced items during the first half of 2024.
So why is consumer engagement – and spend – on hair care continuing to rise?
Mariella Marriotti, Brand Director Europe for hair care brand Aussie explains: “Today’s hair care consumer is savvy and well-informed, seeking personalised solutions for their specific hair concerns.
“The rise of social media and online beauty communities plays a huge role in this, demonstrating that people want effective products that work quickly and deliver visible results.”
Treatments that target specific hair care concerns are indeed driving growth: Circana data shows that sales surged by 30% in Europe during the first half of 2024.
Leave-in scalp treatments and serums were up 51% and 38% respectively.
Consumers are more intentionally aligning with brands that meet their emotional and physical needs - Kamara Hakeem-Oyawoye, Brand Manager, The Red Tree
In the mass market, too, brands proposing solutions to specific consumer needs in hair care are thriving.
Elvive from L’Oréal Paris registered growth of 14% in the UK during the year to July 2024 according to Kantar, on the back of strong success with its Bond Repair line, which made it to number two in the top toiletries launches of 2023 in the UK, says Kantar’s Health and Beauty Business Unit Director Matt Maxwell.
“Another brand that has done particularly well is Aussie, which has seen sales grow by 19% year- on-year,” says Maxwell, noting its expansion into treatments, masks and serums.
This overarching trend to focus on targeted concerns has resulted in pockets of strong development across the category.
From the new era of frizz control products, to the relaunch of the hair loss category by prestige brands, products that prioritise the health of the scalp and hair, while offering transformational results that are tested and proven, are driving success for brands.
Mathilde Lion, Circana’s Director of Beauty for Europe, says: “There is still space to grow in hair care but there is fierce competition also: the brand ranking can change quickly.
“Olaplex was number one in Europe last year, but this year Kérastase was back at the top spot, and Color Wow is in at number three.
“Just two years ago, Color Wow was not even in the top ten prestige hair care brands in Europe. It has gained ten ranks in the space of two years,” says Lion.
Color Wow has achieved rapid success with its innovations which are designed to create expensive, glass hair, including Dream Coat Supernatural Spray and Money Mask, and Money Mist Leave-in Conditioner, which has become the second best selling launch in Europe.
Kamara Hakeem-Oyawoye, Brand Manager at The Red Tree explains: “Consumers are more intentionally aligning with brands that meet their emotional and physical needs, as well as finding the products that are most effective at what they do.”
She adds: “Over the past two years, the skinification of hair has driven innovation and caused more brands to re-evaluate their approach to hair care.
“This has peaked consumer interest, and also raised their expectations to a similar standard as skin care.”
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Trend 1: Hair growth's sexy reinvention
Popular prestige brands are reinventing the hair loss category.
With their botanical-based clinically-proven formulas, sensorial experiences and aesthetically pleasing packaging, these new entries are poles apart from the pharmaceutical style treatments that have traditionally dominated this space.
The segment has been commanding a steady influx of prestige hair care players in recent years, with brands such as Augustinus Bader and The Nue Co honing in on hair growth as the basis for their latest developments.
But 2024 has seen an uptick in prestige brands who are reimagining the category to meet consumers’ needs around thinning hair and hair loss in new ways.
Trend 2: The new era of frizz control
Brands are reporting rocketing demand for anti-frizz products, prompting a league of innovations that are taking the fight against frizz into fresh territory.
Moving beyond the quick fix to offer long lasting control and hair health-enhancing formulas, brands are investing in advanced technologies that take products into new realms in terms of what they can achieve.
Paul Mitchell’s Technical Educator Victoria Panting says: “We’re entering a new era in hair care, where the focus has evolved from simply managing frizz to addressing its root causes – like dryness, damage, and environmental stress.”
And with ‘anti-frizz treatments’ now trending on TikTok, with Spate noting that views were up 28,852% in Q2 2024 to total 1.7 million, it is no wonder that brands are upping the ante.
Trend 3: Expensive 'glass hair' goes mass
Kim Kardashian may have set the trend for ‘glass hair’ back in 2018 but not only is the glossy, reflective look still trending in 2024, its influence on product innovation has been unprecedented.
Shine is now top of the list globally in terms of what consumers are looking for in hair care, according to WGSN research for TRESemmé, and brands have responded to the demand with a torrent of new shine-enhancing product ranges.
Not only has this been a huge retail opportunity, with mass market players investing significantly in the development of new lines that aim to enable consumers to create the glass hair salon look at home, the trend has inspired brands to take formulation development to the next level.
Trend 4: The sensory opportunity in hair care
On TikTok, fluffy, whipped formulas have put skin care brands such as Truly Beauty on the map, jelly-like lip and blush textures have gone viral for make-up brands such as Milk and Violette_FR, while ASMR beauty content remains highly popular: there are over one billion posts related to make-up ASMR.
Nevertheless in hair care, while the scent of a product and the aesthetics of the packaging weigh heavily in their sensorial appeal, texture has played a quieter role, creating space for brands to capitalise more fully on the sensory beauty movement.
Whether it’s a playful texture that delights and surprises consumers or thoughtful packaging that makes a product more engaging or inclusive to use, there is an opportunity for brands to elevate the hair care routine further through the sensorial appeal of their products.
Trend 5: Batana, sage and prickly pear: scalp care's new hero oils
Move over rosemary oil, there’s a new scalp care hero in TikTok town.
Batana oil, an antioxidant that has long been known for its hair and skin benefits, is sweeping TikTok as the latest wonder ingredient amid claims that it stimulates hair growth and promotes scalp health.
The latest data from TikTok Shop, revealed a 168% increase in TikTok users searching for batana oil during the week commencing 4 September 2024.
This trend also explores why sage oil and prickly pear oil have grown exponentially over the past year, with NielsenIQ research finding that with sales of hair and scalp care products that include or are based entirely these oils increased by 84.4% and 25.4% respectively during the year to May 2024.
Featured companies
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- L'Oreal
- Euromonitor International
- Kantar
- Procter and Gamble
- The Nielsen Company
- ByteDance
- Circana