Hair today, gone tomorrow

By: Janet Milner-Walker - Founder of Bespoke Advantage

One of the categories driving significant growth in the beauty industry this year is haircare, and more specifically premium haircare. According to the NPD Group premium hair care is predicted to double in size by 2024, driven by higher income households who are less affected by the economic crisis.

The pandemic has changed the way we shop for hair care, with many of us using more technical products to care for our hair from home. Not only are we more ingredient savvy, but we have seen the rise of ‘skinification’, treating our scalp in a similar way to our facial skin care. This has resulted in hair care brands pivoting their offer, along with the emergence of new brands.

Hair care is technical

According to a 2022 the spate report of Google search data, the term “scalp treatment” has an average monthly search value of 162,300 and experts say this 2023 hair care trend will continue to gain traction. Scalp treatment is a key

About Janet Milnerwalker

Janet Milner-Walker is the founder and managing director of Bespoke Advantage, and BeautytoLife. She is also an international speaker, a freelance writer, and a trusted advisor to companies in the beauty and wellness sector.

Bespoke Advantage is an international consultancy working with clients in the beauty and wellness space. Their award-winning client based includes beauty and wellness brands, retailers, investors and trade bodies, whom they support in developing and building their brands in the marketplace trend promoting regrowth and reducing hair fall. Philip Kingsley’s, Brand President and Trichologist, Anabel Kingsley stated that over 4 in 10 British women are currently experiencing hair loss or thinning and according to a survey 9 in ten women would use a product designed to slow hair loss and thinning. This has always been a common problem for women, but it has increased over the past few years due to the psychological effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

Protect and restore hair care is an important trend, leading to the launch of customised products designed to meet individual needs – from cleaning, to styling, strengthening and scalp care. According to Lookfantastic the demand for hair mouse has increased by 51% in 2022. Another interesting emergence is hair fragrance, which has seen a growth of 76% at John Lewis, from brands including MFK, Chanel and Jo Malone.

The hair oil market is anticipated to grow at a rate of 4.2% to $5.5 billion by 2028 according to Data Bridge Market Research with a key focus on the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures highlighted by an interest in Ayurvedic self-care rituals. Fable & Mane partnered with @culyzia.xo on a hair slugging ad which shows the tradition passed down from generation to generation and is part of the South Asian culture.

New Brand Launches

During 2020 Olaplex became the number one prestige hair care brand, a remarkable achievement considering they had seven SKU’s –a shampoo, conditioner, treatments, a hair mask, hair cream and hair oil. In April 2022 they introduced a leave in styling hair serum No 9, which protects the hair from pollution for 48 hours and features Red Algae, and more recently they launched a Dry Shampoo. Whilst at the other end of the pricing spectrum, not to be forgotten Aldi’s own Lacura label has been inspired by Olaplex.

JVN Hair range founded by Jonathan Van Ness launched in Space NK in March 2022 and became Space NK’s best-selling hair care brand ever. The haircare instant recovery serum exceeded expected sales by 739% at launch. Guerlain announced the launch of their premium hair care line, which is the first time they have ventured into this category since 1970. They are launching with a shampoo, conditioner, mask, and a scalp brush ranging from $82 - $169.

Schwarzkopf’s have dipped into the Protect and Restore trend with their Keratin mousse offering 48hour styling control as well as the benefits of heat defence and hair strengthening. Celebrity hair stylist Sam McKnight’s new selection of shampoos, conditioners and masks taps into this trend using ingredients such as shea butter and pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E and botanica l ingredients.

Several skincare brands have extended into hair care. From luxury brand Augustinus Bader with their new hair growth treatment, to The Ordinary who have launched a range of hair care products including a viral scalp treatment and the Nue Co who have introduced a Topical Scalp Serum supplement in a liquid format.

Currently one of the most interesting ingredients in hair care is rosemary – a trend that had 211.2 million views on TikTok for the hashtag #rosemaryoil, known to reduce premature greying, dandruff and a dry or itchy scalp. Camille Rose launched an entire line of products that includes a scalp cleanser, strengthening mask and a leave -in treatment.

Our hair is personal and the term ‘Bad Hair Days’ exists for a reason and ‘Because You’re Worth It’ was coined by Loreal as an expression of self-worth, independence, and empowerment. Naturally the model in the advert is glamorous with a mane of cascading hair. Whether long, short, curly, in a bob, glossy black or silver grey, our hair dramatically influences not only how we look, but how we feel. It is of little surprise that this is a category t hat is booming.