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Imogen Matthews explains why hair care is becoming an increasing focus for global beauty brands and is likely to lead to the expansion of existing consumer routines. She points out why many innovations originate from Asia and shows that consumers in Central America are more experimental with their hair care routines than European customers. Imogen also shows that scalp care is a market segments with lots of opportunities for brand owners.

Innovations originate from Asia

Many of today’s hair care innovations originate from Asia, with South Korea at the forefront of products based on technologies more usually associated with skin care. This is good news for a functional category where experimentation is often much lower than other beauty sectors, but where consumers are starting to adopt more sophisticated hair care routines. 

Consumers in Central America a experimental with their hair care routines

According to GlobalData’s 2016 primary consumer research, North American and European consumers are quite reluctant to experiment with their shampoo and condition-er, with just 30% and 24% respectively will-ing to try new varieties. By contrast consum-ers in Central America are more experimental than the global average, especially in Chile and Brazil where over half of consumers are prepared to switch either their shampoo or conditioner to something different. 

K-Beauty encompasses hair care

Hair care is the second most important sec-tor of the K-beauty grooming market behind skin care, with the shampoo and conditioner sectors forecast to grow by 5.8% in the next five years, according to Mintel. “(South Kore-an) consumers have begun to put a focus on their hair care … and this is greatly influenced by big trends in facial skin care and make-up,” points out Jane Jang, senior beauty analyst, Mintel. Hair care has also benefited from strong demand for men’s grooming products especially from shampoos and hair styling products. “In terms of retail, so-called health and beauty stores, which are multi-brand drug stores and cover local and imported beauty and health products, have expanded their hair care offer to cater to both millennial men and women,” she says. “The largest retail brand in this sector, Olive Young, is expected to open their 1,000th store.”

Scalp care: Plenty of opportunities for hair care brands

Andrew McDougall, global hair care analyst, Mintel, sees plenty of opportunities for hair care manufacturers to innovate in scalp care, driven by trends in China where con-sumers tend to be more informed. “The major-ity of scalp-related products focus on basic benefits,” he explains. “Scalp care shampoos simply cleanse the scalp, while treatments focus on conditioning and moisturising it.” He maintains that brands can improve and expand product functions with claims such as “anti-ageing” or “sebum-balancing”. Innovations in textures and formats, such as mists, massage creams, wipes or dry-textured serums could all be considered. One such example from South Korea is Dr. For Hair Folligen Easy Swab, which consists of a cotton-bud shaped stick containing plant-derived ingredients.  

Author

Imogen Matthews, Consultant to In-Cosmetics, Oxford, Great Britain

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