Haircare lightens up: Almost half of new haircare products carry brightening and illuminating claims

As Beyond Beauty opens its doors once again in Paris (9-11 September 2014) latest research from Mintel reveals the fastest growing global haircare claims for 2014 and finds that the market is increasingly aligning itself with the skincare sector. According to Mintel’s Global New Product Database (GNPD) Brightening and Illuminating is the fastest growing claim – with the number of new products carrying this claim globally shooting up from 21% of all global haircare launches in 2010 to 46% in 2014*. In 2014, the top three claims in the global haircare market are – Botanical and Herbal with 52% of all haircare products carrying this claim, followed by Brightening and Illuminating at 46% and Moisturising and Hydrating at 31%.

Speaking at Beyond Beauty in Paris, Emmanuelle Moeglin, Global Fragrance and Personal Care Analyst at Mintel, said:

“Haircare has become an exciting space for NPD, manufacturers are trying to convince consumers that they should adopt a haircare regimen to match their skincare regimen and they’re doing this by using a new lexicon, learning from other categories and extending formats into new segments. Claims inspired by skincare and colour cosmetics, such as anti-ageing and product featuring light-reflecting technology offer exciting growth opportunities for the haircare market.”

The research which looks at haircare and beyond goes on to highlight key areas of development in the market, including innovations in established trends such as shampoo and conditioner alternatives and hair oils. It also finds new areas for growth which are taking inspiration from other beauty categories including skincare and colour cosmetics.

Indeed as the “no-poo” movement gains force, Mintel’s new research has found that a desire to cut down on haircare routines is felt around the globe. When asked about attitudes towards washing hair, as many as four in ten (39%) French haircare users believe that washing hair frequently is too damaging. Meanwhile, in the US, almost six in ten (58%) haircare users express an interest in cleansing conditioners – with 20% of these users being really interested in using these products. Furthermore, as many as a quarter (23%) of German haircare users claim they would pay more for products that make their hairstyle last longer, while 16% of Spanish haircare users agree they are willing to pay more for haircare products that reduce blow drying time. Overall, almost one in five (18%) haircare products launched globally in 2014 carry a time or speed claim.

Furthermore, with the rising popularity of shampoo alternatives is seeing an increasing number of consumers are favouring dry shampoo, with the UK leading the way in usage across the top five European countries. Today, more than one in ten (13%) Brits use dry shampoo, ahead of France and Germany (7%) and Italy and Spain (5%).

“Dry shampoo is no longer an emerging segment and is becoming a must-have for mainstream haircare brands. Consumers want to cut down their hair washing routine, and as a result, usage is increasing and brands are responding to the demand with more dry shampoo offerings. Today’s products are about more than simply cleaning hair as the concept crosses into other categories with an increasing number of benefits such as styling extender, volumising and UV protecting.” adds Emmanuelle.

In addition, the use of hair oils, now a must-have in hair treatment, is also growing. In Italy, more than a third (34%) of consumers use hair oils up from 28% in 2013. Across Europe hair oil usage continues to grow and stands at 20% in France, 17% in Spain and 16% in Germany. And it is not just Argan Oil which is proving popular, there are a multitude of oils out there – Pracachy and Kukui, Buruti Oil and Macadamia Oil.

“As Shea Butter and Argan Oil mature and become more commoditised, African oils will emerge to challenge them. That poses a conundrum for formulators and suppliers. Shea butter has multiple skin and haircare benefits and it might take more than one oil to replace it in the haircare sector. Despite the varying number of oils, Argan Oil is still growing and the ingredient is not expected to depart the arena anytime soon.” explains Emmanuelle.

Looking beyond established trends, the research has found anti-ageing haircare has huge scope but is yet to match skincare in this arena – while 27% of facial skincare global launches in 2014 were anti-ageing, only 3% of haircare global launches carried this claim, suggesting opportunities for growth in the haircare sector.

When it comes to anti-ageing ingredients in haircare, almost half (46%) of UK consumers are interested in using them and an additional 19% would pay more for them. Meanwhile, a quarter (26%) of French haircare users notice some changes in their hair as they get older, but just 25% of users remain unsure of the benefits of using anti-ageing haircare products.

“Anti-ageing will increasingly move into haircare and there is scope for a far higher use of Biomimetic ingredients especially in stimulating hair growth, offering anti-hair loss and volumising solutions.” suggests Emmanuelle.

Finally, also taking inspiration from skincare, customisation in the haircare market is set to continue to grow in popularity as consumers show strong demand for these products. Indeed, in France, three in ten (29%) women express an interest in buying customised hair treatment products designed for their hair needs.

“New entrants in the haircare sector are responding to a rise in demand in customisation by offering customised shampoo, blending bases with concentrated serum and resulting in a made-to-measure haircare products. As consumers increasingly look for a personalised products, we expect this trend to expand into mainstream haircare in 2014 and beyond.” concludes Emmanuelle.

* to August 2014

Emmanuelle Moeglin, Global Fragrance and Personal Care Analyst, will hold the presentation ‘Haircare and Beyond’ on Wednesday, 10th September at 11:30 in the Conference Area of Beyond Beauty Paris. Interviews with Emmanuelle Moeglin are available at the show and on request from the press office.