After months of cold weather and snow, March 9 was a stunning day to stroll through Manhattan and the joint International Beauty Show (IBS) and International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference (IECSC). Spring was in the air, along with a high level of enthusiasm at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center as vendors showcased their dizzying array of products and services. An abundance of energy in a carnival-like atmosphere, complete with goodie bags and a boardwalk photo booth, made for a fun day. With a keen eye on developing trends, Kline’s Donna Barson and Darlene Borsella prowled the aisles to keep abreast of the latest and greatest that the salon and spa industries have to offer.
Some of our key observations about the salon industry include:
- Hair oils continue to explode, but move away from a single ingredient, such as argan oil, to a cocktail blend of several oils combined with other good-for-hair ingredients
- Hair extensions, as well as eyelash extensions, are still hot
- Bold hair colors à la Katy Perry have become pretty mainstream and are supplemented with a myriad of pastel shades in peach, light pink, and baby blue, just in time for the Easter Bunny
- Hair appliances to flat iron and also curl the hair are still garnering interest
- New forms of straightening services that promise to be formaldehyde-free were on exhibit
To find out more about the professional hair care market, refer to Kline’s soon-to-be-published Salon Hair Care Global Series—an in-depth, global analysis of this market, focusing on its size and growth, key changes, challenges, and business opportunities. View all countries covered…
Some of the hot product trends from the spa portion of the show included masks and products derived from natural ingredients, especially those that can thrive in extreme environmental conditions, such as algae. These are not old-fashioned types of masks that become hard and peel off, but rather tissue masks infused with ingredients that remain on the skin long after the mask is removed. More information about professional skin care products and trends can be found in Kline’s Professional Skin Care Global Series. This series of reports examines the country-level demand for consumable topical skin care products sold through and used in professional channels of distribution, such as doctors’ offices, beauty institutes and hair salons, and spas.
