The recently completed 2014 edition of Salon Hair Care Global Series confirms that the global market for professional hair care products is growing steadily at almost 3%. In today’s blog post, we’re going to look at some interesting and lesser known facts about this market.
1. The Swiss city of Bern could be considered as the hairdressing capital of the world, counting approximately 3.3 salons per 1,000 inhabitants. In 2014, Kline covered the Swiss market for the first time. The research revealed it is a market of more than USD 150 million and an important contributor to the European salon hair care market size.
2. The Chinese market is highly fragmented. With the leading brand accounting for less than 6% of overall market sales, China is by far the most fragmented market analyzed in the 2014 edition of the Salon Hair Care Global Series study.
3. American brands take a different distribution strategy to enter the European market. Many American brands widely present in retail stores in their domestic market position themselves as fully professional brands in Europe. Boston-based Livingproof is an example of such a new entrant.
4. German entrepreneurs find a way to keep hair salons open during weekends. Tank&Cut are quick service hair salons located at gas stations. Registering their activity under non-stop service of gas stations allows these salons to stay open after regular business hours and during weekends.
5. Cysteine-based hair straightening is a top trend in India. Originating from Brazil, the same country as Keratin straightening, Cysteine straightening is supposed to be a safer way to get rid of curls and waves. Although the concept is not new, the 2014 edition of Salon Hair Care Global Series shows that it is a very hot trend, particularly in India.
6. Scalp care is one of hottest product trends. Scalp problems, such as hair thinning, hair loss, sensitive scalp, or dandruff, are more and more addressed, not only by pharmacy brands, but also by professional products. The segment is growing by double digits in 2014.
7. The top 10 brands in the salon hair care market originate from three countries – France, Germany, and the United States. Interestingly, Japan, the second largest country market for salon hair care, does not have any global brands in the top of its leaderboards.
8. The U.S. market has the highest take-home sales levels. Unlike in many countries, hair stylists in the United States are not shy to suggest take-home care for their clients and are good salespersons with sales training often offered by key salon hair care brands. The U.S. market is the only one with higher take-home sales levels than back-bar sales.
9. Canada and the United States have the highest level of styling product sales. North American hair stylists and salon-goers are much more willing to use hair styling products than in other countries. The category contributes to more than a quarter of total sales, which is very high when compared to the global average of approximately 15%.
10. Keratin straightening is not as popular anymore in its homeland. Although Keratin-based straightening still registers a healthy single digit growth in Brazil, its popularity is definitely decreasing, with the 2014 growth rate dropping by roughly one-half from 2013.
Curious to learn more about this challenging market? Our recently published Salon Hair Care Global Series reveals more interesting facts and details about this market. Focusing on the size and growth, key changes, challenges, competition, new product activities, business opportunities, and more, the report offers you a complete view of the salon hair care market in all key regions.
Written by Agnieszka Saintemarie, Project Manager, Consumer Products Practice
