Education continues to reign supreme in the professional beauty industry, and this year’s ISSE show certainly confirms it with most brands stressing its importance. At this year’s show, we noticed a shift from the flashy stage acts to more usable techniques for the modern stylist, with brands demonstrating innovative looks and cutting-edge techniques.
Leading professional hair care brands, such as Redken, Moroccanoil, Olaplex, and Brazilian Professional, were all present at the show with large booths, showcasing their latest novelties. Conair featured its new education program for men’s cutting Barberology, whose single mission is to teach the latest barbering techniques. Indie brands like Amika and Pulp Riot had a huge following on both the technique and product side, with models showcasing the latest trends and runway looks. This is no surprise at all, as according to our Kline PRO database, Amika nearly doubled its sales volume over the last year with new care lines, such as Keep Your Color and Bust Your Brass. Pulp Riot has capitalized upon and driven the trend of bright and vivid hair colors.
With over 60,000 barbershops and men’s lounges in the United States, according to our Barbershops: Global Market Brief study, the men’s grooming space is still on the rise and also drew crowds on the education front. There are clearly two distinct “attitudes” in the barbering world. One is the hipster “old school” barber with vintage packaging, minimalistic booths dressed up with iron and distressed wood fixtures, and artists who looks like they just stepped off an episode of “Boardwalk Empire”. They created looks that were lived in, textured, with length. The other is the urban barber. These booths brought a combination of the old-school barbershop culture, with the energy of a nightclub playing hip-hop or Latin music. Their looks focused on flawless techniques of tight fades and invisible lines. Johnny B, Victory Brands, and Gentlemen Republic were all consistently busy. Victory Brands, which is based out of British Columbia, won best booth at the show. Redken showcased its new men’s line, Redken Brews, with some creative POP displays.
Hair extension companies packed the floor once again showing various techniques from simple application to the avant garde. Professional hair tools also didn’t disappoint. Seeing an increase of over 4% in the category in 2016, according to our Professional Hair Tools and Appliances: Global Market Analysis and Opportunities report, straightening brushes continue to proliferate in the United States with many more companies adding them to their lineup. Interesting designs, such as floral patterns and rose gold flat irons, are another common trend among manufacturers.
There was also no shortage of lash companies in attendance. We spotted many smaller emerging Asian brands, but also larger ones, such as Rapid Lash. As the lash enhancer products and services is rapidly expanding in the United States, with Kline PRO estimating such services growing at over 16% from Q3 2016 through Q3 2017, our new Lash Enhancer Products and Services: U.S. Market Brief will take a deep dive into this dynamic market segment.
Whether your focus is on hair, skin, or nails, our solid collection of reports on the professional beauty space is designed to help you unveil the latest trends and dynamics of the current and future market. Emphasizing on the various facets of each market segment, as well as on the competition, with detailed profiles of the leading companies and brands, these reports will help you get a deeper understanding of your marketplace and identify new business opportunities or areas of improvements. To learn more, please contact us.
Impressions from ISSE 2018
