Kline’s Soufiane Abeddaa, Project Manager in the Beauty and Wellbeing practice, attended this year’s MCB by Beauté Sélection in Paris. The 2026 edition placed greater emphasis on interactive experiences, with a larger share of the exhibition hall dedicated to competitions, live demonstrations, innovation, and other activity zones.
Beyond the show floor, the event reinforced several shifts we flagged last year, retail-first stands, texture specialization, and the growing influence of distributors. It also brought new developments into focus: more prominent value pricing, K-beauty entering the salon channel, consolidation among major industry players, and a tighter regulatory backdrop for environmental claims. Here are our key observations from this year’s show:
1. Distributors Hold the Keys
The retail-first mindset goes one step further, with distributors playing an increasingly prominent role on the show floor.
La Boutique du Coiffeur ran a vast shop in the Store zone that was crowded from opening time, with visitors filling branded “Shopping Queen” bags with color (Maïandra) products, care, tools (ghd, BaByliss PRO), and accessories. Brands such as Andreia, Les Secrets de Loly, and Myriam K operated as corners inside the space rather than as standalone stands, while a separate La Boutique du Barber extended the concept to men’s grooming.
Coiffidis also showcased the breadth of its portfolio, with a brand wall featuring Phytodess, Olivia Garden, ghd, Urban Keratin, L’Oréal Professionnel, Moroccanoil, Matrix, Wella Professionals, Wahl, Les Secrets de Loly, Niwel, and MakeMyMask. Urban Keratin combined a prominent standalone stand at the entrance with a presence through Coiffidis, illustrating how brands are leveraging both direct exposure and distributor networks to reach salon professionals.
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2. K-Beauty Arrives in the Salon Channel
One of the most visible novelties was a dedicated K-Beauty aisle inside La Boutique du Coiffeur, stocked with Korean skin care and hair care, including brands such as Medicube. K-beauty is now being offered to salon professionals as a retail add-on and a service opportunity, further blurring the line between hair salons and beauty institutes.
For professional hair care brands, this is another sign that the salon retail shelf is becoming more competitive and more skin care-led, with scalp care as the natural bridge.
3. Texture, Curl, and Treatment Services Keep Growing
Textured hair remained one of the show’s most prominent themes. Kalia Nature, Patrice Mulato, and Generik exhibited together for the first time under the Mélanine Group umbrella, with live service demonstrations.
Alohé debuted as a curl specialist, Hair Company Professional promoted its Pro Curl line, and Let Me Be dedicated its wall to Brazilian straightening, “BTX capillaire” and treatments, a fast-growing service category in France.
The conference program also reflected this, with a session on the main trends in cut, color, care, and curls, and a talk on understanding textured-hair consumers.
4. Consolidation Is Visible on the Floor
Recent M&A was easy to spot. The L’Oréal Professional Products stand now featured Color WOW alongside L’Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, and Redken, following L’Oréal’s acquisition of the brand in 2025, with Dream Coat and the anti-frizz ranges in prominent positions.
By contrast, Olaplex, whose acquisition by Henkel, owner of Schwarzkopf Professional, was announced in March 2026 and concluded in July, was absent from La Boutique du Coiffeur and not yet visible on the Schwarzkopf stand. Schwarzkopf focused instead on its Hair Spa concept, in line with the wider rise of hair spa services. Moroccanoil, with a new leave-in overnight mask, and K18 also kept a strong presence.
5. Natural Pulls Back as Claims Rules Tighten
The dedicated natural and organic space shrank dramatically compared with previous editions, with only few players visible. This comes against the backdrop of stricter regulatory environment. EU Directive 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition applies from 27 September 2026. It bans generic environmental claims such as “eco-friendly” or “green” without proof of recognized environmental performance, as well as sustainability labels not based on a certification scheme. France is transposing the directive through its DDADUE bill (Diverses Dispositions d’Adaptation au Droit de l’Union Européenne).
Brands are responding by moving from generic “natural” messaging to concrete, provable stories.
6. Devices: Dreame Steps Into the Dyson Gap
With Dyson absent, Dreame was the main consumer-tech brand on the floor, showing its AirStyle Era multi-styler, the Pocket Pro dryer, and a Chrona 3D LED mask, another sign of devices crossing over from hair to skin. Wahl (Vapor Switch), GA.MA (iQ sfera), and Ybera covered the professional tools side, while GHD and Babyliss had their corner under La Boutique du Coiffeur.
7. Value Pricing Gets Louder
Discounting was more visible compared to in previous years. Coiffissimo Professional built its stand around a “Tout à 10 balles ou j’remballe!” (“Everything for a tenner”) concept, with €10 mystery boxes containing products worth at least €30 each. BB Hair (Mélanine Group) advertised −30% of its entire range. Show-only offers were common across the Store zone, and software vendors pitched discounted show subscriptions.
The tone points to salons that remain price sensitive and to suppliers using the event as a cash-and-carry sales event as much as a brand showcase.
What are the Implications for Professional Hair Care Brands?
Retail visibility is increasingly important. Brands need to consider how they can stand out across their own stands, distributor platforms, and multi-brand retail environments to reach buyers.
Protect value while competing on price. Show offers drive volume, but repeated deep discounts can erode professional brand equity.
Prepare environmental claims for scrutiny. Generic “green” claims require substantiation. Brands should ensure that certifications as well as ingredient and origin claims are accurate and adequately supported.
Follow the consolidation. The integration of Color WOW into L’Oréal and Olaplex into Henkel could reshape portfolios, distribution, and shelf space in 2027.
Look beyond the chair. K-beauty, scalp and skin, devices, and services such as straightening and hair spa are all competing for salon spend and offer new revenue per client.
