Sales in the U.S. salon hair care arena were sluggish for most of 2011, down 0.4% to $2.4 billion and still below pre-recession levels of $2.5 billion; however, not all is dull, with hair color being the largest and most vibrant category, shining with a near 3% growth in 2011.
Things are also looking up for 2012 thanks to the reinforcement and revitalization of new products with unique and innovative features spurring excitement within the industry. Salons, ever seeking new ways to tempt customers and expand their offerings, have prompted professional hair care manufacturers to innovate and reinvigorate the market. Responding to this need, L’Oréal recently inaugurated a EUR 100 million global research center dedicated exclusively to hair care products, including hair coloring, shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling.
This week’s International Beauty Show (IBS), held April 22-24, 2012, in New York City, was positively abuzz with new salon products. Oil serums, anti-aging hair care, smoothing texturizers, keratin infusion products, natural hair care products, and low ammonia and ammonia-free hair colors were some of the more exciting trends seen.
Some products cleverly combined several of these innovations, such as Keratin Complex It’s A Blonde Thing that consists of a keratin hair-lightening system that infuses hair with keratin while lightening the hair. Many of the recently introduced lines also have an exclusive in-salon conditioning component which affords salons added service revenues. Many of these products use keratin or a keratin-like ingredient to help transform the texture of the hair. Some products tackle thinning hair and provide in-salon scalp treatments to help regrow hair. Other products of note help hair look and feel younger, including Tigi’s Hair Reborn, Redken’s All Soft, Wella Age Restore, and Joico’s K-Pak Revitaluxe Bio-Advanced Restorative Treatment.
Among other major trends, the use of oil products–mostly argan oils–remains high, and most brands now offer this ingredient in some of their products. Interest in straightening and smoothing products remains challenging as companies are searching for ways to infuse keratin without the use of harsh or hazardous chemicals.
The full 2011 results for the U.S. and 21 other leading markets around the world are now available in Kline’s Salon Hair Care database.
