Love it or hate it, genetics determine your natural hair. Still, some people want to switch up what nature gave them, and changing the texture is one way to do that.
In the ’80s, perms were popular, but they fell out of favor due to damage caused by the chemical procedure used to break hair bonds and change their structure. Perming even became a health concern for both consumers and stylists. Moreover, clients did not want to be locked into a particular look and wanted the flexibility to have curly hair one day and straight hair next day.
But the truth is that perms never disappeared ― they just declined in popularity. Now, however, they have come back as one of the most notable beauty trends in 2020. The modern perm is much softer, gentler, natural-looking, and customizable than its predecessors. With procedures to limit the heat and harm and get more control over the finish, it is a more viable option for increasing volume, texture, and bounce. In fact, perms now come in a wide variety such as spiral, beach wave, and stack.
Perms had a strong start in 2020 and resumed once salons reopened in June; in fact, curly perms emerged as a beauty trend not only among women but also among young men, becoming a sensation on various social media platforms such as TikTok. According to Kline PRO USA, revenue from permanent wave services grew by 20.2% compared to Q3 2019. This was a result of an increase in demand of 16.7%, combined with an uptick in average price from $77.83 to $80.19. The central region of the United States had the strongest performance during this time, with a rise in demand of 39.8%, resulting in revenues being up 52.0%.
As curly perms (and other styles of perms) become more prevalent, the demand for curl care products is increasing. Based on revenue data from Kline PRO USA, products focused on curl care are among the top new items launched in 2020. Included in that group are Bumble and bumble’s Curl 3-in-1 Conditioner, Truss’ Curly Shampoo, Verb’s Curl Conditioner and Wella’s Nutricurls Cleansing Conditioner for Waves & Curls.
 Bumble and bumble’s Curl 3-in-1 |
 Truss |
 Verb |
 Wella Nutricurls Cleansing Conditioner for Waves & Curls |
With the growing popularity of waves and curls, new product introductions to support the look have continued in 2021. OUAI launched Curl Crème, and Virtue Labs brought Curl-Defining Whip to the market. Whether a drastic change or something more subtle is sought, perms provide the desired result and may very well stay on trend in 2021.
 OUAI |
 Virtue Labs |
Kline PRO is a comprehensive interactive database that enables users to access the latest performance data on the professional hair care industry. Based on actual salon transactions from a panel of thousands of salons, it yields category, brand, and product-level sales and service data on a quarterly basis.
