Value, at-home products color hair care sector



An expected overall upswing in the economy in 2011 is likely to lead to consumers loosening the grip on their wallets. However, for the time being, the sluggish economy continues to shift hair care buying behavior.
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Value will remain the driving force behind hair care sales, despite a predicted upswing in the economy in 2011, as consumers are expected to remain careful spenders within the hair care sector,” stated research firm Euromonitor International.


There’s no doubt that a desire for value is helping to fuel the hair care sector at mass. For example, more shoppers are skipping the salon in favor of at-home hair color as a way to trim costs. According to SymphonyIRI Group, sales of men’s and women’s hair color rose 3.3% for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 31, 2010, at food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart).


Several manufacturers are looking to leverage this trend and offer even greater innovation, such as the new Fat Foam hair color by Samy, which is available exclusively at Walmart. It is a nondrip, whipped foam permanent hair color that promises to make application easier than ever. According to reports, Kao Brands is expected to bring to the United States in April its John Frieda Precision foam color, which also is a permanent home hair color that uses foam technology.


Looking ahead, hair color “is expected to see slight growth, as consumers continue to seek value and favor at-home treatments over salon visits,” Euromonitor 
International stated.


Also speaking to the desire for value, sales of shampoo and conditioner combo packs soared 87% during the same 52-week period, according to SymphonyIRI.


The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series.

For the complete Hair Care Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.