Mintel: 'Brightening and illuminating' fastest-growing hair care claim

NEW YORK — Hair care products that promise to hydrate and moisturize hair are no doubt popular, but those claims didn’t top the list in 2014, according to Mintel’s Global New Product Database.



According to Mintel, the top three claims In 2014 in the global hair care market are botanical and herbal with 52% of all hair care products carrying this claim, followed by brightening and illuminating at 46%, and moisturizing and hydrating at 31%.



In fact, brightening and illuminating is the fastest-growing claim, with the number of new products carrying this claim globally shooting up from 21% of all global hair care launches in 2010 to 46% in 2014.



“Hair care has become an exciting space for NPD; manufacturers are trying to convince consumers that they should adopt a hair care regimen to match their skin care regimen, and they’re doing this by using a new lexicon, learning from other categories and extending formats into new segments. Claims inspired by skincare and color cosmetics, such as anti-aging and products featuring light-reflecting technology, offer exciting growth opportunities for the hair care market,” said Emmanuelle Moeglin, global fragrance and personal care analyst at Mintel, when speaking at the Beyond Beauty in Paris.



The research looks at hair care and goes on to highlight key areas of development in the market, including innovations in such established trends as shampoo and conditioner alternatives and hair oils. It also finds new areas for growth, which are taking inspiration from other beauty categories, including skin care and color cosmetics.



Mintel’s new research has found that a desire to cut down on hair care routines is felt around the globe. When asked about attitudes toward washing hair, as many as 39% French hair care users believe that washing hair frequently is too damaging. Meanwhile, in the United States, 58% of hair care users express an interest in cleansing conditioners — with 20% of these users being really interested in using these products. Furthermore, as many as one-quarter of German hair care users claim they would pay more for products that make their hairstyle last longer, while 16% of Spanish hair care users agree they are willing to pay more for hair care products that reduce blow drying time. Overall, 18% of hair care products launched globally in 2014 carry a time or speed claim.



Furthermore, the rising popularity of shampoo alternatives is seeing an increasing number of consumers favoring dry shampoo, with the United Kingdom leading the way in usage across the top five European countries. Today, 13% of Brits use dry shampoo, ahead of France and Germany (7%) and Italy and Spain (5%), according to Mintel.



“Dry shampoo is no longer an emerging segment, and is becoming a must-have for mainstream hair care brands. Consumers want to cut down their hair washing routine, and as a result, usage is increasing and brands are responding to the demand with more dry shampoo offerings. Today’s products are about more than simply cleaning hair as the concept crosses into other categories with an increasing number of benefits such as styling extender, volumizing and UV protecting,” Moeglin added.



In addition, the use of hair oils also is growing. In Italy, more than one-third of consumers use hair oils, up from 28% in 2013. Across Europe, hair oil usage continues to grow and stands at 20% in France, 17% in Spain and 16% in Germany. And it is not just argan oil, which is proving popular, there are a multitude of oils out there — pracachy and kukui, buruti oil and macadamia oil.



“As shea butter and argan oil mature and become more commoditized, African oils will emerge to challenge them. That poses a conundrum for formulators and suppliers. Shea butter has multiple skin and hair care benefits and it might take more than one oil to replace it in the hair care sector. Despite the varying number of oils, argan oil is still growing and the ingredient is not expected to depart the arena anytime soon,” Moeglin said.

Looking beyond established trends, the research has found anti-aging hair care has a huge scope but has yet to match skin care in this arena — while 27% of facial skin care global launches in 2014 were anti-aging, only 3% of hair care global launches carried this claim, suggesting opportunities for growth in the hair care sector.



When it comes to anti-aging ingredients in hair care, almost half of U.K. consumers are interested in using them, and an additional 19% would pay more for them. Meanwhile, 26% of French hair care users notice some changes in their hair as they get older, but just 25% of users remain unsure of the benefits of using anti-aging hair care products.



“Anti-aging will increasingly move into hair care, and there is scope for a far higher use of Biomimetic ingredients especially in stimulating hair growth, offering anti-hair loss and volumizing solutions,” Moeglin said.

Finally, also taking inspiration from skin care, customization in the hair care market is set to continue to grow in popularity as consumers show strong demand for these products, according to Mintel. In France, 29% of women express an interest in buying customized hair treatment products designed for their hair needs.



“New entrants in the hair care sector are responding to a rise in demand in customization by offering customized shampoo, blending bases with concentrated serum and resulting in a made-to-measure hair care products. As consumers increasingly look for a personalized products, we expect this trend to expand into mainstream hair care in 2014 and beyond,” Moeglin said.