Cosmetics & Personal Care
What's next in haircare: emerging trends

By Andrew McDougall, Associate Director – Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel

Andrew McDougall, Associate Director – Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel, identifies emerging haircare trends, consumer conce

Andrew McDougall, Associate Director – Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel, identifies emerging haircare trends, consumer concerns and desired outcomes.
 

Consumers already expect basic haircare product functionality, such as effective moisturization but, taking influences from the skincare space, and motivated by consumers’ increased attentiveness towards hair and scalp health, haircare brands are beginning to take the same targeted approach.
 
As skincare claim begin to really influence scalp care, haircare brands are highlighting gentle cleansing benefits and using language used around micellar concepts and probiotics to build familiar and trusted communications. Micellar claims are being highlighted more on-pack now, following the popularity of the products in facial cleansing. For example, Pantene has moved into the micellar segment in Japan and China. Hannah Collins System 3 Detox emphasizes scalp care benefits with its new micellar shampoo, conditioner and treatment in Argentina. Probiotics have also entered the scalp and hair care space. The positive health message associated with probiotics creates new storylines for scalp care and can expand the overall haircare routine. Haircare is a market asking for product customization and segmentation, so there will be a wider variety of claims in hair care in the future.
 
Products are becoming more sophisticated. On the microbiome focus, it is interesting to see that L’Oreal’s Skin Microbiome Unit completed an interesting seven-year research project that showed that Malassezia (a type of fungi naturally found on the skin), interacts with sebum and barrier function directly – and that Malassezia restricta exists at levels almost ten times more on a dandruff scalp than a non-dandruff scalp. It shows that scalp microbiome diversity is higher in people with dandruff. L’Oréal is working on new ingredients for eventual use in scalp care product formulations.
 
Lactobacillus is the hero ingredient in skincare at the moment, used to support skin barrier function and treat dry skin, as well as stimulating growth of skin and scalp-friendly bacteria that can help balance the microbiome. Research has revealed a new way to treat dandruff to increase Propionibacterium and decrease Staphylococcus on the scalp. Probiotic hair products adjust the balance of bacteria on the scalp and the focus has been on the anti-dandruff segment. Consumers may benefit from an oral supplement and topical application applied directly to the scalp.
 
Product examples include DayDry Probiotic Anti-Dandruff Care Shampoo, which is formulated with sage, probiotic Lactobacillus ferment, lactic acid and plant extracts to regulate sweating, soothe an itchy scalp and banish dandruff.  Aveda’s Pramāsana Protective Scalp Concentrate, is another example of a natural hair treatment which aims to help balance sebum levels and nourish and support the scalp’s protective barrier. It also contains Lactobacillus ferment, to help maintain a clean, healthy-feeling scalp.
 
Mintel’s latest consumer data, which reveals women’s concerns about their hair and the benefits they find most appealing in a haircare product represents findings from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Overall, the data are evenly split between each country. Up to 26% of women in Germany find products which soothe the scalp appealing. Most notably only 26% of French women are concerned about hair loss, compared with 43% of women in Spain. 23%, 20%, 18% and 17% of French, German, Italian and Spanish women respectively, find products that target multiple problems appealing.
 
 
Andrew McDougall, Associate Director of Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel, will lead a session at in-cosmetics Global on ‘Emotional skincare: how sensitivity and allergies are changing the category’ – on Wednesday 3 April at 14.00. The session will identify and understand emerging haircare trends, consumer concerns and desired outcomes. For more information on the in-cosmetics Global 2019 education programme, visit: https://www.in-cosmetics.com/global  
 
 
Author:
Andrew McDougall, Associate Director – Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel Group Ltd, 11 Pilgrim Street, London, EC4V 6RN, UK
T: +44 (0) 20 7606 4533