'Natural' trend sparks sales stall for haircare products, says research

Sales of hair styling products have stalled as consumers opt for the fashion-led ‘natural look’, according to a UK study by Mintel.

The leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence, Mintel, has found that while total sales of haircare products – such as shampoo, conditioner and styling treatments – have grown by 2.7 per cent to reach £1.05 billion, styling products only increased 0.3 per cent between 2012 and 2013.

According to the study, the market for gel declined 7 per cent over the past year and sales of hair mousse slipped 5 per cent during the same time period – together amounting to a £3.7m drop in the haircare market – because their use was not à la mode.

“The natural look was popular in the beauty market in 2013, leading to a reduced reliance on products which create a styled look,” said Mintel’s senior beauty analyst Charlotte Libby.

“In terms of beauty, Unilever’s Dove brand has pioneered the increase in the more ‘natural look' in its brand promotion using ‘real’ women to advertise many of its product lines to show how powerful authenticity can be,” Libby continued.

Despite minimal styling being the current trend, hairspray continues to be the styling market leader with a 42 per cent share of sales of all styling products. After a 0.5 per cent increase in sales, the UK hairspray market was valued at £123.7m in 2013.

Female users of hairspray have increased by 7 per cent from 40 per cent in 2013 to 47 per cent in 2014. While half of all women in the UK use hairspray, as many as 13 per cent of men also use the product – a figure which has risen from 9 per cent in the past year.

Non-aerosol styling sprays, such as heat protection sprays, have seen a 4.7 per cent increase from £41m in 2012 to £43m in 2013.

The study found that 42 per cent of women who use a hair straightener daily use a heat protection product – 15 per cent of women use a blow dryer daily and 10 per cent a hair straightener. Interestingly, the study found 6 per cent of men – approximately 1.5m – use a hair dryer daily and 3 per cent a hair straightener.

The results also show new innovations such as hair oils and dry shampoo are still growing in popularity – driven by women in the 16-24 year old age range.

“Recent hair fashion trends could increase potential for targeted hair products. For example, hair oil designed to nourish coloured ends of hair could appeal to those who have embraced the recent trend towards ombre colour,” Libby said.

“To continue see growth, newer products such as hair oils can incorporate popular beauty claims, for example creams like BB and CC to encourage product trials by a young, beauty-focused audience looking for multi-function products to save them time with their beauty regime,” Libby added.

Sales of 2-in-1 shampoos – mainly used by men – increased by 13 per cent in 2013 because of their convenient nature, however the study shows that as many as a fifth of UK women use them too.