Schwarzkopf, Kérastase and Oleum Vera: which brands are leading with hair care innovation?

Iliyana Mesheya, Associate Analyst, GlobalData will be speaking on ‘Trends and opportunities across the global haircare landscape​’ at the Marketing Trends Theatre on Tuesday, 17th April at 12.15 at in-cosmetics Global​ in Amsterdam.

Can you give an overview of some of the most exciting new haircare consumer behaviours & trends? What’s bringing them into the spotlight?​

Taking influences from the skincare space, the trend of multi-step beauty regimes, looks set to enter the haircare category.

Motivated by consumers’ increased attentiveness towards hair and scalp health, haircare brands are beginning to take the same targeted approach used by their skincare counterparts. This encourages consumers to adapt their haircare regimes according to their individual needs and appearance-related goals.

Therefore, as consumers look to using more sophisticated products, we are seeing new innovations such as pre-shampoos, scalp masks and exfoliators, being developed. In fact, based on GlobalData’s 2016 primary consumer research, this elaborate multi-step regime concept appeals to 42% of consumers globally.

Another key trend that is driving innovation within the haircare sector is that of customisation, both active and passive.

Active customisation refers to the ‘create-your-own’ approach gaining traction within the haircare space. This appeals to the 61% of global consumers who find the concept of products they have helped to create appealing.

Additionally, brands are engaging consumers passively by offering DNA customised products created in line with consumers’ individual hair profiles.

This approach to passive haircare product customisation is further facilitated by high-tech advances, which enables consumers to monitor their hair and scalp health in real time using apps and devices.

Can you give examples of any exciting brands, ingredients and innovations in the haircare space at the moment?​

Schwarzkopf’s ‘Beology Pre-shampoo haircare mousse’, which recently launched in China, taps into the multi-step regime trend by adding an additional step to haircare routines.

It is meant to deeply exfoliate the scalp, while simultaneously hydrating the hair prior to shampooing. Pre-shampoo products remain quite niche, but this product launch is indicative of consumer demand for specialist products over multi-functional all-in-one products.

Oleum Vera’s ‘Do-It-Yourself Organic Haircare Kit’ from the U.S, captures consumers desire to follow customised haircare regimes by providing them with a “do-it-yourself” kit.

The easy-to-use kit which contains a selection of fresh and natural ingredients, appeals to consumers who want to design their own haircare products, such as hair masks or serum oil treatments, by following guided recipes.

Kérastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings Brush, which debuted at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas USA, allows consumers to closely monitor their hair regime and receive real-time guidance on product recommendations suited to their specific needs.

Claimed to be the world’s first-ever smart hairbrush that has an incorporated microphone to listen to the sound of hair brushing, it is able to identify brushing patterns and detect hair issues such as dryness, fizziness, split ends and breakages.

Once the data is collected, it is sent via Wifi or Bluetooth to a mobile app on the users phone, that then delivers a personalised profile and offers recommendations of Kérastase products and routines to follow.