All you need to know about the LATAM natural hair care trend

Natural hair care is being defined by a never-ending torrent of product launches throughout the region that highlight natural and organic formulations, eco-friendly packaging, sustainability, clean beauty and ethical claims, to name just a few.

But what is also interesting to note is that natural hair care is also providing a platform for the big trend towards natural hair styles, with natural-based products that do not contain harsh ingredients, helping to pave the way for Latina women to celebrate curly hair.

The brands that are occupying this space​

Cosmetics Design spoke to beauty and personal care analyst Alison Gaither of Mintel to find out more about natural hair care in Latin America and, by tapping into the market research company’s Global New Product Database (GNPD).

From this conversation we were able to find out more about the all-important claims that are being made on product launches, but also identifying the beauty companies and the types of brands that are filling this space.

“The natural/clean beauty trend has taken the LATAM region by storm. Many natural beauty brands in this space are relatively niche or indie,”​ Gaither explained.

“However, there are some big players such as Avon and Natura launching in the natural market. Perhaps most interesting is the LATAM’s use of environmentally friendly packaging, which suggests that natural beauty is all-encompassing."​

Focusing in on what claims are being made​

Having closely studied all of the recent launches targeting the natural hair care category in Latin America from the Mintel GNPD, Gaither believes that the two most prominent claims being made are ‘clean ingredients’, as well as ‘biodegradable’ or recyclable packaging.

The clean beauty trend is now well and truly global and goes hand in hand with the naturals trends. When it comes to hair care products in Latin America, customers are searching out products that have clear and concise ingredients labels that are easy understand and relate to.

Likewise, consumers of natural and organic products are also far more likely to be sensitive about the type of packaging for the products they buy. That means that packaging materials have to be made from sustainable or biodegradable materials and easy to recycle.

Natural hair care celebrates the curl​

Throughout the Latin American region, and particularly in Brazil, the natural hair styling trend has really gained momentum in recent years, and in tandem with that the many Latina women who have naturally curly or fizzy hair are starting to rethink beauty expectations.

In line with this, the celebration of natural beauty and making the most of what you already have is bang on trend. This means that, as opposed to straightening naturally curly hair with harsh chemical-based products, women across the region are being encouraged to celebrate their naturally curly hair.

This means that those traditional hair straightening products are being substituted by products containing gentler and more natural ingredients, designed to enhance curly or frizzy hair and allowing women to own their natural look.