What’s next in hair care? Part II: Brands and products

McDougall will lead a session at in-cosmetics Global​ industry event, 2-4 April, Paris, offering further insights into this exciting category.

Sustainability, biodegradability, scalp care and probiotics are some of the trends we’re seeing defining hair care in 2019, McDougall says.  

Here, he offers insight into each of these trends, picking out specific brands and products leading in these areas: discover part I of the interview here​.

Sustainability & biodegradability innovations​

The water-activated Nohbo Shampoo Ball has been created to be completely waste-free. It's plant-derived and packaged using recycled materials.

Beauty Kubes Shampoo for Normal to Dry Hair is another example. It’s a vegan shampoo in a cube format that is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

There is a brand called Stop The Water While Using Me! Who have created a shampoo and other personal care products, encouraging/highlighting to consumers that they can make a big difference by just reducing water use while product is being applied.

The Unilever brand Love, Beauty and Planet utilises ‘fast-rinse technology’ in its shampoos to reduce water use while washing, and L’Oréal has signed a collaboration with Gjosa to produce shampoos that rinse with only 1.5 litres of water, instead of the 8 litres usually needed.

Other innovations include showerheads limiting the amount of water passing through them, such as the Delta H2OKinetic which had a collaboration with Dove a couple of years ago.

As with Beauty in general, packaging is a big sustainability focus and Head & Shoulders’ ocean recycled plastic bottles that have just been relaunched and are a good example, while Seed Phytonutrients (the brand from L’Oréal who make sustainability a key concept) also use compostable and recyclable packaging in an attempt to move towards circularity.

Scalp care innovations​

As mentioned, micellar claims are being highlighted more on-pack now, following the popularity of the products in facial cleansing. For example, Pantene moved into the micellar segment in Japan and China. Hannah Collins System 3 Detox emphasises scalp care benefits with its new micellar shampoo, conditioner and treatment in Argentina.

Probiotics innovations​

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 Pramāsana Protective Scalp Concentrate, which is a natural hair treatment to help balance sebum levels and nourish and support the scalp's protective barrier with Lactobacillus ferment, to help maintain a clean, healthy-feeling scalp.

What innovation at the ingredient level do we need to see to meet these shifting consumer demands?

On the microbiome front, it is interesting to see that L’Oreal’s Skin Microbiome Unit completed a seven-year research project that showed that malassezia (a type of fungi naturally found on the skin), interacts with sebum and with 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.

Discover more at in-cosmetics Global​

Andrew McDougall, Associate Director of Beauty & Personal Care at Mintel, will lead a session at in-cosmetics Global on ‘What’s next in hair care?’ – 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 here​.