Hair care trends: what’s hot in 2024?

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(Image: Getty)

What do hair care shoppers want right now? New research reveals the most popular brands, products, celebs and influencers that people across the globe have searched for this year…

According to beauty price comparison site Cosmetify, which has undertaken in-depth research into what hair consumers want and need, Kérastase is the most in-demand brand when it comes to hair care.

It appears that the luxury French hair care brand, which has a stellar reputation among salon professionals, has pipped a host of competitors to the top spot with its premium and efficacious products that it refuses to discount, word-of-mouth recommendations from those-in-the-know, and carefully thought-out marketing campaigns, such as its previous use of iconic model Kate Moss as a face of the brand.

The hair care brands in demand

According to the research and analysis, Kérastase is the most popular global hair care brand with 12.8 million annual searches – increasing by a quarter from last year

Although it had the second-highest number of annual searches, it also had a strong and consistent presence on Instagram and TikTok. With 2.4 million Instagram followers and a significant number of posts, Kérastase also has a steady engagement rate.

This was followed by

  • Relative newcomer Gisou, which was created by Dutch businesswoman Negin Mirsalehi. The brand’s products are based on a six-generation beekeeping heritage and the ingredients honey and propolis. Gisou demonstrates the highest year-over-year growth in annual searches, which more than doubled, showing its rapidly increasing popularity. The brand also has the highest engagement rate on Instagram (2.3%) and is the most followed on TikTok, with 858,300.
  • Unilever’s relatively new acquisition biomimetic brand K18 has ranked third, with annual searches increased by over three quarters, showcasing its rising prominence.
  • P&G’s heritage brand Pantene bagged the fourth spot.
  • Heated hair tools pioneer Ghd was in fifth place.
  • Wella’s salon professional hair care arm Wella Professionals came in sixth place.
  • Another longstanding German hair care brand, Schwarzkopf, was in the seventh spot.
  • Followed by another L’Oréal brand, it’s New York-inspired salon brand Redken.
  • Relative newcomer owned by hairdresser-turned-businesswoman Jen Atkin, disruptor brand Ouai, was in ninth place.
  • And finally, electrical appliance brand Dyson, which branched out into heated hair tools in recent years just found its way into the top ten.

In terms of the most popular products, these were:

Color Wow’s Dream Coat Anti-Humidity Hair Spray, with a 50% rise in searches, increasing from 658,000 to 984,500.

According to Cosmetify, the hair care influencer Chris Appleton has significantly impacted the popularity of this product, appearing in 10,300 TikTok posts.

Amika’s Perk Up Dry Shampoo was in second place with 236% increase in annual searches – growing from 658,400 to 2.2 million searches.

According to Cosmetify, this significant surge indicates its rising popularity among consumers. The water-free hair cleansing solution has had an intensive social media strategy, which appears to have paid off.

In joint third place was the classic Moroccanoil Treatment, along with disruptor brand Olaplex’a No. 7 Bonding Oil.

Both brands have a cult following in the hair category and are known for their transformative ‘before and after’ effects on all hair types.

The hair influencers to know about

According to the report, all eyes are on these three hair influencers:

  1. Chris Appleton
  2. British session stylist Chris Appleton is the most searched influencer overall, with almost two million searches – more than double the previous year. He’s a renowned British hair stylist best known for his work with high-profile celebrities and innovative hair design approach.
  3. Tessa Peay
  4. Active Instagrammer and YouTuber Tessa Peay is in second and has seen her annual searches quadruple.
  5. Brad Mondo
  6. American hair stylist and influencer Brad Mondo has a massive following on TikTok (10.4 million) and YouTube (8.3 million), he’s also the second-most searched influencer, with 886,500 searches in the last year.

The others that made the list were

  • Gisou brand founder Negin Mirsalehi
  • Nyane
  • Joyjah Estrada
  • Sarah Bryant
  • Ben Brown
  • Sarah Angius
  • Kayley Meliss

Celebrity hair icons

Jennifer Aniston continues to be a hair icon with the most popular celebrity hair. While Blake Lively, who recently launched a hair care range, also ranked in the top 10.

 1. Jennifer Aniston - 368,600 annual searches

Aniston’s ‘Rachel’ cut from the 1990s was a global phenomenon thanks to its flattering layered, face-framing look. Over the years, the Hollywood actress has held on to her status as a trendsetter with her stylish yet wearable hair looks.

2. Hailey Bieber - 208,100 annual searches

The beauty influencer often experiments with different shades of blonde and is particularly influential among younger audiences.

3. Selena Gomez - 146,800 annual searches

The singer, actress and founder of Rare Beauty often experiments with different styles and transforms her colour hair.

The other celebrity hair icons were:

  • Catherine, Princess of Wales
  • Billie Eilish
  • Margot Robbie
  • Blake Lively
  • Emily Ratajkowski
  • Beyoncé
  • Kim Kardashian