Europe – UK: Hair Care Market Report 2017

By Jo Allen | Published: 1-Sep-2017

Hair care has taken a dive in the UK. How can brands help the market to rise to the surface again?

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Year to 21 May 2017. <br>Source: Kantar Worldpanel

Year to 21 May 2017.
Source: Kantar Worldpanel

Consumers are washing their hair less, cutting down on salon visits and are cautious about products damaging their hair. As a result, the UK hair care market is in a tangle. According to Kantar Worldpanel, retail sales declined by a worrying 4.5% to £1.18bn in the year to 21 May 2017, with all sub-categories taking a dive. Conditioners and shampoos were least affected, but these still declined by 1.4% and 2.4% respectively. Colourants were also stripped of any growth, decreasing by 6.9%. Styling products fared even worse, down 7.9%, while hairsprays sank by 8.3%.

Jacqueline Burchell, Global Product Development Director at Charles Worthington (PZ Cussons), tells Cosmetics Business: “The frequency with which consumers wash their hair has declined and this has been a key factor to the overall decline. With the rise in awareness around the need to protect against hair colour fade and heat damage, there has been a trend for consumers to ‘train’ their hair to go a day longer without washing.” Indeed, data from Mintel shows that 40% of UK women washed their hair less in the 12 months to January 2016, compared with the previous year. And a survey from Herbal Essences (P&G) of over 2,000 women in the UK found that women are comfortable to let their hair go unwashed for up to four days, with one in 20 leaving their hair for more than ten days between washing.

Burchell adds that the reason the styling category is taking the biggest hit – with all formats declining – is “due to a move towards more

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