Mintel has released new research that suggests that the UK’s male hair care market will grow 11% in the next four years. The market is currently worth £85m, and this has remained stable since 2014. However, Mintel predicts that this figure will increase to £94m by 2020.
Males aged 16-24 are more inclined to use hair care products than older consumers. One third of male consumers aged 16-24 use hair care products each morning, compared to 23% of men overall. Men in this age bracket are also more likely to use hair appliances with 22% of 16-24 year olds using them compared to just 12% of men overall.
Charlotte Libby, Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel, explained: “The majority of men prefer to spend as little time as possible styling their hair in the morning; however, younger generations remain more focused on crafting their hair style and are willing to put in the time and effort to achieve their desired look. This, alongside the fashion for men to have longer hair has seen treatment sales grow at a faster pace, as men take more pride in their appearance and hair condition.”
Growth in the male hair care market stands in direct contrast to the stagnating women’s market. Mintel says that “women’s haircare is losing its bounce”. Sales declined from £1.4bn in 2014 to £1.39bn in 2015 with conditioner and treatments suffering the most.
Female consumers are thought to be moving away from complex hair care routines with 40% of consumers saying that they styled their hair less often in the past 12 months, with 55% of women wearing their hair in its natural style.
Roshida Khanom, Senior Personal Care Analyst at Mintel, explained: “The women’s hair care category has struggled to grow in recent years, as savvy shopping behaviours have women buying branded products at discount retailers. In addition, when it comes to day time styling habits, most female users prefer to spend as little time styling their hair as possible, as well as not using products to style their hair during the day.”
Damage caused by styling tools and products is also a key driver behind this decline. Half of women in the UK have reduced their use of heated appliances in the past year and 22% have purchased a hairdryer, curling iron or straightener that claims to be less damaging to hair in the past year.
Khanom added: “Women are now showing awareness of the potentially negative impact of certain hair care routines on their hair and are taking measures to prevent longer term damage by washing or styling their hair less frequently. With high interest in shampoos with different levels of cleansing, as well as scalp protecting products, innovations in these areas could encourage usage of hair care products amongst women.”
