Ingredient manufacturers seeing hair care boost from anti-ageing trend

In a market that is looking elsewhere for inspiration and innovation​, hair care seems to have adopted the age old skin care trend of anti-ageing, particularly in the US and Japan, according to Euromonitor experts.

Analysts Nicole Tyrimou and Anais Mirval have spoken recently of how skin care ingredients are helping to innovate the hair care market​, and have now turned their focus to anti-ageing properties being incorporated into products and how ingredients manufacturers will see boosts in conditioning agents, sunscreens and moisturizers, as a result.

Catalyst​

Tyrimou explains that “while scalp health has been a big factor promoting the sales of conditioners globally, anti-ageing has been an even bigger catalyst, going beyond just condition treatments to complete product ranges.”​

The beauty and personal care specialist says that this is visible in standard shampoos, as brands profit from using serums and fillers normally seen on skin care shelves, along with claims of fighting the signs of ageing in hair care; a claim normally seen in skin care.

“Anti-ageing is the fastest growing category within skin care​,” explains Tyrimou. “With that in mind, more hair care companies are expected to further move into this category.”​

“Furthermore, it provides a good solution for heavily saturated markets such as the US and Japan, where hair care brands have been struggling to find a competitive advantage.”​

Growing concerns​

Ingredients expert Mirval adds to this, stating that the growing sales of colorants in Japan shows that consumers are concerned about their ageing hair.

“In 2012, Japan was still the third largest consumer of ​[colouring] ingredients, consuming 420 tonnes of permanent hair dyes and 170 tonnes of temporary hair dyes,”​ she says. “And with the over-40 women already representing of the female population, this trend shouldn’t slow down.”​

From an ingredient perspective, the anti-ageing claim means developing solutions to target thinning hair, graying hair, lack of strength and dryness.

“The first ingredients to expect a boost will be conditioning agents providing volume and shine, sunscreens protecting against UV, and moisturizers like pro-vitamin B,”​ says Mirval.

“Some regions with a specific buying culture, such as Japan and the US, could embrace the anti-ageing and multi-step routine trends, and this will increase demands for sunscreen and vitamins, but most of all emollients and conditioning agents.”​