‘Mixed’ hair woes: Kao identifies ‘new segment’ to rejuvenate Japanese hair care market

The Japanese personal care conglomerate announced that the range would be launched under the hair care brand PYUAN.

The brand was launched in 2015 as Merit PYUAN but was rebranded as PYUAN this year and focused on developing as a hair care brand specialising in cleansing.

The new range consists of four products: two Deto Cleanse shampoos and two Charge Beauty hair treatments.

They were developed especially for a combination-type hair that suffers from dry ends but sticky and oily roots.

According to a 2019 survey conducted by Kao, one in four women in their 20s to 40s experienced this dilemma due to the overuse of hair treatments and lack of proper cleansing.

The survey found that roughly 75% of these women were aware of hair damage. As such, the usage of hair treatments has increased ten-fold in the last two decades with the increased awareness.

“By observing the hair condition and hair-washing behaviour [of respondents], we found that they used multiple hair care products such as treatments and oils but did not wash their hair well enough because they were wary of hair damage,” ​explained Hiwako Yoshino, corporate communications, Kao Corpororation.

The accumulated residue of these treatments not only causes ‘stickiness’ at the root of the hair, but also inhibits the absorption of subsequent use of treatments resulting in overall dryness of the hair.

“Therefore, we developed products with two approaches: remove dirt while filling the hair with moisture,”​ said Yoshino.

She elaborated that the Deto Cleanse Shampoos removes the accumulated dirt to improve the penetration of ingredients. At the same time, it also enhances the smoothness and manageability of the hair.

Additionally, the Charge Beauty Treatments utilises technology which promotes the ability of the hair to absorb ingredients more evenly deep into hair.

The conditioners contain moisturising ingredients such as Centifolia rose water, apple fruit extract, royal jelly extract and hydrolysed silk.

Together, the products aim to help consumers achieve ‘ideal hair’, with light roots and moisturised ends, said Yoshino.

Developing new solutions​

The new PYUAN products are scheduled to be launched on next month on October 24 across Japan.

The maker of Bioré, Curél and Kanebo believes this new hair care line has the potential to create a new segment in the hair care market.

“By proposing a completely new solution that has never existed in the market for ‘mixed hair’, Kao will revitalise the [hair care] market,” ​said Hoshino.

It plans to further develop the brand by concentrating on developing solutions for this combination-type hair as well as odour-reducing products.

At this stage, the company has no plans to expand the product line overseas.