‘Grossly neglected’: Underserved hair care market due for a tech upgrade – Verdure

19-Oct-2021 - Last updated on 29-Oct-2021 at 08:56 GMT

Verdure believes there is need for more tech innovation targeting hair care concerns. [Verdure]

Singapore-based brand Verdure believes there is need for more tech innovation targeting hair care concerns, with the majority of developments focused on other categories in the beauty space.

Verdure offers homecare devices and complementary products to tackle hair loss.

Brand owner Karen Lam revealed that the brand experienced 400% growth in the past 18 months, fuelled by the e-commerce boom and the lack of options in the space.

“I think the hair care industry has been grossly neglected and under-served in terms of innovation, particularly with devices. Much of that owes to the fact that research into the science of hair loss, and consequently, hair growth is still very limited,” said Lam.

Launched in 2018, Verdure is the hair care brand under Estetica Group, which also owns brands Heure and ést.lab. The company also operates a chain of beauty salons.

Lam, who is the second-generation owner of the business, told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that launching Verdure was a “natural progression” of the business’s growth.

“We wanted to fulfil this gap in the market whereby there were many hair care products but very few homecare hair devices that can complement them. This is especially evident during the COVID-19 lockdown period last year when consumers were unable to go for their regular scalp treatments at hair salons, so we wanted to quickly develop and launch the device to meet the growing demands of homecare beauty devices to bring the hair spa experience back home.”

The company has developed two devices, one based on LED light therapy and ionic vibration technologies, which it believes is key to hair and scalp health.

“What little we know suggests a strong correlation between chromatherapy – light stimulation – and massage with various benefits, including increased blood circulation leading to fatigue relief and relaxation, regulating sebum production, eliminating bacteria, and even reducing hair loss and improving hair regrowth by increasing blood flow in the scalp,” said Lam.

Hair care and tech future

While the disruptions caused by the pandemic was undoubtedly helpful for the company, Lam believes that we will see more hair care developments in the beauty tech space regardless.

“In the next three to five years, we expect to see a sustained growth in demand for consumer tech across the beauty industry. Consumers are looking for hair tools that are fuss-free and work fast.”

As such, the company is continuing its research and development efforts in this space.

“We are actually in the R&D phase to expand the repertoire of our product offerings, focusing on multi-tasking hair care products to cater to the time-starved urbanites, as well as investing in innovation on hair care tools to bring the hair spa experience back to the comforts of their homes,” said Lam.

When it comes to hair tools, Lam said convenience and speed would be priorities for consumers.

“Homecare devices should be uncomplicated for a layman to operate with ease as consumers seldom have the time and patience to read through pages of user guide. Consumers are also looking for hair tools beyond the usual functions of drying and styling as they want devices that are able to replicate the effectiveness of their in-salon scalp and hair treatments, which they have been missing during the pandemic lockdown.”