Trends in Hair Care, Sun Care Appear on the Verge

Sharing more insights from her vantage at in-cosmetics 2014 in Hamburg, Germany, Imogen Matthews of Imogen Matthews Associates wrote an article titled “in-cosmetics 2014 Report Part 2: The Ones to Watch—Innovations in Suncare and Haircare,” showing some of the trends in hair care and sun care she picked up at the international beauty ingredients events, as well as predictions for the industry at large.

She notes that during the 2014 in-cosmetics trends conference presentations, sun care and hair care “were singled out as having massive growth and innovation opportunities.” She noted that Euromonitor International provided information that showed that in hair care, new product development has been focused on conditioners, which grew 38% between 2008 and 2013, and a key aspect of this is hair oils. These hair oils typically target different hair issues—including damage, frizzy hair and mature hair—and they are adding another step to multi-step hair care routines.

Matthews also pointed out the cross-category influence hair care is facing, including bringing in trends from skin care, color cosmetics and fragrance. The scalp is currently seeing much of the benefit from skin care claims in hair care, according to Matthews, and anti-aging claims continue to be a growing hair care presence. Additionally hair serums and hair masks have been on the upswing, and ingredients such as proteins and vitamin E are increasingly being formulated into hair care. Color cosmetic influence in hair care is coming in the form of hair chalks, which offer vivid-but-temporary hair color, and fragrance—which has been part of hair care products for a long time—is getting more branded in this segment, with signature scents from Chanel and the like coming through in hair mists and dry shampoos.

Moving on to sun care trends, Matthews notes that “UV protection is becoming standard practice for so many beauty products, making it harder to define the meaning of sun care. Pick up a BB or CC cream, body care or hair protective product and you are likely to find it has added SPF.” She also notes that a consumer survey from Datamonitor in 2014 showed “62% of global skin care shopper prioritize sun protections benefits as essential or high priority.”

With this in mind, Matthews honed in on key sun care trends, including its presence in health, changes in application methods and personalization, as well as where it may be set to go. She noted, “Championing protective oils as key ingredients and enriching products with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals” is hot in sun care, as is sun care packaging that facilitates usage—which is often even perceived as a better value. Additionally, sun care is increasingly segmented as well, with products for men, kids, old, young, those seeking additional benefits or straight SPF, and beyond. For sun care’s future, Matthews cited the nutraceutical approach, with the sun care benefits of ingestibles such as water and supplements, as well as “smart” sun care accessories like bracelets and trackers that can offer real-time sun care information. Other trends include sun care targeted at specific skin tones, and sun care stretching into body care, facial care, nail care and more.

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