Research and Markets, in its latest report, Haircare–Italy, found that the Italian hair care market €1,231 million in retail sales at the end of 2004. Italians reportedly spent €7.2 billion on cosmetics and personal care in 2003, with hair care products accounting for around 17% percent of the total sales.
According to the report, the penetration of basic hair care products, such as shampoo, is nearly 99%; however, since price is not the main purchasing criteria, there is scope to increase value sales through innovation and publicity, the key factors that have been driving the Italian hair care market during the surveyed period.
Shampoos remained the largest sector of the hair care market with a value share of 40%, followed by styling products and hair colorants. Further, the report states that the Italian market is characterized by an unusually high share of lotions and special hair treatments such as serums and masks, which accounted for 38% of the total conditioner sales in 2004.