Hair Oils, Keratin Treatments Find Their Way in Hair Care

"The Shine of the Hair Oils Market and the Straight Talk on Keratin-based Hair Smoothing," a blog post from Kline & Company's Kline Blogs, takes a closer look at two growing segments of the salon hair care market—hair oils and keratin-based hair straightening/smoothing.

In new reports from Kline, the market researcher found that, although the two segments share little in common, they both are made up of "a number of small, niche players specializing only in oils and oil-infused products or keratin-based straightening," according to the post. "In the hair oils market, following Moroccanoil’s success, more brands are beginning to offer their own take on hair oil, including global leader L’Oréal with its Elixir Ultime from Kérastase and L’Oréal Professionnel’s Mythic Oil, with both being among the top-selling hair oil products globally. This dominance contrasts with keratin straightening products, where the market remains highly fragmented with few global leaders competing."

Shifting global hair care preferences and concerns are also affecting the segments. "In 2012, concern regarding formaldehyde within hair smoothing keratin-based formulations and modest penetration within most Asian markets crimped otherwise promising keratin-based smoothing product sales in 2012. However, with better education and marketing, as well as the launch of formaldehyde-free products such as Brazilian Blowout Zero, 2013 has seen this market pick up across several regions," the post explains.

And the hair oil segment is making major leaps. "The post notes, "The hair oils category in 2012 saw six times more growth than the overall salon conditioners category. With new players entering the market and those already present expanding their product portfolios, the market hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in 2013."

Kline also points that hair oils are largely take-home products, making them bigger in retail venues and outlets, while keratin smoothing treatments have a very professional-focused base. This could explain the discrepancy between the segments' growing sizes, as well.

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