The Tamesis
The hair care category is heating up. As awareness about hair and scalp health increases and taboos around hair loss and hair loss decrease, more consumers are expanding their hair care knowledge, exploring ingredient innovation, and investing in products that combat dryness, signs of aging, GLP-1 drug damage (which can lead to thinning hair), and more. Brands are making inroads.
According to Euromonitor, the global hair care category is expected to grow by 24% to reach £129 billion by 2030, outpacing the growth of mature beauty verticals such as cosmetics and fragrances (both in double digits). Driving this growth are rising expectations for the performance of their products, creating a market gap for more clinical ingredients packaged with more savvy modern consumers.
The industry is preparing for its most scientific phase yet. In February, biotech beauty brand Goddess Maintenance Co. launched Biotech Blowout shampoo and conditioner, which uses Goddess Molecule technology, which claims to mimic the strength of spider silk, protect hair from heat, pollution and frizz, and increase hair strength by 173%. At the global cosmetics trade show in April, pharmaceutical companies previewed the exciting future ahead of the hair care category. Laboratoires Expanscience launched Osmolya, a new active ingredient that helps hair and skin balance water solutes (electrolytes and salts) in all environments, while Core Biogenesis launched Peaureva, a protein scalp active that helps with hair thinning, scalp aging, tissue regeneration and hair follicle revitalization.
The conglomerate is also investing in hair care brands to secure its position in the growing category. In April, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s hair care brand Anomaly was acquired by Reliance Retail for an undisclosed amount. In March this year, Germany’s Henkel Group acquired Olaplex for $1.4 billion and Not Your Mother’s for an undisclosed amount, while private equity firm Quadrivio Group fully owned French hair care brand Les Secrets de Loly.
Overall, the hair care category stands out for its growth potential. In L’Oréal Group’s first-quarter 2026 earnings, the hair care business posted double-digit growth, helped by its mass brands L’Oréal Paris and Garnier, as well as the hair care division of skin beauty brands Vichy and Cerave.
Vichy currently aims to reach the €1 billion revenue mark by the end of this year. “Our primary focus continues to be the growth of our hair care franchise, Dercos, which is experiencing double-digit growth,” said Jamel Boutiba, president of global brands at Vichy. The brand is betting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June to help win market share in the menswear category. In April, the brand hired Portuguese footballer and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha as an ambassador for its Dercos skin and hair care range.
At Unilever, hair care delivered high-single-digit growth in the first quarter of 2026, driven by Dove, which saw double-digit growth in its fiber repair range. Its other hair care brands Sunsilk, Clear and K18 also started the year strong, according to the company.
However, at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), hair care sales remained flat in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. In the company’s second-quarter results, hair care sales increased 5% to $812 million. The company owns Aveda and Bumble and Bumble. Amanda Le Roux, senior vice president at Aveda International, said factors leading to growth in the hair care category are a combination of conscious consumption, premiumization, digital influence and targeted innovation.
But to succeed in this space, brands must proceed cautiously because of the risk of saturation, said McKinsey partner Sarah Hudson. “Expanding into adjacent categories or proliferating SKUs too quickly can dilute brand clarity and dilute hero products, especially in markets where consumers are looking for clear, results-oriented solutions,” she said.
