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Hair care: a growing market: hair care marketers get to the root of their customers' needs.

Article Excerpt
EACH YEAR, Happi asks marketers what's new in hair care.

This year, it might have been easier to ask what isn't new. Straightening is in, but so is leaving curly hair natural; short and sassy is no hotter than long and lustrous. Some all-grays are staying gray, but many women with 30% or fewer grays are reaching for the dye.

If there's any one trend in hair care for 2004, it is the trend of polar opposites. Sorting through the amazing array of choices, it is easy to see that individuality and personal distinction rule today's hair care scene.

Checks and balances figured into hair care's total sales this year as well. Regular shampoos fell 1.4% to nearly $988 million for the year ended Oct. 3, 2004, according to Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), Chicago. Dandruff shampoo sales declined too, to $237.1 million, a 5.1% difference from the year-earlier period.

However, hair conditioners held their own at $770.1 million, a very slight (0.2%) increase over last year, according to IRI.

Garnier Fructis hair conditioner/creme rinse led the hair conditioner pack, at $38.3 million, an impressive 71.2% increase over last year. Garnier executives might have the right approach, offering up quite a bit in what the company is seeing in trends this year. For instance, "big," 80s style hair is in, Garnier executives said, while "messy, tousled 'beach' hair is another trend," commented Lisa Morris, marketing director, Garnier Fructis. "We're seeing the fun, carefree, surfer lifestyle completely invade the marketplace thanks to movies like Blue Crush, TV shows like The O.C. and fashion trends coming from Los Angeles and Hawaii."

Hair color is suffering somewhat, but the situation isn't hopeless, according to Ms. Morris. "The (hair color) category has been in decline," she said. "But with more sophisticated products that offer amazing salon-like quality hair color, consumers will be more likely to try at-home hair color and be more pleased than ever with the result."

Marcy Cona of Clariol Professional agreed, maintaining that having gray hair no longer means one is "old." "Gray hair does not mean a little old lady with 100% gray hair," she insisted. "People who are just starting to gray look to hair coloring in order to balance their color."

Another major trend in hair care is pinpointing ethnic hair concerns, rather than pidgeonholing ethnic consumers into buying products that are not quite right for them. "Very often, African-American hair is relaxed and therefore, dry and damaged," pointed out Mary Ann Pettorini, creative director for Culture, Vienna, VA, an ethnic hair care line. "The emergence of ethnic-specific hair care products is indicative of a growing shift in the African American and multicultural consumer to both embrace her hair texture, and insist on products that protect the hair."

Whatever a consumer's hair type, he or she can rest assured that an appropriate care routine either exists already, or is in the works by savvy marketers and formulators who know that in today's hair care, individuality is key.

Squeaky Clean

A good cleansing and conditioning routine is at the root of proper hair care. Consumers are demanding more of their shampoos and conditioners; luckily, they have plenty of choices this year.

Garnier, the leader in hair conditioners for the 52 weeks ending Oct. 3, 2004, led the way again this year with the introduction of several new SKUs. In July...