Photo: © Roman Striga / shutterstock.com

According to data from Kline PRO, a product-level database published quarterly by market research and consulting firm Kline in partnership with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA), hair colorant sales within the bright and silver shade groups are up 46% and 14%, respectively, in 2014. “The ‘granny trend’ of women of all ages colouring their hair shades of silver and grey is more than a media craze,” explains the market research firm.

The Kline PRO’s panel currently features about 1,000 independent salons and 8,500 chain salons. Kline said to plan to double the number of independent salons by the end of 2015, with the eventual goal being 3,000 independent salons. According to Kline, the data on independent salons is of particular interest to the industry’s players, as this segment is harder to track and get a read on, yet is often the place where new brands and product trends appear first.

Photo: © Ouidad Inc.

Another trend validated by this data set is co-washing or “conditioner-only washing”, which is the practice of cleansing one’s hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. The purpose of co-washing is to preserve the natural oils of the hair while still gently cleansing. Data from the Kline PRO panel shows that the clarifying segment of conditioners - a type of conditioner that co-washers tend to prefer - has been growing exponentially. “While still nascent and accounting for less than 1% of total conditioner sales in 2014, the clarifying segment posts the highest growth of all conditioner types in independent salons. Ouidad’s Curl Co-Wash is among the leading items in the segment,” highlights Kline.

Functional hair care, or products that provide specific performance-oriented benefits like restoring hair or imparting shine, is another area where Kline PRO is reporting significant growth. In independent salons, products that address thinning hair increase by 22% in shampoos and 12% in conditioners in 2014. Nioxin, the leader within the thinning segment in the U.S., jumps 22% in shampoo sales. Sizable gains are likewise recorded by the Kevin Murphy Plumping line, ranking it third in dollar share in the thinning segment of both shampoos and conditioners. Other products contributing to growth in the functional hair care space include Pureology’s Strengthcure in the repair/condition segment, the launch of Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore collection, and Redken’s Blonde Idol and Color Extend lines in the colour care segment.

Meanwhile, hair oils is an area that is losing some steam, with sales down 6% in chains and 5% in independents in 2014. Although the segment, which was pioneered by Moroccanoil, has reached maturity, some items experience rapid sales growth in 2014, including Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil, which triples in dollar volume.