Tom Branna , Editorial Director05.01.15
“They give us those nice bright colors
Gives those greens of summers
They make you think that all the world’s a sunny day”
—Kodachrome, Paul Simon
Rhymin’ Simon could have been singing about hair dye instead of camera film, but either way he was right—there’s nothing like a burst of color to warm one’s soul and make everything seem a little bit better. Salon professionals, their customers and certainly shoppers in food, drug and mass agree. How else can you explain the resurgence in hair color? Yes, Baby Boomers are desperate to hold onto their youth, but women in their 20s and 30s are more than okay with ombre, while teens and plenty of tweens are experimenting with pastel shades like never before.
But color alone isn’t enough, say industry experts; it’s got to be color that cares, featuring gentle formulas that won’t damage the hair shaft and successful formulas provide healthy benefits along with that kaleidoscope of color.
“Hair coloring is often the most dynamic or one of most dynamic product categories helping to drive the whole salon hair care market,” noted Agnieszka Saintemarie, project manager, Kline Group, Fairfield, NJ, which recently published a detailed report on the global salon industry. “In developed economies of Western Europe, or in other developed markets such as Japan or Australia the category is also the biggest one.”
Saintemarie noted that the US is by far the biggest salon hair care market in the world, but it’s also a mature market; therefore, growth levels are not comparable to some developing markets such as India, Brazil or Russia where the growth is at double-digit level. Overall, the US, Japan and Germany are three biggest hair coloring markets in the world, according to Kline researchers, who note that in many important markets, it is local companies driving the growth.
“Examples are Japan and Takara Belmont or Russia and Unicosmetic,” said Saintemarie. “At the same time, important global players such as L’Oréal or P&G come up with innovative solutions spreading them across different countries and regions.”
In most countries, according to Kline, gray coverage is an important constant driver within the hair coloring category, but no/low-ammonia products perform very well as a sub-category.
“Including care ingredients into hair coloring products is also a strong trend and marketers try to innovate in order to find best solutions to keep the hair healthy while providing great long-lasting color,” observed Saintemarie.
These demands have forced formulators to rethink what it means to color treat consumers’ hair. But whether they spend hundreds to have their locks dyed by a professional, or spend $10 on a box of do-it-yourself chestnut, more consumers than ever are comfortable experimenting with color, according to industry experts.
In the US salon hair care industry, hair color sales rose 4% to $813 million, according to Cyrus Bulsara, president of Professional Consultants & Resources, Plano, TX. He credited the gains to higher disposable incomes that were the result of lower gas prices in the third and fourth quarter of last year, as well as a general rise in GDP growth.
Kline Group, Fairfield, NJ, puts salon hair care sales, which includes shampoos, conditioners, styling, texturizing and coloring, at $2.8 billion; it’s all part of Kline’s recently published Salon Hair Care report.
The view isn’t quite so colorful in food, drug and mass markets, according to Information Resources, Inc., Chicago. Men’s hair color eked out a small, less than 2%, gain to $205 million. Combe’s Just for Men dominates the segment with a dollar share just below 90% (see chart 1).
Meanwhile, sales of women’s hair color actually slipped a bit, by less than 1%, to just under $1.5 billion. L’Oréal holds a comfortable lead over No. 2 Procter & Gamble for the top spot in FDM (see chart 2).
To keep it that way, earlier this year L’Oréal Paris Féria extended its Power collection to include two high-impact permanent shades–Power Copper and Power Violet. For women looking for highlights, L’Oréal Paris’ Superior Preference Glam Lights, is described as an easy-to-use color application system designed to provide natural, seductive highlights. Special effects are rendered in just one stroke of the Expert Highlights Brush.
For those who can’t wait for summer to get here, L’Oréal Paris has rolled out Superior Preference Summer Lights, which is billed as a progressive lightening hair color gelée formulated to create a variety of special effect hues for endless possibilities. The formula contains heat-active agents, requiring nothing more than the heat from a blow dryer or the sun to lighten hair—no gloves or rinsing required. The nourishing formula, enhanced with camellia oil and built-in conditioners, leaves hair satin-soft and gives a permanent healthy, beach-ready look, according to the company.
For older women searching for a new way to color their gray, L’Oréal Paris developed Excellence Age Perfect Hair Color, which promises to layer tone on tone flattering color formulated specifically for gray hair. Available in eight shades that promise complete coverage, the formula imparts a layered tonal effect, as if the hair was highlighted and leaves hair looking healthy, and full of volume and shine.
Finally, L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Glam Lights Highlighting System is said to be inspired by professional color application. The new and easy-to-use color application system imparts highlights and special effects in just one stroke.
Who’s No. 1 Chair?
For those prefer the salon to the supermarket, there are plenty of options. L’Oréal holds the top spot with a 32.3% share, followed by Procter & Gamble at 23.1%. Rounding out the top five manufacturers, and a long way off at that, are Goldwell at 6.1%, Sally (ION/private label) at 5.7% and Schwarzkopf at 4.6%, according to Bulsara.
“The biggest recent gainer was Sally, due to a decline of Clairol/Wella (P&G) in open-line stores, which are frequented by suite and chair rental salons. Sally hair color is economical and easy to use,” explained Bulsara. “Keune was another big gainer (sales rose 25%), due to many independent artistic salons moving away from large corporations, which are unable to control diversion of their hair care brands.”
Celebrity stylist Rita Hazan lives in many worlds. When she’s not developing products for her own line or styling stars like Beyoncé or Katy Perry, she’s at Rita Hazan New York making sure every client gets exactly what she’s looking for when it comes to cut or color. But regardless if the service is for the rich and famous or the plain Jane, there are some common denominators when it comes to issues with color.
“It’s usually one of two things—either the color is too light or too dark, or it’s ombre gone wrong,” Hazan told Happi.
But regardless of the problem, it’s often due to a failure to communicate.
“The client doesn’t know how to articulate what they want; they hear words and don’t know what they mean,” she observed. “So, they use buzzwords that don’t make sense and when someone is confused, they’re never happy.”
Ironically, Hazan doesn’t offer traditional color in her own line; her eponymous collection includes root concealer, shine gloss, pop color and a new weekly remedy that treats and opens the hair cuticle.
No matter who’s name is on the label, today’s formulas all share a less is more approach when it comes to harsh ingredients, according to industry experts.
“Women want to know what chemicals are being put on their hair,” explained celebrity stylist Kevin Murphy. “They are after natural results with healthier choices, but still want 100% gray coverage. We’re not talking about a translucent color, but a multi-dimensional color that makes you look like you have the hair of a child, with all the natural highlights. Hair should be left shiny and intact after being colored, not damaged.”
Consumers demand products that are healthy and good for them and their hairstyles, agreed Mary Pergoda, national training and promotions director, JF Lazartigue.
“Consumers are very into health, and using healthy products that really work,” she explained. “There has been a big resurgence with taking care of yourself, so more consumers are looking for formulas that are ammonia- and peroxide-free.”
Going a step further, Bulsara noted that L’Oréal, P&G and all hair color leaders are moving away from paraphenylenediamine (PPD) based formulations as they sometimes cause allergies for some consumers.
What They’re Buying
Head-turning hues such as Katy Perry’s purple (or red, green or blue for that matter) or Kylie Jenner’s aquamarine may capture headlines, but when it comes to mainstream America, consumers are well, pretty mainstream.
“Around 50% of all traditional hair color is still used for gray coverage and whole head transformation fashion color,” explained Bulsara.
Similarly, about 40% of hair color is used for highlights, tonal/low lights.
“Only around 10% of hair color is used for vivids, vibrants and pastels,” noted Bulsara.
But according to Pergoda, consumers are taking more risks with hair color.
“Look at ombre,” she advised, referring to the graduation of color that’s transcended the fashion world.
For those willing to take risks, as long as they’re reversible, JF Lazartique offers color-reflecting conditioners that shampoo out, but still have plenty of pigment for consumers looking for vibrant color.
“They help maintain hair color, too,” Pergoda explained.
For example, if a user’s hair color gets a bit drab before a big event, she can use the Color-Reflecting hair conditioner to intensify color and restore hair at the same time. Or, at the professional level, if a client is looking for a model with a certain look, she can use Color-Reflecting hair conditioner to achieve it.
“It’s makeup for hair,” explained Pergoda.
When women do decide to make up their hair, Pravana is making a killing. The company is widely regarded as the fastest-growing player in the salon hair color segment and recent results do nothing to dispel that title. According to company founder Steve Goddard, Pravana’s hair color sales surged 32% in March.
“Our Vivids business is up 50% this year,” he told Happi. “Nobody cares what a tube of Vivids costs; it’s all about fashion and being on the cutting edge.”
When the Vivids range of bright, reds, violets and blues debuted 11 years ago, it was just a tiny part of the marketplace; but the fad had legs. More recently, in 2014, the Vivids brand was expanded with the introduction of Vivid Neons and has played a key role in Pravana’s success—along with the company’s ability to provide superior color at an attractive price point for salons. Pravana’s unique formula enables salons to stock just one color that can be used to create permanent and demi-permanent shades, according to Goddard.
“I’ve been in the industry 43 years. Up until 20 years ago, the lion’s share of color was to cover gray hair,” recalled Goddard. “Then there was a small boost for highlighting. Now, the most popular color service is hair painting. Color is a form of self-expression.”
Self-expression that is reversible. Goddard noted that two decades ago, only jailbirds and servicemen sported tattoos in the US. Today, 35% of people in their 20s have skin ink.
“Hair color is a form of self-expression without the commitment,” he explained.
Enter Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy’s initial foray into hair color came with the development of Color.Bug colored hair shadow, which provides a fast easy way to add a splash of color to hair.
“A few seasons ago, color became very important in fashion,” he recalled. “I was coloring models for my shoots and shows. I invented Color.Bug, so that I was able to instantly create this transformation.”
After that success, Murphy wanted more. He noticed that the world of professional color was full of words like “intense,” “bright,” and “vibrant,” yet he didn’t know any women who woke up in the morning and were using those words when describing their hair color.
“I was hearing words like ‘natural,’ ‘subtle,’ and ‘gentle,’” he recalled. “What I was most commonly hearing from women who get their hair colored at a salon was, ‘I want to look natural and I want to know what chemicals are going on my head today.’”
With that in mind, next month Kevin Murphy will roll out Color.Me by Kevin. Murphy, the brand’s first hair color range for salons, stylists, and their clients. It promises to deliver high-performance, natural-looking results with optimum color functionality.
“There were elements that were very important to me in creating this line. We chose PPD-free, ammonia-free, and naturally-derived and from-the-Earth ingredients,” he told Happi. “I’m not saying that one type of activation, ammonia-free or with ammonia, is better than the other, but these were the choices I made, because I want my fellow hairdressers to have a healthier environment.”
The formula features a molecular coupling system where instead of the color molecules swelling in the hair shaft, they link together to form a multi-tonal effect.
“In laymen’s terms, in the past, color molecules had to swell once activated within the hair shaft so if you could imagine the hair shaft was like a bag full of oranges, which left the shaft in a very bloated and fragile state,” Murphy explained. “In contrast, our molecules don’t swell, so the hair is left intact with no damage.”
The Color.Me by Kevin.Murphy collection includes 74 honey-based, versatile, multi-tonal shades. Colorists have the ability to mix shades and create custom colors that are semi, demi or permanent based on client needs. Colors in the compact line offer natural looking results, full gray coverage, and up to four levels of lift.
Ammonia- and peroxide-free is one of the selling points of J.F. Lazartigue’s Colouring Emulsion permanent color.
“It’s hard to find a natural color that’s good for you that will cover gray hair,” observed Pergoda.
What’s more, there’s no mixing involved. Color is applied, neutralized in a bath and sealed with coconut oil, she explained.
Wella Professional’s new Instamatic by Color Touch delivers a diffused, filter effect to hair with six demi-permanent shades.
But regardless of the color or who makes it, all formulators seek to make the most gentle products possible.
“We as an industry want to make gentler, ecofriendly formulas,” explained Goodard. “But you have to balance that with performance.”
And in order to capture that performance, there must be a certain amount of alkalinity in the formula to swell the hair, raise the cuticle and let the color get in to the hair shaft.
“You could use monoethanolamine (MEA), but it doesn’t rinse out and it’s not as effective as ammonia either,” said Goddard. “Neither stylists nor their customers are willing to give up superior hair color in exchange for a no-ammonia formula.”
The other concern in hair color formulas is the use of PPD, which can cause allergic reactions in some customers. Goddard noted that some companies replace PPD with paratoluenediamine (PTD) dyes and replace ammonia with MEA in order to market their formulas as PPD- and ammonia-free. But he stressed that such claims don’t represent a step-change in formulations.
“There haven’t been any huge steps forward,” Goddard admitted. “But as an industry we continue to look for it.”
Formulators look to make hair color formulas healthier for hair, even as the salon industry gets sicker. According to Bulsara, Regis is still struggling as mall traffic has dwindled since the recession. One bright spot is that malls have seen some better traffic and sales in the last quarter of 2014 and 1Q 2015, he noted, but cautioned that it’s a mixed bag for independents.
“Privately-owned salons are facing harsh economics and staff retention issues in competing with the rentals, but the better independent artistic salons with the more affluent clients are thriving,” he told Happi. The biggest gainers during the past year were Great Clips with an 8% revenue increase and Sports Clips with a 22% revenue increase. Chair and suite rentals have also posted strong growth collectively. In this segment, major players include Salon Plaza, Solera, Phenix, Salons by TJ, Salon Lofts and Salon Concepts.
Help for the Masses?
But what about the millions of consumers who can’t afford that salon color? The founders of eSalon, insist that they have the answer. According to Mike McNeil, the company’s director of social media and PR, the eSalon concept actually stems from a dinner that the founders had with a renowned hair colorist at the time. The founders, who have a tech background via their previous venture Pricegrabber.com, were speaking with the stylist about how women look for expertise and guidance when they are coloring their hair, whether from a box at home or from the salon.
“The founders thought their background could be used to create a meaningful change in the at-home hair color world,” explained McNeil. “They had an understanding of how the world of at-home hair color could be improved through technology to provide access to salon quality color and expertise at home.”
Thus, eSalon was born. Since its founding in 2010, the LA-based company has shipped more than one million boxes of custom color, each of which is individually blended for the client based on her personal hair profile. Clients are asked about gray percentage, skin tone, eye color, color history and more, to create the most flattering shade.
McNeil noted that consumers receive no guidance in a drug store aisle as to what color would look great on them, and sometimes the choices can be overwhelming. In contrast, salons offer personalization and guidance, but are sometimes cost restrictive.
“eSalon bridges that gap and brings the expertise of a salon and the affordability of box color to women everywhere,” he explained.
“Our expert colorists help women choose the ideal shade for them, just as a colorist would in the salon, and a custom formulation is created that ships directly to the consumer—complete with personalized instructions.”
McNeil noted that the beauty industry is becoming increasingly focused on personalization.
“At eSalon, personalization is in our DNA and we offer every customer access to an expert who will take their individual wants and needs into consideration to formulate a custom color,” he explained. “So, while hair color itself hasn’t really changed, eSalon has certainly changed how many women are achieving color that is perfect for them in their own homes.”
And gentle. Like many other products, the eSalon lineup is formulated to be gentle on the hair with salon-quality ingredients.
“Our color contains aloe, chamomile, soy, silk amino acids, keratin, and pro vitamin B5 to condition and fortify the hair,” McNeil told Happi.
What colors are capturing consumers’ attention? McNeil noted that the Pantone color of the year is Marsala, a rich burgundy.
“We are seeing this hair color pop up everywhere,” he added.
But, hopefully, not on every head.
“Hair color is very individual,” according to Hazan. “Ombre isn’t appropriate for someone in her 50s.”
And while it may be trendy to go platinum, it just doesn’t work for older women or business executives.
“But you can do a variation of it or incorporate an element of it,” advised Hazan. “As summer approaches, everybody wants to go lighter. But if you have dark hair, blonde really isn’t your thing—but you can go two shades lighter.”
Hazan is confident that the days of going gray are over, especially since mature women today look better than ever, thanks to the wonders of cosmetics and cosmetic procedures.
“They don’t want to look like old grannies, so they won’t be giving up their hair dyes any time soon,” explained Hazan. “I don’t see them slowing down. Sharon Stone is nearly 60 and she looks fabulous!”
According to Goddard, there’s a trend toward metallic colors, light pale platinum, and rose gold and bronze colors. And for those who worry about their roots even when they’re adding color to them, there’s balayage, the hair coloring technique that’s said to create natural-looking highlights that grow out without developing a noticeable and obvious root.
“You’re painting highlights into the hair,” explained Goddard, who said Pravana is developing a new lightening and toning system which incorporates natural materials with interesting chemistry to protect and conceal the lightener to enable it to continue processing.
Balayage. Platinum. Rose gold. Rich burgundy. Spend a few minutes talking to hair color experts and it becomes crystal-clear that the hair care world is filled with color, which makes, as Paul Simon also sang “Everything looks worse in black and white.”
Gives those greens of summers
They make you think that all the world’s a sunny day”
—Kodachrome, Paul Simon
Rhymin’ Simon could have been singing about hair dye instead of camera film, but either way he was right—there’s nothing like a burst of color to warm one’s soul and make everything seem a little bit better. Salon professionals, their customers and certainly shoppers in food, drug and mass agree. How else can you explain the resurgence in hair color? Yes, Baby Boomers are desperate to hold onto their youth, but women in their 20s and 30s are more than okay with ombre, while teens and plenty of tweens are experimenting with pastel shades like never before.
But color alone isn’t enough, say industry experts; it’s got to be color that cares, featuring gentle formulas that won’t damage the hair shaft and successful formulas provide healthy benefits along with that kaleidoscope of color.
“Hair coloring is often the most dynamic or one of most dynamic product categories helping to drive the whole salon hair care market,” noted Agnieszka Saintemarie, project manager, Kline Group, Fairfield, NJ, which recently published a detailed report on the global salon industry. “In developed economies of Western Europe, or in other developed markets such as Japan or Australia the category is also the biggest one.”
Saintemarie noted that the US is by far the biggest salon hair care market in the world, but it’s also a mature market; therefore, growth levels are not comparable to some developing markets such as India, Brazil or Russia where the growth is at double-digit level. Overall, the US, Japan and Germany are three biggest hair coloring markets in the world, according to Kline researchers, who note that in many important markets, it is local companies driving the growth.
“Examples are Japan and Takara Belmont or Russia and Unicosmetic,” said Saintemarie. “At the same time, important global players such as L’Oréal or P&G come up with innovative solutions spreading them across different countries and regions.”
In most countries, according to Kline, gray coverage is an important constant driver within the hair coloring category, but no/low-ammonia products perform very well as a sub-category.
“Including care ingredients into hair coloring products is also a strong trend and marketers try to innovate in order to find best solutions to keep the hair healthy while providing great long-lasting color,” observed Saintemarie.
These demands have forced formulators to rethink what it means to color treat consumers’ hair. But whether they spend hundreds to have their locks dyed by a professional, or spend $10 on a box of do-it-yourself chestnut, more consumers than ever are comfortable experimenting with color, according to industry experts.
In the US salon hair care industry, hair color sales rose 4% to $813 million, according to Cyrus Bulsara, president of Professional Consultants & Resources, Plano, TX. He credited the gains to higher disposable incomes that were the result of lower gas prices in the third and fourth quarter of last year, as well as a general rise in GDP growth.
Kline Group, Fairfield, NJ, puts salon hair care sales, which includes shampoos, conditioners, styling, texturizing and coloring, at $2.8 billion; it’s all part of Kline’s recently published Salon Hair Care report.
The view isn’t quite so colorful in food, drug and mass markets, according to Information Resources, Inc., Chicago. Men’s hair color eked out a small, less than 2%, gain to $205 million. Combe’s Just for Men dominates the segment with a dollar share just below 90% (see chart 1).
Meanwhile, sales of women’s hair color actually slipped a bit, by less than 1%, to just under $1.5 billion. L’Oréal holds a comfortable lead over No. 2 Procter & Gamble for the top spot in FDM (see chart 2).
To keep it that way, earlier this year L’Oréal Paris Féria extended its Power collection to include two high-impact permanent shades–Power Copper and Power Violet. For women looking for highlights, L’Oréal Paris’ Superior Preference Glam Lights, is described as an easy-to-use color application system designed to provide natural, seductive highlights. Special effects are rendered in just one stroke of the Expert Highlights Brush.
For those who can’t wait for summer to get here, L’Oréal Paris has rolled out Superior Preference Summer Lights, which is billed as a progressive lightening hair color gelée formulated to create a variety of special effect hues for endless possibilities. The formula contains heat-active agents, requiring nothing more than the heat from a blow dryer or the sun to lighten hair—no gloves or rinsing required. The nourishing formula, enhanced with camellia oil and built-in conditioners, leaves hair satin-soft and gives a permanent healthy, beach-ready look, according to the company.
For older women searching for a new way to color their gray, L’Oréal Paris developed Excellence Age Perfect Hair Color, which promises to layer tone on tone flattering color formulated specifically for gray hair. Available in eight shades that promise complete coverage, the formula imparts a layered tonal effect, as if the hair was highlighted and leaves hair looking healthy, and full of volume and shine.
Finally, L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Glam Lights Highlighting System is said to be inspired by professional color application. The new and easy-to-use color application system imparts highlights and special effects in just one stroke.
Who’s No. 1 Chair?
For those prefer the salon to the supermarket, there are plenty of options. L’Oréal holds the top spot with a 32.3% share, followed by Procter & Gamble at 23.1%. Rounding out the top five manufacturers, and a long way off at that, are Goldwell at 6.1%, Sally (ION/private label) at 5.7% and Schwarzkopf at 4.6%, according to Bulsara.
“The biggest recent gainer was Sally, due to a decline of Clairol/Wella (P&G) in open-line stores, which are frequented by suite and chair rental salons. Sally hair color is economical and easy to use,” explained Bulsara. “Keune was another big gainer (sales rose 25%), due to many independent artistic salons moving away from large corporations, which are unable to control diversion of their hair care brands.”
Celebrity stylist Rita Hazan lives in many worlds. When she’s not developing products for her own line or styling stars like Beyoncé or Katy Perry, she’s at Rita Hazan New York making sure every client gets exactly what she’s looking for when it comes to cut or color. But regardless if the service is for the rich and famous or the plain Jane, there are some common denominators when it comes to issues with color.
“It’s usually one of two things—either the color is too light or too dark, or it’s ombre gone wrong,” Hazan told Happi.
But regardless of the problem, it’s often due to a failure to communicate.
“The client doesn’t know how to articulate what they want; they hear words and don’t know what they mean,” she observed. “So, they use buzzwords that don’t make sense and when someone is confused, they’re never happy.”
Ironically, Hazan doesn’t offer traditional color in her own line; her eponymous collection includes root concealer, shine gloss, pop color and a new weekly remedy that treats and opens the hair cuticle.
No matter who’s name is on the label, today’s formulas all share a less is more approach when it comes to harsh ingredients, according to industry experts.
“Women want to know what chemicals are being put on their hair,” explained celebrity stylist Kevin Murphy. “They are after natural results with healthier choices, but still want 100% gray coverage. We’re not talking about a translucent color, but a multi-dimensional color that makes you look like you have the hair of a child, with all the natural highlights. Hair should be left shiny and intact after being colored, not damaged.”
Consumers demand products that are healthy and good for them and their hairstyles, agreed Mary Pergoda, national training and promotions director, JF Lazartigue.
“Consumers are very into health, and using healthy products that really work,” she explained. “There has been a big resurgence with taking care of yourself, so more consumers are looking for formulas that are ammonia- and peroxide-free.”
Going a step further, Bulsara noted that L’Oréal, P&G and all hair color leaders are moving away from paraphenylenediamine (PPD) based formulations as they sometimes cause allergies for some consumers.
What They’re Buying
Head-turning hues such as Katy Perry’s purple (or red, green or blue for that matter) or Kylie Jenner’s aquamarine may capture headlines, but when it comes to mainstream America, consumers are well, pretty mainstream.
“Around 50% of all traditional hair color is still used for gray coverage and whole head transformation fashion color,” explained Bulsara.
Similarly, about 40% of hair color is used for highlights, tonal/low lights.
“Only around 10% of hair color is used for vivids, vibrants and pastels,” noted Bulsara.
But according to Pergoda, consumers are taking more risks with hair color.
“Look at ombre,” she advised, referring to the graduation of color that’s transcended the fashion world.
For those willing to take risks, as long as they’re reversible, JF Lazartique offers color-reflecting conditioners that shampoo out, but still have plenty of pigment for consumers looking for vibrant color.
“They help maintain hair color, too,” Pergoda explained.
For example, if a user’s hair color gets a bit drab before a big event, she can use the Color-Reflecting hair conditioner to intensify color and restore hair at the same time. Or, at the professional level, if a client is looking for a model with a certain look, she can use Color-Reflecting hair conditioner to achieve it.
“It’s makeup for hair,” explained Pergoda.
When women do decide to make up their hair, Pravana is making a killing. The company is widely regarded as the fastest-growing player in the salon hair color segment and recent results do nothing to dispel that title. According to company founder Steve Goddard, Pravana’s hair color sales surged 32% in March.
“Our Vivids business is up 50% this year,” he told Happi. “Nobody cares what a tube of Vivids costs; it’s all about fashion and being on the cutting edge.”
When the Vivids range of bright, reds, violets and blues debuted 11 years ago, it was just a tiny part of the marketplace; but the fad had legs. More recently, in 2014, the Vivids brand was expanded with the introduction of Vivid Neons and has played a key role in Pravana’s success—along with the company’s ability to provide superior color at an attractive price point for salons. Pravana’s unique formula enables salons to stock just one color that can be used to create permanent and demi-permanent shades, according to Goddard.
“I’ve been in the industry 43 years. Up until 20 years ago, the lion’s share of color was to cover gray hair,” recalled Goddard. “Then there was a small boost for highlighting. Now, the most popular color service is hair painting. Color is a form of self-expression.”
Self-expression that is reversible. Goddard noted that two decades ago, only jailbirds and servicemen sported tattoos in the US. Today, 35% of people in their 20s have skin ink.
“Hair color is a form of self-expression without the commitment,” he explained.
Enter Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy’s initial foray into hair color came with the development of Color.Bug colored hair shadow, which provides a fast easy way to add a splash of color to hair.
“A few seasons ago, color became very important in fashion,” he recalled. “I was coloring models for my shoots and shows. I invented Color.Bug, so that I was able to instantly create this transformation.”
After that success, Murphy wanted more. He noticed that the world of professional color was full of words like “intense,” “bright,” and “vibrant,” yet he didn’t know any women who woke up in the morning and were using those words when describing their hair color.
“I was hearing words like ‘natural,’ ‘subtle,’ and ‘gentle,’” he recalled. “What I was most commonly hearing from women who get their hair colored at a salon was, ‘I want to look natural and I want to know what chemicals are going on my head today.’”
With that in mind, next month Kevin Murphy will roll out Color.Me by Kevin. Murphy, the brand’s first hair color range for salons, stylists, and their clients. It promises to deliver high-performance, natural-looking results with optimum color functionality.
“There were elements that were very important to me in creating this line. We chose PPD-free, ammonia-free, and naturally-derived and from-the-Earth ingredients,” he told Happi. “I’m not saying that one type of activation, ammonia-free or with ammonia, is better than the other, but these were the choices I made, because I want my fellow hairdressers to have a healthier environment.”
The formula features a molecular coupling system where instead of the color molecules swelling in the hair shaft, they link together to form a multi-tonal effect.
“In laymen’s terms, in the past, color molecules had to swell once activated within the hair shaft so if you could imagine the hair shaft was like a bag full of oranges, which left the shaft in a very bloated and fragile state,” Murphy explained. “In contrast, our molecules don’t swell, so the hair is left intact with no damage.”
The Color.Me by Kevin.Murphy collection includes 74 honey-based, versatile, multi-tonal shades. Colorists have the ability to mix shades and create custom colors that are semi, demi or permanent based on client needs. Colors in the compact line offer natural looking results, full gray coverage, and up to four levels of lift.
Ammonia- and peroxide-free is one of the selling points of J.F. Lazartigue’s Colouring Emulsion permanent color.
“It’s hard to find a natural color that’s good for you that will cover gray hair,” observed Pergoda.
What’s more, there’s no mixing involved. Color is applied, neutralized in a bath and sealed with coconut oil, she explained.
Wella Professional’s new Instamatic by Color Touch delivers a diffused, filter effect to hair with six demi-permanent shades.
But regardless of the color or who makes it, all formulators seek to make the most gentle products possible.
“We as an industry want to make gentler, ecofriendly formulas,” explained Goodard. “But you have to balance that with performance.”
And in order to capture that performance, there must be a certain amount of alkalinity in the formula to swell the hair, raise the cuticle and let the color get in to the hair shaft.
“You could use monoethanolamine (MEA), but it doesn’t rinse out and it’s not as effective as ammonia either,” said Goddard. “Neither stylists nor their customers are willing to give up superior hair color in exchange for a no-ammonia formula.”
The other concern in hair color formulas is the use of PPD, which can cause allergic reactions in some customers. Goddard noted that some companies replace PPD with paratoluenediamine (PTD) dyes and replace ammonia with MEA in order to market their formulas as PPD- and ammonia-free. But he stressed that such claims don’t represent a step-change in formulations.
“There haven’t been any huge steps forward,” Goddard admitted. “But as an industry we continue to look for it.”
Formulators look to make hair color formulas healthier for hair, even as the salon industry gets sicker. According to Bulsara, Regis is still struggling as mall traffic has dwindled since the recession. One bright spot is that malls have seen some better traffic and sales in the last quarter of 2014 and 1Q 2015, he noted, but cautioned that it’s a mixed bag for independents.
“Privately-owned salons are facing harsh economics and staff retention issues in competing with the rentals, but the better independent artistic salons with the more affluent clients are thriving,” he told Happi. The biggest gainers during the past year were Great Clips with an 8% revenue increase and Sports Clips with a 22% revenue increase. Chair and suite rentals have also posted strong growth collectively. In this segment, major players include Salon Plaza, Solera, Phenix, Salons by TJ, Salon Lofts and Salon Concepts.
Help for the Masses?
But what about the millions of consumers who can’t afford that salon color? The founders of eSalon, insist that they have the answer. According to Mike McNeil, the company’s director of social media and PR, the eSalon concept actually stems from a dinner that the founders had with a renowned hair colorist at the time. The founders, who have a tech background via their previous venture Pricegrabber.com, were speaking with the stylist about how women look for expertise and guidance when they are coloring their hair, whether from a box at home or from the salon.
“The founders thought their background could be used to create a meaningful change in the at-home hair color world,” explained McNeil. “They had an understanding of how the world of at-home hair color could be improved through technology to provide access to salon quality color and expertise at home.”
Thus, eSalon was born. Since its founding in 2010, the LA-based company has shipped more than one million boxes of custom color, each of which is individually blended for the client based on her personal hair profile. Clients are asked about gray percentage, skin tone, eye color, color history and more, to create the most flattering shade.
McNeil noted that consumers receive no guidance in a drug store aisle as to what color would look great on them, and sometimes the choices can be overwhelming. In contrast, salons offer personalization and guidance, but are sometimes cost restrictive.
“eSalon bridges that gap and brings the expertise of a salon and the affordability of box color to women everywhere,” he explained.
“Our expert colorists help women choose the ideal shade for them, just as a colorist would in the salon, and a custom formulation is created that ships directly to the consumer—complete with personalized instructions.”
McNeil noted that the beauty industry is becoming increasingly focused on personalization.
“At eSalon, personalization is in our DNA and we offer every customer access to an expert who will take their individual wants and needs into consideration to formulate a custom color,” he explained. “So, while hair color itself hasn’t really changed, eSalon has certainly changed how many women are achieving color that is perfect for them in their own homes.”
And gentle. Like many other products, the eSalon lineup is formulated to be gentle on the hair with salon-quality ingredients.
“Our color contains aloe, chamomile, soy, silk amino acids, keratin, and pro vitamin B5 to condition and fortify the hair,” McNeil told Happi.
What colors are capturing consumers’ attention? McNeil noted that the Pantone color of the year is Marsala, a rich burgundy.
“We are seeing this hair color pop up everywhere,” he added.
But, hopefully, not on every head.
“Hair color is very individual,” according to Hazan. “Ombre isn’t appropriate for someone in her 50s.”
And while it may be trendy to go platinum, it just doesn’t work for older women or business executives.
“But you can do a variation of it or incorporate an element of it,” advised Hazan. “As summer approaches, everybody wants to go lighter. But if you have dark hair, blonde really isn’t your thing—but you can go two shades lighter.”
Hazan is confident that the days of going gray are over, especially since mature women today look better than ever, thanks to the wonders of cosmetics and cosmetic procedures.
“They don’t want to look like old grannies, so they won’t be giving up their hair dyes any time soon,” explained Hazan. “I don’t see them slowing down. Sharon Stone is nearly 60 and she looks fabulous!”
According to Goddard, there’s a trend toward metallic colors, light pale platinum, and rose gold and bronze colors. And for those who worry about their roots even when they’re adding color to them, there’s balayage, the hair coloring technique that’s said to create natural-looking highlights that grow out without developing a noticeable and obvious root.
“You’re painting highlights into the hair,” explained Goddard, who said Pravana is developing a new lightening and toning system which incorporates natural materials with interesting chemistry to protect and conceal the lightener to enable it to continue processing.
Balayage. Platinum. Rose gold. Rich burgundy. Spend a few minutes talking to hair color experts and it becomes crystal-clear that the hair care world is filled with color, which makes, as Paul Simon also sang “Everything looks worse in black and white.”