Shampoo Sales in Black Hair Care Market on the Rise

While the natural hair movement has driven sales of styling products in the Black haircare market in recent years, today, consumers are getting back to the basics. New research from Mintel reveals that shampoo sales among Black consumers are expected to grow 7.3% to reach an estimated $473 million in 2017, the largest percent growth seen in the category in the last five years. What’s more, between 2015-17, Black consumer expenditure of shampoo increased 13 percent—the most growth seen among all haircare segments in that time period—to capture estimated 19 percent share of the market.
 
Following suit, conditioner sales hold an estimated 19% of the market in 2017 and are expected to grow 3.5% this year to reach an estimated $491 million. Meanwhile, styling product sales (30% market share) remain stagnant with a meager 0.4% growth in 2017.
 
With half (50%) of Black consumers washing their hair once a week or a few times a month, “wash day,” or time set aside to complete basic maintenance, is routine for many. In fact, Black consumers spend an average of 63.1 minutes on basic hair maintenance on “wash day,” compared to just 21.2 minutes if and when they style their hair on an average day. What’s more, while Black consumers overall are more likely (49%) to use just 1-2 products when washing and styling their hair, Black women, regardless of hairstyle, seem to have a product-focused regimen as more than half (52%) say they use 3-4 haircare products.
 
“Shampoo is no longer a basic product used merely for cleansing, but rather the foundation for establishing healthy hair, all the way through styling. We predict shampoo sales to increase, signaling that the creation of regimen product lines, particularly those with formulations for specific hair care issues and goals, will continue to resonate among Black consumers,” said Toya Mitchell, Multicultural Analyst at Mintel. “On the other hand, conditioner use, especially among Black consumers with natural hair, is multifunctional, serving as a conditioning rinse as well as a styling product. However, while shampoo and conditioner set the foundation, styling products create the look, which for many consumers drives purchase of regimen-focused products.”