Natural Drives Hair Care Expenditures Among Black Women

New research from Mintel reveals that Black women are most likely to wear their hair natural (no chemicals) with no-heat styling (40%) and natural with heat styling (33%). For a boost in confidence, 51% of women say their current hairstyle makes them feel beautiful.

With the majority (87%) of Black women agreeing that health is the ultimate beauty accessory, more consumers are just as concerned with what’s not in their beauty and personal care products as what is included. In fact, 70% of Black women say they prefer to read ingredient labels in hair care products so they can avoid certain chemicals. Happy with the hair care choices they’ve made, all in all, 30% say their hair makes them feel healthy.

Consumer interest in avoiding damage to their hair has damaged category sales. In fact, total hair care expenditure among Black consumers overall is expected to decline this year to $2.51 billion. Sales have declined 2.3% during the past two years due to a 22.7% fall in at-home relaxer sales. A bright spot is shampoo and conditioner sales as Black women learn how to better care for and style their natural hair on their own and turn to hair care maintenance systems rather than salon services, said Mintel. As a result, shampoo spending rose 12.2% in the past two years, while conditioner sales have grown 7.3%.

“Healthy hair is beautiful hair for the majority of Black consumers, with the Black hair care market adjusting to the new natural hair normal,” said Toya Mitchell, a multicultural analyst at Mintel. “Many women are making a conscious choice to wear their hair naturally as they feel empowered to embrace an Afrocentric beauty aesthetic.”

According to Mitchell, brands with product lines specifically for natural hair should include messaging that encourages Black women to unapologetically embrace their stylized, natural self. The products and tools Black women use to maintain and style their hair is also indicative of how they live their lives, choosing natural ingredients whenever possible to be healthy on the inside, which in turn will be visible to themselves and others on the outside, explained Mitchell.

“Brands should consider product innovation, expanded retail distribution and messaging as opportunities to better meet the needs of this demographic,” she noted.

More info: www.mintel.com