The global professional nail care market, driven by two key areas of innovation—the products themselves and their removal techniques—posts healthy growth of almost 6% in 2015, according to Kline’s new report. Long-wear nail polish (also called hybrid), which combines the benefits of gel and regular nail polish, has been the biggest innovation since the introduction of gel-polish. The hybrid category posts a triple-digit increase in 2015, finds Kline’s just-published report Professional Nail Care: Global Market Brief.


 
“While this innovation is the key market driver, it is also leading to cannibalization of sales between product types, which causes several brands to suffer declines in sales for their nail polish product lines as loyal consumers shift to the use long-wear nail polishes,” comments Agnieszka Saintemarie, the report’s project manager. “These products particularly target nail polish users, while gel users only use it for a shorter period of time, wanting to take a break from gels.” 


 
Removal methods are becoming increasingly important due to growing concerns from consumers over the use of acetone or filing, which can damage one’s nails. In response, brands extend their services by creating unique removal techniques, offering a wide variety of options from peel-off base coats to steamers, resulting in the removals experience witnessing most innovation in 2015.