US Salon & Hair Care Retail is Thriving in 2022 with Shampoos, Treatments and Hairstylers

What’s trending in hair care and luring salon clients back? Market research firm Kline & Company has new insight regarding beauty consumers for 2022.

Retail product sales were up 6.5% in the U.S. in Q1 2022 compared to Q1 2021. According to Kline, this is truly remarkable news for the salon channel, which faced numerous challenges over the past three years.
 
In addition to shutdowns and requirements to implement new health and safety measures, which impacted the service capacity, salon operators have experienced increased competition from e-commerce and retailers such as Ulta and Sephora. Despite losing some share to these channels, salons remain the leading outlet for professional hair product sales. According to Kline PRO USA, a salon retail products and services database, sales are nearly back to the level of comparable pre-pandemic Q1 2019; down just 3.4%. 

Consumer Spending Trends in Hair Care

Historically, the hair styling products and sprays category has claimed over 30% of all revenues, but the number has steadily declined since 2019. Styling products remain the highest-grossing category with a 28.2% share, while shampoos have seen a significant rise resulting in 27.8% of total sales. Not to be overlooked is the fact that conditioner and treatment sales are also up. Most of this shift in demand is likely accredited to the decrease in social engagements due to COVID-19, thus lessening the need to style and finish hairstyles. Several trends that emerged during the last two years, however, extended into the first quarter of 2022 and are reflected in the sales.  

Continuing product trends include repair/conditioning products, general/multipurpose, volumizing and color care.

Future Salon Sales Outlook

The number of services being performed in salons is still below pre-pandemic levels, noted Kline in its report. In Q1 2022, the number stood at 28% less than that of Q1 2019. The good news is that there is room for growth, and as the public adapts to living with Covid, people will feel more comfortable resuming pre-pandemic activities such as visiting salons for services and purchasing hair care products.