Salon Sales Increase 3% to $62 Billion in 2016

Overall revenues for all salon services (hair, skin and nails) plus salon retail grew 3% in 2106, according to the new Professional Salon Industry Haircare Study from Professional Consultants & Resources (PCR), a salon industry strategic consultant and data source. Total US salon services and salon retail sales grew 3% to $62 billion, according to the firm.


There are nearly 270,000 salons and barbershops in the US using and selling salon hair care products, however salon count declined by 8.7%, as traditional commission-based salons closed in large numbers and large rental suites opened. The study from the Plano, TX-based company features highly detailed illustrative graphs/charts.


“The state of our salon industry is now in a slow growth mode and is positively trending up,” noted Cyrus Bulsara, president of Professional Consultants & Resources. “With the economy trending upward and issues impacting the salon industry abating, we should see good growth.


High-performance, innovative new products, better larger salon suites and new management at top manufacturers are key. Sales of hair color, shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays, hair styling products and specialty products all increased. The huge paradigm shift toward large, family-economy chains and rentals continued. Rentals still do not retail efficiently and, consequently, product sales at mega-salon stores like Ulta increased sharply. Some premium hair care lines now sell at high-end beauty specialty and department stores and on Amazon.”


Hair coloring still remains the vital “anchor service” at salons across the US, bringing in clients for all other services like cuts, styles, perms and straightening. Hair coloring services were up nearly 3.6%, equally due to baby boomers needing gray coverage and the huge demand for fashion hair color, including blonding, highlights, baby-lights, balayage, ecaille and ombré/sombré. Vibrants, vivids and pastels are slowing, according to PCR, while keratin straightening and perms grew 2%.
Cutting and styling grew 2.8%, as client visits to salons increased slightly.


PCR’s study also analyzes the robust growth of men’s salon services and product sales in great detail, and shows that men’s hair color grew strongly.  


According to PCR, styling product sales increased by mid-single digits, as clients rely on home hairstyling with new genres of more efficient styling tools. Specialty products, including hair loss, shine, thermal protection and oils, grew nearly 7%, led by sales of various natural oils. Sales of shampoos and conditioners grew at low single digits, as women shampoo less frequently and use cheaper, mass-retail brands.


In PCR’s report, marketshares are detailed for every company. L’Oréal Professional (L’Oréal Professionnel, Matrix, Redken/Pureology, Kerastase, Shu Uemera Art of Hair, Mizani, Essie), Coty Professional (Wella, Sebastian, Nioxin, Clairol) and John Paul Mitchell Systems, respectively, ranked as the top three manufacturers. Henkel vaulted into the No. 4 spot with Schwarzkopf, Sexy Hair, Kenra Professional and Alterna. Estée Lauder with Aveda and Bumble + bumble ranks fifth. Unilever (TIGI and Alberto-Culver), Shiseido (Joico and Zotos), Revlon Professional (American Crew, Roux) and Koa (Goldwell/KMS) follow. Luxury Brand Partners and Keune Haircosmetics North America both achieved double-digit growth, noted PCR.


New sections in this year’s report include details on cut, color and style trends, data analysis of barbershops and men’s services/products and ingredient issues.


More info: ProConsultants.us