The IKW Annual Report 2023 on the German personal care market once again confirms that hair care is the largest segment in Germany, with sales growth of +9.9% compared to the previous year. In contrast, the average change from 2028-2023 shows "only" +2.9% and underlines that the hair care market has undergone and continues to undergo profound change.1
Inspired by solutions that have proven successful in the skincare market ("skinification" trend), it is becoming increasingly specialized and offers consumers nourishing and sophisticated products. Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable and aware that scalp health is important to maintain beautiful hair. They are also now better informed about ingredients and professional hair treatments and know what can damage their hair and scalp in the long term (UV radiation, heat, pollution, diet, ...).
"Hair cycling", a major phenomenon in hair care
The little sister of the "Skin Cycling" trend, a four-day skincare routine, is "Hair Cycling", the latest beauty trend that went viral on Tik Tok in 2023 with more than 22 million views for #Haircycling. It is also known as a 'head spa treatment', especially in Asia. It is a response to the demand for specific hair products tailored to individual needs, with a three-step routine. Haircycling is about using the right product at the right time, rather than applying one product after another. It is a form of hair care in which consumers regularly switch between hair and scalp products that they use to achieve results that are specifically optimized for their hair. This regular routine can change seasonally or depending on the stage of life.
The program is divided into three phases in which the consumer focuses on a specific need:
- Detoxification
- Repair
- Treatment
These three phases are interrupted by one or two rest days during which the consumer does not use any hair products. As a result, consumers should have fuller, healthier and shinier hair.
Hair cycling is more than just a trend on social media, it has real benefits. The hair and scalp can benefit from different types of ingredients and formulations depending on their current condition and needs. This routine can be recommended to almost everyone. From a physiological standpoint, the balance between wash and rest days reduces product buildup. With less product per day, the scalp can breathe, its protective film is not degraded as quickly and its microbiota is less disturbed.
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1) Detoxification - a concern for the scalp
The first step is to detoxify the scalp. Special products can be used here to stimulate blood circulation, cleanse the scalp and remove harmful substances, excess sebum and accumulated cosmetics. The scalp breathes and prevents it from becoming greasy too quickly. Scalp scrubs, clarifying shampoos and replenishing conditioners can be the products used in this phase of the routine.
Consumers have understood how important a healthy scalp is for beautiful hair. Claims such as "anti-pollution" or "exposomes" are already being used more frequently in skin care. The exposome refers to the totality of all non-genetic, endogenous and exogenous environmental influences to which an individual is exposed throughout their life.3
Exposure to harmful substances such as cadmium weakens the scalp and makes it susceptible to inflammation. Alariane CV (Cosmos & Natrue certified) is made from the Irish wakame (Alaria esculenta), known for its superfood properties, with a specific phytochemical composition rich in sugars and free amino acids such as alanine. Alariane CV has shown a dual protective action for the scalp against exposomes, with protection of hair follicle cells and scalp lipids for visible results for healthy hair.
Figure 2: Mode of action of ALARIANE™ CV, an anti-pollution hair care active ingredient
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2) Repair - the rise of hair repair
The second step is for repair and focuses on strengthening and revitalizing the hair and regenerating the hair fibres. The main products here will be repairing pre-shampoos, hair-bonding shampoos, restorative conditioners and masks, nourishing oils and serums.
With XYLISHINE™ C (Cosmos & Natrue certified), we have developed an active ingredient that has a holistic effect on the repair of the scalp and hair cuticle. It is a patented complex of sugar derivatives, known for their moisturizing effect in skin care, in combination with an organically inspired algae harvested in France (Brittany), the channel kelp (Pelvetia canaliculata).
In an in-vivo test, XYLISHINE™ C was shown to help restore the scalp by increasing the ceramide content by 27% and strengthening the skin barrier by 42%. Thanks to an ex vivo test with 3% application concentration on healthy and damaged hair, it was shown to repair the surface of the damaged cuticle by 82%.
With this mode of action, XYLISHINE™ C is a perfect ally of hair care products for damaged hair, as it acts on both the scalp and the cuticle, achieving visible results such as increasing hair shine, increasing hair smoothness and helping to control volume and anti-frizz in curly hair.
Figure 3: Mode of action of XYLISHINE™ C, a hair care ingredient to restore the scalp and hair fiber
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3) Treatment - Hair treatments, a booming category
And finally, the third and last step is about treatment. With products such as shampoos, conditioners and masks, serums, styling jellies, sprays or milks, consumers will target specific needs (volume, oily scalp, dry scalp, colored hair, ...) or the preparation of the hair for styling (curly hair, heat protection, ...).
As consumers become more aware of their hair needs and in the age of inclusivity, where everyone tends to wear their hair naturally and with pride, there are more and more products and galenic formulations that are specifically tailored to a hair type or specific needs. With a diversified product portfolio, unique routines and steps can help achieve personal hair goals.
Oils are the preferred texture for hair treatments, accounting for 14.2% of global launches in 2023.2 Liquid textures such as sprays or serums are better suited to reach the scalp through the hair and are easier to apply evenly to the lengths.
FLUIDIFEEL™ EASY is a natural, cold processable O/W emulsifier that makes such formulas possible. It is compatible with a wide range of oils and forms very fluid to fluid-white and shiny emulsions (even sprayable), which have the advantage of being very light to the touch and leaving a light feel.
Smoothing Hair Serum
When it comes to oils, natural, high-purity alkanes can be a good alternative to silicone oils or mineral oils. Like silicone oils, natural alkanes can have additional benefits for the hair, such as improved shine, volume control and anti-frizz for curly and frizzy hair, heat protection properties, color retention, ... For example, EMOGREEN™ L15 (Cosmos & Natrue certified) is a good ally in hair care: here we have in-vivo tests in comparison with light silicone oils for shine, repair, mechanical stress, wet combability, volume & frizz control and heat protection at 220°C.
Natural hair treatment oil
Another emollient, EMOGREEN™ HP40 (100% natural according to ISO 16128) has very interesting properties to replace dimethiconol-based blends. It has the same performance in terms of heat protection at 210°C and provides long-lasting volume control and anti-frizz effect.
Precious hair oil
Summary Hair Cycling - a trendy routine for all hair types
This trendy routine includes different phases and encourages consumers to use different products and choose from different ranges for comprehensive hair and scalp care. Seasonal products are also of interest, e.g. UV, salt and chlorine protection, adapted care for extremely cold days, hair loss remedies, ...
The prerequisite is that consumers know exactly what their scalp and hair needs are. Brands can help them identify their specific needs using questionnaires or analyzers and recommend the right routines & products.
Asia already has a head start in this respect, for example with spas dedicated to the scalp and an anti-ageing approach to the scalp.
The skinification of hair care is here to stay for years to come and offers the opportunity to offer more feel-good hair care routines for a holistic journey.
1 https://www.ikw.org/jahresbericht/2023-2024/wirtschaft
2 Mintel data, 2022 & 2023
3 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356756959_Das_Exposom_charakte…