Consumers Embracing Texture Leading to Big Changes in Hair Care

Chanel Schenck is an African-American woman with curly-coily hair. When she looks for hair care products, you won’t find her in the ethnic hair care aisle. She gravitates toward brands like Paul Mitchell, L’Oréal Paris and Aussie for her cleansers, conditioners and styling products when she shops at Walmart or Ulta.

This purchasing trend is slowly changing the way hair care products are being sold, with a movement by both brands and some key retailers away from shelves dedicated to “ethnic” products. This trend has been led by curly and coily-haired consumers, as well as the growing number of brands that sell products specifically for their hair types. It also has been spearheaded by organizations such as NaturallyCurly.com, which has focused on hair texture rather than skin color since the social media company was founded 15 years ago.

This trend has been fueled further by plummeting relaxer sales as more consumers embrace their natural hair texture. According to Wave III of TextureTrends' market insights report, 90% of women are more likely to wear their natural texture than they were five years ago. “The new general market dictates that hair care be categorized by hair type and concern rather than ethnicity,” says Richelieu Dennis, founder and CEO of Sundial Brands, which owns the SheaMoisture brand. “America’s increased blending of cultures means that millions, whose backgrounds defy simple categorization, need efficacious products for their curls, coils and waves.”

TextureTrends' research supports this: All texture types include a variety of ethnicities, with an increasing number of people identifying themselves as multi-racial.

Usage of hair products for textured hair supports this strategy. The TextureTrends report finds brands that might once have been considered ethnic products—such as Carol’s Daughter, Organic Roots Stimulator, Miss Jessie’s and As I Am—are now used by women with wavy, curly and coily hair of all ethnicities.

The full article is available from GCI.

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