Hair care brand Mereltä has released the findings of its first annual “Truth About Hair and Scalp Care” survey, revealing trends on how more than 1,000 Americans over 40 years old feel about and take care of their hair.
Conducted by SurveyMonkey Audience May 24 -25, 2019, the survey found that, while consumers are very concerned about their hair, they aren’t taking the actions needed to address those concerns and improve their hair and scalp health. Among the findings:
- 62% of all respondents identified losing and/or thinning hair as a concern; broken down, 34% of men selected “hair loss” and 35% “hair thinning,” while for women, those figures were 26% and 33%, respectively.
- Of those concerned about hair loss and thinning, the majority—41%—answered “I don’t talk to individuals about losing and/or thinning hair.” Among those who do consult with individuals about losing and/or thinning hair, 39% of women talk to “hair stylists/salon professionals;” 26% of men selected “friends and family.”
- Even though hair health is deeply dependent on scalp health, 72% of those surveyed are not using scalp products to improve their hair, and only 18% of Americans are “using or have used a hair loss, hair growth or hair regenerative product.”
- In terms of products, 93% of respondents selected shampoo and 73% selected conditioner.
- 94% of women use shampoo, compared to 84% of men; 84% of women use conditioner, versus 58% of men. Scalp treatments are far less popular, used by 19% of the surveyed women and 10% of the surveyed men.
- When asked what one thing they would change about their hair, if possible, both men and women selected “more volume” (21% of women, 21% of men) and “more thickness” (23% of women, 19% of men).
- When it comes to what motivates their hair care purchases, 59% of respondents answered price, followed by ingredients (40 percent) and brand (29 percent); 52% of the surveyed selected a price range of $1-$20 when asked how much, on average, they spend on hair care products each month.
“The survey results underscore the need for consumers to invest in and take care of their scalp if they want to prevent hair loss in the future, and if they want to recover hair density and volume once thinning already started,” said Ligia Buzan, Mereltä chief marketing officer. “The scalp is the source of hair and therefore nurturing the scalp promotes healthier and thicker hair strands long term. It’s critical that Americans 40 and older play an active role in treating, nourishing and revitalizing their scalp if they wish to grow and maintain thicker hair.”
