The salon hair care market in the United States experienced its second straight year of growth in 2013, up approximately 3% to $2.5 billion at the manufacturers’ level, as consumers returned to salons due to an improving economy, according to a newly released report on the salon industry by Kline & Company. This report analyzes the U.S. market for consumable salon hair care products sold to professional salons for back-bar and take-home use in the full calendar year 2013.

Consumers are maintaining selectivity in what they purchase in salons and seek out where they can get the best price. With the improving economy, consumer visits to salons have increased, but are still not at pre-recession levels.

Findings indicate that consumers are investing in themselves and will purchase products and services where they see a value, which include products with an anti-aging thrust. Anti-aging is a big driver in most areas of personal care, and hair care is no exception. Brands such as Zotos Age Beautiful, Aveda Invati and Nioxin Diamax are helping to bolster sales because they help fight various signs of aging hair.

In turn, marketers are testing out various changes to their distribution models. As salon brands are continually trying out non-salon retail venues in search of additional points of distribution, there is an ongoing blurring of channels. Alterna, Bumble & bumble, Oribe and Aveda are just some of the brands that have expanded distribution outside of hair salons to high-end department and specialty stores, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Sephora. Speaking of distribution, in spring of 2014, the industry witnessed the launch of ecommerce site Loxa Beauty from salon distributor BSG, providing consumers with the option to buy professional salon products onlineand crediting stylists and salon owners with the transactions.

Marketers are also observing changes to their ingredient stories. In addition to products increasingly being touted as sulfate-free and with no or low ammonia, products are moving to be free of PPD (paraphenylene diamine). Hair oils as a treatment option are still very popular, with most brands now offering oils, and oil ingredients in care and styling products gaining traction.

While hair coloring remains the largest category accounting for approximately one-third of total sales, growth will continue to be driven by the use of color as a fashion statement, as well as product innovation with gentler formulations and more ingredients to help fight the signs of aging.

For more information on Kline’s in-depth analysis of the professional market for hair coloring products, shampoos and conditioners, hair styling products and hair texturizing products, please contact:

[email protected] or visit http://www.klinegroup.com/reports/y357.asp.