United Kingdom Professional Hair Care Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

UK Professional Hair Care Market Overview:

UK Professional Hair Care Market size is estimated to reach $818.2 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 1.8% during the forecast period 2024-2030. Professional hair care products include shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, coloring products and hair styling products, including hair serums, mousses, hairsprays, and more for all kinds of hair types and textures. These products are applied to manage hair problems such as hair loss, dandruff, frizzy hair, itchy or dry scalp, split ends and more. Increased consumer spending on hair care products, rising demand for chemical-free hair care products, growing demand for luxury products, and the increasing influence of social media are the major factors that are set to drive the growth of the UK Professional Hair Care market during the forecast period 2024-2030.

The U.K. Professional hair care market is majorly driven by latest trends with increasing impact of social media, celebrities and websites. According to research from Beauty Club London, a luxury salon in the heart of London, face-framing highlights had the biggest increase in searches from 2020 to 2023. Face-framing highlights are thin strands of lighter-coloured hair strategically placed near the front of the consumer’s hair to help accentuate their facial features.  Since 2020, interest in this hair colour service has risen by 30% in the UK. In London, there has been a 118% increase in searches for face-framing highlights. New product launches, partnerships and acquisitions by major players is providing a significant opportunity for the growth of market. High promotional activities featuring celebrities in advertisements, endorsements will drive the sales of various hair care products.

Market Snapshot:

UK Professional Hair Care Market - Report Coverage:

COVID-19 / Ukraine Crisis - Impact Analysis: 

•    The pandemic affected the UK Professional Hair Care Market. The fear of contracting the virus and limited salon services for most of 2020 and 2021 led to many consumers adopting home salon routines. Due to multiple lockdowns in the country the salons were closed impacting the professional hair care market. 
•    The Russia-Ukraine war indirectly affected the professional hair care market due to inflation. UK experienced a sharp decline in retail volume demand in beauty and personal care, due to an inflation rate not seen in a decade. This made consumers much more cautious about their spending, as their disposable incomes reduced due to higher interest rates implemented by the central bank and rising unemployment.

Key Takeaways:

•    Coloring Holds the Largest Market Share

Based on product, coloring segment held the largest market share of more than 50% in UK in 2023. Consumers in the country follow celebrity hair color trends such as ice-cool blonde rinsed with a silver toner, cherry red hair, charcoal brunette, crystal clear platinum and shadow blonde. According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2021 to mid-2022, the median age of the population was 40.7 years, up from 39.6 years in 2011, as per latest data. 26.3% of 15.6 million people were aged between 40 to 59 years and 24.4% or 14.5 million people were aged 60 years and over. This aging population drives the demand for permanent hair color to hide grey hair. 

•    Direct Distribution is the Largest Segment

The market is mainly driven by growth of salons and professional stores as many of the products are sold through authorized distributors globally. Many of the hair care companies sell or distribute its products only in selected salon or stores. They provide high quality products and services and the employees are mainly focused on the sales and product training. Salons are mostly interested in seminars and conferences where they can learn a lot about services they can provide. Salons also tend to invest more in advertising to expand their reach. Salons are the ones providing major discounts, and providing same brand from the base color to shades, conditioners, shampoos, sprays etc. Some salons buy all the brand product lines. Salons are expanding their services into new areas such as men dressing, grooming, increasing image conscious, extending working hours for busy people in the evening hours, offering value added services and beauty therapy.

•    Demand for hair coloring products 

Demand for hair coloring products is driven by the premature greying among young people in UK. Hair coloring service in UK is poised to grow significantly, which is considerably higher when compared to other services such as straightening, perming and styling. High humidity levels and unfavorable climatic conditions result in the fading of hair color in short duration and thus necessitate to get hair colored more often. Brown is the most preferred shade for hair color in UK as it gives a natural look and is most suited to cover grey hair. Fancy or bright colors are not the primary choice for hair coloring among the UKans. However, non-conventional colors such as red and blonde are gradually witnessing demand driven by the rush of young-age customers, especially high school students who are willing to experiment with various hair colors during vacations and recoloring back with the reopening of schools.

•    Rising awareness about the type of ingredients used in hair care products:

Majority of customers are switching from traditional chemical based hair care products to natural or organic products. Customer product awareness has increased with education on the various chemical substances used in cosmetics, especially those that are harmful. Advertising has also highlighted the chemical contents of the product, thus educating consumers. According to the British Beauty Council, there has been a noticeable shift towards natural and organic products in the beauty industry, including hair care. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that are free from synthetic chemicals and are sustainably sourced.

•    Rise in Demand for Anti-Pollution Products 

Air pollution is a serious problem in the UK. Increasing awareness about the harmful effects of pollution on hair health has led consumers to seek specialized products that protect and nourish their hair. Environmental pollutants such as dust, smoke and particulate matter can cause damage leading to issues like dryness, breakage and scalp irritation. As a result, there is a rising preference for hair care solutions that offer protective benefits against pollution. This trend is fueling innovation and product development in the professional hair care sector with manufacturers introducing advanced formulations enriched with antioxidants, natural extracts and other protective ingredients. Consequently, the market is witnessing substantial growth driven by this consumer demand.

Key Market Players:

Product/Service launches, approvals, patents and events, acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations are key strategies adopted by players in the UK Professional Hair Care Market. The top 10 companies in the UK Professional Hair Care market are:

Scope of Report: