According to Ildiko Szalai, beauty and personal care analyst at Euromonitor International comments, hair loss is one area within hair care where brands could be targeting consumers better, with balding a key concern for some men across all age groups.
“While hair care innovations are becoming more successful in better targeting specific hair concerns, some untapped areas remain,” the analyst confirms.
“For example, hair loss continues to be an area of underdeveloped potential, with one in five male consumers in the 45-49 age group reporting hair loss concerns, but among all generations balding is a concern for 10-20% of male consumers."
One for women too
Traditionally considered very much a men’s issue, baldness can affect women too, and this another area where companies could be responding better.
“Although the female consumer base is smaller when it comes to hair loss products, they are more consistent users of products to address the issue,” notes Szalai.
Indeed, female pattern hair loss is a broad term for the decrease in central scalp density that is frequently observed after puberty in women and is characterized by a diffuse reduction in hair density, which mainly affects the crown and the frontal scalp.
It has no serious health consequences; however it is understandably distressing and has been reported to affect up to 50% of women over 50.
Where is the trend heading?
Specific medicated hair loss treatments are increasingly in demand, according to the firm, but consumers are also more and more looking for preventative functionality in their day to day products, including conditioners, treatments or styling agents.
“More consumers among all age groups, both male and female, seek hair conditioners and treatments with the functional claim of hair loss prevention compared to those using hair loss treatments,” the firm explains, noting that it’s shaping up to be a global trend.
“Benefitting from the regional diversity of grooming routines and their ability to travel well across borders, a number of beauty categories are seeing their revival or entry into new geographic markets,” it concludes.