Probiotics products have been buzz-building new additions to the skincare and personal care worlds of late, and now the trend of harnessing good bacteria to improve physical appearance and health has colonized another section of the market – hair care.
With a bona fide explosion of probiotics infused hair care products hitting the shelves, it’s no surprise the global probiotic cosmetic products market is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 8% between 2018-2022, according to a new market research by Technavio. From the booming, ever-present desire by consumers for natural products that deliver results, to the widening scope of the personalization trend, the probiotic trend for hair care shows no signs of slowing down.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are beneficial live bacteria and yeasts, found naturally in foods like yogurt and fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut and kimchi. Commonly referred to as “good bacteria,” probiotics made a splash on the health and nutrition scene several years ago, as they became widely touted for their positive impact on human gut health. After spending time in the nutritional world’s spotlight, the buzziness about the benefits of probiotics spread over to the skincare world, back in 2016.
The rise of probiotics: It started with skincare
Considered to be a natural extension of the anti-pollution skincare movement, topically applied probiotic skincare products are enjoying a current wave of consumer craze for their ability to help create a shield against harmful bacteria on the skin. Additionally, probiotic skincare products are thought to balance, soothe, and protect the entirety of the skin’s microbiome, or all of the microorganisms that make up the skin.
Probiotic skincare products can help soothe and combat the most common skin issues.
By working to balance the skin’s microbiome, topically applied probiotic skincare products can help soothe and combat the most common skin issues, including acne, inflammation, bumps, and rosacea. Additionally, probiotic skincare products have become favored amongst consumers and dermatologists alike for decreasing visible signs of aging and promoting glowy, hydrated skin.
With claims like that, it’s no wonder consumers have eagerly snapped up the recent explosion of probiotic skincare products, and sent the market soaring over the past two years, with an expected CAGR of 7.79% between 2018-2022, according to recent research.
The expansion of probiotics into the haircare market
Firmly saturating the skincare market, probiotics have now, finally, transferred to the realm of hair care, taking on speed with the recent rise of the probiotic and microbiome hair care trend. Several factors have contributed to this rise of the probiotic haircare trend, including the ever-expanding desire for natural claims personal care products, the increased interest of consumers in maintaining a healthy scalp, and the personalization trend trickling down from skincare to haircare routines.
Naturally nurturing
The sustained consumer desire for organic, eco-friendly and green beauty products has naturally extended itself to the proliferation of probiotic-infused hair care products. Thought to be less harsh than chemically bases products, and to pack a supercharged, Mother Nature-given punch, probiotic hair care products are seen by consumers as an incredibly effective, natural way to quickly for achieving their hair care goals.
As more and more consumers continue to seek out the benefits of naturally oriented products, the interest on the part of formulators and manufacturers in maximizing the properties of probiotics for hair health and beauty will follow suit.
Scalp health
Deemed “the beauty buzzword du jour for good reason” the newest consumer concern for maintaining their scalp health – and thus their hair – is another one of the biggest drivers behind the probiotics hair care trend.
Every hair on the human head grows through a single follicle on the scalp. Hair follicles must remain clean and free from blockage in order for hair to grow quickly, thickly, and lustrously. However, when common irritants like chemical dyes, harsh shampoos, and reside-building products like hairspray, dry shampoo, gel, and mousse block hair follicles, an unhealthy scalp and subsequent problems with hair become the unhappy by-product. Some of the most obvious symptoms of an unhealthy scalp? Easily broken hair strands, brittle hair, slow hair growth, dandruff, hair loss, and excessively greasy hair.
Probiotic hair products look to circumvent all of these common complaints by targeting the problem at the root – the scalp – and consumers are taking note. Probiotic shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in treatments all aim to correct an unhealthy scalp biome via a frequent application of good bacteria, and consumers are simply loving the results.
Personalized products
Finally, the personalization and bespoke trend for cosmetics and personal care products has also ignited consumer interest in creating personalized hair care routines. In fact, today, 42% of consumers are attracted to forming individualized, multi-step, multi-product hair care routines that directly address their specific hair needs, issues, and goals. And some of the most favored products for these multi-step, multi-product hair care routines? Probiotic shampoos, conditioners, leave-in treatments, sprays, and glosses that perfectly target individual hair woes or issues.
“Taking influences from the skincare space, the trend of multi-step beauty regimes, looks set to enter the hair care category….This encourages consumers to adapt their hair care regimes according to their individual needs and appearance-related goals. As consumers look to using more sophisticated products, we are seeing new innovations such as pre-shampoos, scalp masks and exfoliators, being developed,” according to Iliyana Mesheva, Associate Analyst at GlobalDataMaria, speaking with in-cosmetics.com.
As the probiotic trend continues to influence skin care, personal care, and now, excitingly, the hair care market, formulators have an opportunity to harness the powers of science, innovation, and all that good bacteria to help consumers lock in the healthy looks they’ve always desired.
