Beauty & Wellness Briefing: Scalp care surges as new treatments, products and celeb faces flood the market

The scalp’s big moment is showing no signs of fizzling. 

“[The scalp-care category] has been hot for several years, and the fact that it remains hot is very telling,” Larissa Jensen, svp and global beauty industry advisor at market research firm Circana told Glossy. “There is still a lot of growth opportunity for this particular area of the market [which will last] for several years to come.” 

Circana found that during the 12-month period ending in May 2024, sales of prestige scalp-care products grew by 36%, which outpaced the overall prestige hair category, which only grew by 9%. This compounds with the previous year, which saw 42% growth in the scalp category versus 15% across prestige hair care as a whole. 

So why now? “There’s a bigger picture behind it,” said Jensen, who credited the stress of the pandemic, studies linking hair loss and Covid-19, and the fact that hair loss is more than being reported by young adults, as shown in consumer studies done by consumer analyst platform Civic Science in 2021. “Scalp treatments, at their core, are treating hair loss. … And we’ve really seen the scalp surge in hair-care products.” 

Jensen also called out the cultural shift happening around taboo topics, including hair loss and menopause, which have become far more mainstream. “[Talking about previously taboo subjects] brought these topics to the forefront,” Jensen said. 

Another indicator of growth is the category’s small, yet quickly growing, market share: Scalp care only makes up 7% of today’s total prestige hair market. Its market share has increased 1% year-over-year for the past two years, from 5% to its current 7%. 

Beyond dedicated products, scalp treatments are also surging. According to market research firm Mintel, 21% of millennials have received an in-salon scalp treatment in the last 12 months. 

“The ‘skinification’ of hair care, both in the professional and at-home markets, is certainly having a halo effect on the scalp segment, specifically with scalp skin being treated as an extension of the total body’s skin,” said Carson Kitzmiller, beauty and personal care senior analyst at Mintel.

According to Kitzmiller, “The APAC region leads in [the number of] scalp-care launches [boasting] hair-loss innovations and skin-care-type claims like [offering] water-oil balance, nourishment and hydration.” 

This tracks with the scalp-focused conversation happening on social media about Japanese and Korean head spas. These spas offer analysis and treatment of common issues like product buildup, excess oil, dryness, shedding and thinning. On TikTok, the term #headspa has been used to tag more than 319 million posts, whereas #scalpcare and #scalp have been tagged in fewer than 100,000 posts each. 

“There’s so much room in the scalp-care space [with] consumers learning from skin care and bringing those learnings to the scalp category and the [overall] hair-care category,” Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of NYC-based market research agency Spate, said during a Nielsen IQ panel covered by Glossy in June. 

As of December 2023, “27% of Gen-Z adults used an at-home scalp treatment, compared to 19% of Gen-Z adults in February 2022,” Mintel’s Kitzmiller said. 

Consumers are currently primed to embrace both in-salon and at-home scalp care, which has created a race to dominate the category. 

For example, Nutrafol, the buzzy hair supplement brand acquired by Unilever in 2022, is currently beta-testing a new in-person scalp treatment called the Nutrafol Scalp Ritual. The brand has partnered with The Well, a holistic spa found within the Mayflower Inn in Washington, Connecticut. The hotel is part of the Auberge Hospitality Group, which owns more than 25 resorts worldwide including Napa Valley’s Stanly Ranch and Hotel Jerome in Aspen.

The partnership marks Nutrafol’s first-ever spa treatment service. It incorporates the brand’s portfolio of topical products launched in 2022, including its Build Up Blocker Scalp Mask, Root Purifier Shampoo, Strand Defender Conditioner and Scalp Essence Stress Reliever, which range from $44-$59.

The treatment goes for $165 and is marketed to hotel guests, although open to all. Like the scalp spa trend, it comes with a scalp assessment using a tiny camera that identifies flaking, dryness, shedding and inactive follicles. Consumers leave with a travel-size collection of the products and are offered a discount on a subscription to Nutrafol’s supplements and products. 

The program launched in June and will run until the end of August as part of a fact-finding mission for the brand. “We’re focusing on making this successful, and learning how it works for customers and how we’re helping them. And obviously we always have big hopes,” Jen Nichols, vp of brand marketing at Nutrafol, told Glossy. “We’re a pretty iterative company, so we’ll learn from this success and then look at our future plans.”

Nutrafol launched in 2014 as a hair-growth supplement brand and expanded into hair care focused on the scalp microbiome in 2022. As reported by Glossy sister publication Modern Retail, Nutrafol’s revenue grew 100% year-over-year in 2021.

Also expanding within this market is Hårklinikken, a brand named for the Danish word meaning “hair clinic” which offers customers an in-depth scalp analysis and bespoke products. Similar to other brands in the scalp category, a trained professional takes macro photos of a customer’s scalp and completes an assessment. The products are then created by titrating levels of ingredients for a custom formulation that changes each month based on a customer’s reported progress. 

Launched in 1992, Hårklinikken operates using a subscription model and has six clinics, including three in the U.S., in Beverly Hills, Tampa and NYC. The company, which is independently held, reports that more than 100,000 customers receive a re-up on their bespoke hair tonic and products each month.

In January, Hårklinikken brought on Stuart Millar as its new CEO. Millar had previously led the Credo Beauty team as CEO and served as gm of the Americas for Aesop. Hårklinikken’s team believes a rising tide lifts all boats. 

“The rise of all the new brands [in the scalp sector] is actually a positive thing,” Millar told Glossy. “It’s just bringing more attention to something that was only sort of known to a few before. Scalp care is becoming a lot more recognized because [scalp issues are] quite prominent.”

Under Millar’s leadership, Hårklinikken is currently in expansion mode: In May, the brand announced it had onboarded its first spokesperson with a partnership with supermodel Helena Christensen. In June, the brand launched its first line of hair-health-focused hair supplements, which sell for $82 for a two-month supply. 

Stuart told Glossy that 25% of its clients are gained through customer referrals and 80% are assessed remotely via video call. A member’s first month, when they receive a serum and hair basics, including shampoo and conditioner, goes for $200. The brand recommends not using any other products, since ingredient allergies can also cause scalp issues. For Hårklinikken, its products’ effectiveness is just as much about what’s in their products — like plant extracts and gentle ingredients — as what is not. 

Brands are also jockeying to sell consumers at-home treatments in retailers like Sephora. This includes skin-care brands like The Inkey List and The Ordinary, which, since 2020, have entered the scalp space with serums packed with salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid as main ingredients, respectively. Both sell at Sephora for under $20. Sephora’s scalp offerings also include mists, pre-wash oils and scrubs from Act + Acre, Living Proof, Vegamour, Gisou, Ouai, Mizani, Nécessaire and Crown Affair, among other brands.

Other new scalp-care releases this year include Biolage’s Scalp Sync liquid cleaning concentrate, Vegamour’s GRO+ Advanced Hair System, a new collection that launches this month, and BosleyMD’s Revive+ treatment foam. 

During a press event for the release of BosleyMD’s thickening foam earlier this year, Bosley doctor Angie Phipps called the new product “the biggest innovation in hair loss we’ve seen in the last 25 years.” Instead of OTC drugs, the formula uses technology that the brand says targets the health of the hair follicle by supporting healthy mitochondria at a cellular level. A two-month supply of the treatment foam sells for $44 on the brand’s e-commerce site.

“Consumers are increasingly recognizing the importance of scalp health,” Mintel’s Kitzmiller said. “In the U.S., nearly half of hair-care users aged 25-34 are interested in trying products that treat a dry scalp.”

Executive moves: 

• Kering Beauté, which owns the fragrance licenses for brands including Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga, has named Stéphane Perrault as its new CFO. Previously, Perrault held roles at spirits brand Maison Ferrand and luxury cosmetics brand La Bouche Rouge.
  
• Chris Garek, who served as the operating partner and brand president at Diptyque, has retired as of July 1. Fabienne Mauny, who has served as the CEO of Diptyque since 2019, will be taking over the role.
  
• Giovanni Valentini is the new CEO of Amorepacific North America. Previously, Valentini was the general manager at Lancôme USA.
  
• Mimi Lu is the new vp of product development at Cocokind. Previously, Lu held roles at Amyris, Juice Beauty and L’Oréal. 

• Julia Sloan is the new CMO of Josie Maran. Previously, Sloan served as the brand’s deputy gm of global marketing, her last role in a 15-year tenure at Nars.

News to know:

• Simone Biles is the new face of viral hair-care brand K-18, which is owned by Unilever. The partnership will run for two years and kicked off last week with an ad campaign focused on inner strength.
  
• The European Commission has fined fragrance house International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. €15.9 million [$170.7 million] for an alleged antitrust obstruction in 2023. The commission alleges a senior IFF staffer exchanged WhatsApp messages with a competitor and then deleted the messages during a Commission inspection. IFF is one of the top four fragrance houses worldwide, based on sales. 

• Fitness mogul Tracy Anderson has entered the fragrance marketplace with a debut perfume and candle in a scent called Heartstone Rose & Vanilla. The products are priced at $125 and $65, respectively, and are available for purchase direct-to-consumer on a dedicated e-commerce site.
  
• Clinique has expanded its Black Honey franchise with a mascara and multipurpose lip and cheek oil, which will be sold exclusively on Clinique.com and UltaBeauty.com. Both products are limited edition.
  
• Diagnostic health platform Function Health has raised $53 million in a Series A funding round with notable investors including Zac Efron and Kevin Hart. The platform is from esteemed author and physician Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, who has 2.9 million followers on Instagram. 

Stat of the week:

The value of the global cosmetic pigments market, which includes raw pigments sold to manufacturers for color cosmetics, hair care and other product categories, is estimated to see a 6.4% compound annual growth rate to reach $4.9 billion by 2033, according to market research company Custom Market Insights. According to the report published last week, the market was valued at approximately $2.3 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $2.7 billion this year. 

In the headlines:

Summer camps are cracking down on “Sephora kids” by banning luxury skin-care products. Estée Lauder is offering a €233,000 [$294,000] prize on TikTok to build a beauty business. Mexico is becoming increasingly important to beauty companies. Forum Brands acquired skin-care brand Ever. Celebrity hairstylist Valery Joseph is back with a new line of hair care. Actress and director Jennifer Morrison joins migraine-friendly food company Amia as co-founder and chief brand officer.

Listen in: 

Influencer Jess Hunt joins the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss Refy Beauty’s signature Brow Sculpt, recent complexion launch and success at Sephora. 

Need a Glossy recap?

Laura Geller turned a cease-and-desist letter into a social campaign. With all eyes on the Olympics, NYX partners with rising gymnast Shilese Jones. Clothing brands offer steeper Fourth of July discounts than beauty brands this year. Gen-Z beauty incubator Slate Brands introduces fragrance-focused Modern Magic. Sephora expands its tanning assortment with influencer-founded Lux Unfiltered. Hally builds on its commitment to athlete partnerships with Olympian Leanne Wong.