Haircare is entering its most scientific phase yet. Once dominated by shine serums and smoothing sprays, the category is shifting toward root-cause treatment as consumers begin to approach the scalp like facial skin. Consider it the ‘skinification’ of haircare.
Globally, sales of hair and scalp-targeting conditioners and treatments grew 4.2% in 2024, outpacing the overall haircare market at 3.7%. This is expected to continue through 2030, says Connor Spicer, consultant at market research firm Euromonitor. Multi-step routines, ingredients and product formats from skincare are being mirrored in haircare, he explains.
“The shift is driving innovation, enabling more targeted solutions and premium experiences across haircare,” Spicer continues. Premium offerings are moving away from one-size-fits-all formulas toward highly specific solutions tailored to age, hair texture, styling habits, color-treated hair and even environmental factors. US brand Living Proof, for example, has introduced a Clarifying Detox shampoo formulated with a naturally derived chelating agent to remove hard-water mineral build-up — a common but often overlooked cause of damage, frizz and dullness.
This new generation of products and services spans scalp serums, AHA exfoliants, microbiome-supporting mists and overnight treatments designed to repair the hair fiber in the same way retinoids and peptides target skin. New launches reflect the shift: Isima, the science-driven brand co-created with Shakira, has just entered the UK market at Selfridges; Aveda has expanded its Scalp Solutions line; and beauty-tech expert Currentbody has introduced a game-changing LED Hair Growth Helmet.
Growth is showing up in the product mix as well as sales. According to Circana, haircare was the fastest-growing category in the UK beauty market, up 16% in the first half of 2025. Products addressing hair wellness, such as scalpcare, thinning and strengthening, are outpacing the market, with hair-loss and hair-wellness ranges recording double-digit increases.
Yet, as more brands and formats flood the shelves, a question emerges: is the market becoming saturated, and what is the next stage in the skinification of haircare?
Cultural and wellness drivers
Demand for more targeted, high-performing hair and scalpcare is coming from two ends of the age spectrum, according to Millie Kendall, founder and chief executive of the British Beauty Council. “There are younger consumers, who are extremely ingredient savvy and influenced by Asian rituals and TikTok routines, and older consumers in their 50s and 60s, who are dealing with menopause and stress-related hair thinning,” she says.
The ‘everything’ shower, a viral TikTok selfcare trend featuring a long, indulgent, head-to-toe grooming session, has certainly accelerated the awareness of Indian hair-oiling massage traditions, according to Kendall. Amanda Le Roux, international SVP at Aveda, agrees. “Multi-step, skincare-inspired haircare and rituals have been around in Eastern regions for centuries,” she says. “But now, the West is more aware of the importance of scalp health as the foundation for healthy hair and has increasingly started adopting this philosophy.”
Hormones and health are pushing scalpcare further into the wellness conversation. Kendall describes today’s midlife cohort as “the first generation of women to work full-time while raising families. Stress is a major factor in hair loss,” she notes, adding that hair changes linked to perimenopause and menopause, as well as Ozempic-related hair loss are big talking points. As haircare transforms into a broader wellness category, consumers are moving away from single hero products and toward more prescriptive routines that support hair and scalp health on the surface and from within, says Lucy Palmer, who founded vegan haircare and supplement range Hair Gain after experiencing post-partum hair loss.
“Scalpcare will continue to grow as consumers shift to more holistic and personalized routines that treat the hair and scalp with the same level of care and consideration as the rest of our skin. They will be looking for formulations that lay the groundwork for long-term hair health by fostering an optimal scalp environment,” Palmer says. That means “moving toward multi-step routines that include exfoliation, hydration, barrier support and targeted restorative treatments”. At the same time, she stresses, brands will increasingly be judged on the quality of their clinical studies, proven results and ingredient provenance.
Efficacy matters
Customers are more informed than ever. They are questioning what ‘clean’ really means and asking for clarity, purpose and proof, says Anna Teal, CEO of Grown Alchemist, a plant-powered, biotechnology-backed skin and haircare brand founded in Melbourne. That scrutiny is pushing formulation forward.
Consumers are looking for ingredients that work with the skin’s own biology, such as peptides; a chain of amino acids that act as the skin’s building blocks for collagen, keratin and elastin. While ectoin is another amino acid that protects skin from environmental stressors. Teal says there is a growing interest in these biotech-powered ingredients, “because people understand these offer targeted, high-performance support without unnecessary additives”. She adds: “There’s also a growing demand for proven essentials such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and antioxidant-rich botanicals, but with a higher expectation for purity, stability and clinical credibility.”
Euromonitor’s Spicer says that active ingredients have become a major driver of consumer purchase decisions. Hyaluronic acid, ceramides and AHAs, long familiar in skincare, are now being used in haircare to support moisture, strength and overall scalp health. “Niacinamide has shown the fastest expansion since 2022, with the number of online SKUs containing the ingredient up more than twelve-fold,” he notes. A clear example of this shift is the surge in interest around Nioxin, which has recently gone viral on TikTok and Instagram.
At Aveda, the Scalp Solutions range shows how closely haircare is borrowing from skincare. The line combines biotech naturals and adaptogens (nature’s de-stressors), including lactobacillus ferment, ectoin, centella asiatica and andrographis, to reinforce the scalp barrier, balance the microbiome and protect against oxidative stress. Its latest launch, the Hydrating Scalp and Hair Masque, uses skincare-grade hydrators such as vegan squalane to restore the scalp’s lipid matrix while easing dryness and irritation.
Even the language mirrors skincare, with Aveda’s VP of research and development (R&D) Christine Hall referencing “multi-benefit regimens that address the visible signs of premature scalp ageing”.
For Aveda, the challenge is not choosing between natural ingredients and efficacy, but combining them. Its R&D team screened more than a thousand botanical actives to create Aveda’s premium Follicle Vitality Complex, as part of its hair follicle-boosting Invati line, Hall notes, while maintaining vegan and cruelty-free standards.
This blend of ancient rituals and clinical validation is also central to Fable Mane, a brand built around ayurvedic oils inspired by the recipes of co-founder Akash Mehta’s grandmother. Traditional oils can be too heavy for finer or color-treated hair, he explains, so the team worked with clinical experts to create the right blend: “Ingredients like amla and castor, plus roots such as ashwagandha and dashmool, but in a lightweight oil that works for all hair types.” Clinical testing, Mehta acknowledges, was “a scary investment”, but the brand reinvested early sales into laboratory trials to validate ingredients that had rarely been tested in that context.
Mehta has found that speaking in skincare language helps consumers understand why more sophisticated formulas carry higher price tags. “Fable Mane maps its routine accordingly: shampoo = cleanser; treatment serum = leave-in or mask; oil = pre-cleanse.”
Not ‘for all hair types’
Brands like Shakira-founded Isima are positioning themselves as the next phase of haircare, offering prescriptive, personalized routines that meet diverse needs rather than generic formulations. “Haircare is where skincare was 30 years ago,” says Isima CEO Sid Katari. When developing the line with the singer, the non-negotiables were that it had to be “science-driven, innovative, disruptive in the category, and bring real value and benefit to consumers”, according to Katari.
“Conventional brands that claim to be ‘for all hair types’ often leave those with more complex textures behind,” he argues. Modern skincare now encompasses microbiome-balancing and exosome-based actives; Katari believes haircare must show a similar evolution.
Isima uses a “tri-modal” approach, targeting scalp, cortex and cuticle. In-house hair and scalp expert, or trichologist, Iain Sallis emphasizes that “hair is dead tissue; the scalp is alive. It’s the incubator. Reducing inflammation yields huge benefits. Once the hair fiber is damaged, yes, you can repair bonds, but the scalp comes first.”
Sallis argues that most people misdiagnose their own hair. “They think they have frizz when actually they have diffuse thinning. They think hair is oily, but in fact the ends are dry. They need prescriptive guidance.” As such, Isima is developing an algorithm, with over 12,000 variants so far, that will recommend product combinations and frequency of use.
Scalp diagnostics and tech
Beauty-tech tools such as scalp and hair diagnostic scanners are also playing a role in driving the education and uptake of clinically led haircare. “The biggest trend I’m seeing right now is LED light therapy for hair,” says Kendall, referring to Currentbody’s recently launched LED Hair Growth Helmet, which has been making headlines.
This, she argues, reflects how the skinification of hair has now moved into a technological, clinical phase. “It’s fascinating to see how common treatments such as hair transplants are becoming. Even tools have evolved: better brushes, heat-controlled devices, faster styling, smart cool-down features. Technology is advancing across every part of the category,” Kendall says.
Laurence Newman, CEO and founder of Currentbody owner Beauty Tech Group, agrees: “Consumers now accept that you can only go so far with topical solutions alone.”
He adds: “Haircare is following the same path as skincare tech. People already knew LEDs were used in trichology clinics, so there’s a built-in acceptance. The difference now is accessibility.”
This professional and clinical shift is also influencing more traditional beauty players. Dermatological haircare has long been part of L’Oréal’s dermatological beauty strategy, with brands like Vichy leading the territory with Dercos since 1994 and Cerave’s recent expansion into haircare. The group’s travel retail division has identified an opportunity for haircare that’s unique to the space: aesthetic tourism. With flocks of travelers seeking hair transplants, L’Oréal’s travel retail division is eyeing demand for Vichy Dercos Anti-Hair Loss ranges to complement these procedures.
Airports, as microcosms of consumer education, are also ideal for showcasing diagnostic-led innovation in haircare. Prominent haircare brand Kérastase’s K-Scan service, for instance, offers travelers bespoke consultations and customized routines on the spot. “We do see very direct results when consumers are presented with a scientific ingredient-led solution tailor-made to their scalp and hair problem,” says Anne-Laure Lecerf, general travel retail manager for L’Oréal’s dermatological beauty and professional products division. Diagnostic tools, she adds, drive significant conversion, at around 80% for travel retail beauty advisors.
As Kendall states, haircare is no longer a purely cosmetic play. “Hair health remains incredibly important,” she says. “We all know the emotional impact of a bad hair day.”
