It is rewarding to care about hair

Hair dye belongs to the smaller categories on the cosmetics market, but it is very important and it expands by 3-5 percent every year. No wonder, as many decide to dye their at home instead of having it done at hair saloons – says Tünde Illés, Henkel’s junior brand manager. It is 18-60 year old women who constitute the main target group of hair dyes and colours – segmented by age, grey hair ratio and lifestyle. Klára Molnár, trade marketing category manager of L’Oréal thinks that in choosing a hair dye a protective character and modern composition are also important. Gyöngyi Janky, Procter&Gamble’s business relations manager highlighted that the category was also important because in Hungary the majority of women used hair dyes. Research by P&G showed that women start dying their hair regularly at the age of 27. Half of them do it themselves, at home; one quarter has it done by someone else, at home; one quarter goes to a hairdresser to have their hair dyed. Another grouping is based on the objective: those who dye their hair because of grey hairs belong to the functional group, while those who do it to express themselves form the emotional group. At Henkel there are three categories: temporary hair colours (can be removed by washing the hair 6-8 times), permanent hair colours (they last 28 washes) and permanent hair dyes. Low-priced products carve out more than half of the market, while the medium category has about 40 percent. L’Oréal’s trade marketing category manager, Anikó Csepeli underlined that the credibility of a hair dye assortment depended on displaying the complete colour range – to help buyer decide. Women spend the most time here, so POS materials are vital. Tünde Illés opines that the hair dye category is really innovative, as the market leader Schwarzkopf and runner-up L’Oreal come out with something new every 3 months. Palette 10-minute hair dye was introduced in the spring of 2009 and was a success with busy women. Health and environmental consciousness appeared on the cosmetics market as well – buyers want some kind of added value these days, e.g. natural ingredients. Schwarzkopf’s innovation is Essential Color: the first cream hair dye with natural ingredients like lychee and white tea. This year’s novelty is Palette Color&Gloss, a permanent hair colour that targets 18-29-year old women. L’Oréal’s objective is to increase interest in hair dyes, so from time to time they launch special colours (honey blonde, gloss black). Actually, L’Oréal was the first to introduce 10-minute-dyes in December 2008 (Excell 10). The face of Color Naturals is Szonja Oroszlán, while Casting Creme Gloss promises shining colours and silky tones. P&G’s opinion is that the latest trend is natural colours – this is why they entered the market with Wellaton, special Color Exclusive Serum that helps dyed hair to preserve its gloss and healthy look (it is available in 7 colours). Hair care starts with hair washing, therefore it is not by accident that shampoo is the biggest segment of the category with its 80 percent. Gyöngyi Janky tells us that the basic segmentation is by hair type: dry, normal, greasy. Then there are anti-dandruff products or those which aim at something, e.g. shiny hair. Zsuzsanna Sipos, Henkel’s senior brand manager draws attention to the new trend that improving hair shine and volume are important product advantages. László Aranyi, Unilever’s trade marketing manager says that according to their experience, 2009 was the year of the economic recession’s entry into Hungary, which resulted in good old family brands returning, e.g. Baba shampoo. Baba products are famous for achieving excellent sales results in individual categories, despite the narrower portfolio. Shopping habits changed a lot last year: more people bought during promotion campaigns and the importance of discount stores grew in the hair care category (Baba shampoos also appeared in discount stores). P&G’s expert is of the opinion that ‘regiment use’ will spread – using the same brand of shampoo, conditioner and hair care product. The company used various POS materials, hostess activity, price reduction and multipacks; coupons and Christmas packages were all successful. Surveys by L’Oréal indicate that visibility, displaying by brands, presenting the complete product family and large packaging sizes stimulate shopping willingness the most. According to Melinda Jager, trade marketing manager of Nivea brands and innovation move the category forward. Nivea’s new Volume Sensation product family consists of 5 products which increase hair volume. Two of them are real novelties: NIVEA Volume Express Spray and NIVEA Volume Sensation Mousse.