With over eight in 10 claiming to feel better about themselves when their hair is styled, the important link between self-care and haircare is already understood. Wellness is being incorporated more intentionally, as scalp and hair health become a stronger focus for the category.
Cost of living concerns have tightened budgets across the country. However, 68% of consumers agree that it is worth paying for quality haircare products, highlighting the value placed on effective ingredients and formulas.
While consumers feel it is worth investing in quality haircare, the fact that 69% believe that mainstream brands work as well as salon brands may threaten sales. Dupes and lower-cost drugstore brands stand to gain ground among consumers who fail to identify advantages offered from more luxe offerings.
A focus on skincare ingredients and biotechnology taps into key motivators for consumers and offers an exciting growth opportunity for haircare brands. Innovative ingredients that can address damage, hair loss and scalp health will resonate with shoppers.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Hair concerns
- Natural hair texture and structure assessment
- Shampoo and conditioner product usage
- Styling product and hair treatment usage
- Hair product purchase influences
- Openness to hair product innovations
- Market factors impacting haircare in Canada
Despite tightened budgets, Canadians place value on their haircare routines and are open to innovative ingredients that  address their most common concerns.
Meghan Ross, Senior Research Analyst – Home & Beauty
Market Definitions
This report covers the Canadian market for shampoo, conditioner, and hairstyling products, which is defined as follows:
- Shampoo, including anti-dandruff formulas and dry shampoo
- Conditioner, including leave-in and rinse-out products
- Hairstyling products including gel, mousse, cream, oil, putty, and other texturizers
- Hairspray/spritz
This report does not include hair colour or other chemical treatments such as perms, relaxers, or keratin straighteners. In addition, this report only covers the at-home haircare market and does not include salon services.
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Executive summary
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Consumer Insights
- The shampoo, conditioner and hairstyling product consumer: fast facts
- Natural hair texture and structure
- Women are more likely to recognize textured hair
- Graph 1: natural hair texture, men vs women, 2024
- Textured hair is more common among younger consumers
- Graph 2: natural hair texture, by age, 2024
- Gen Z's diversity will impact hair needs
- Graph 3: racial background, Gen Z vs overall, 2023
- Fine-to-medium textures are most common
- Graph 4: natural hair structure, 2024
- Hair feels finer with age
- Graph 5: those who report having fine hair, by age, 2024
- Hair concerns
- Age-related hair changes top the list of concerns
- Graph 6: hair concerns, 2024
- Women have a broad range of hair concerns
- Graph 7: hair concerns, men vs women, 2024
- Hair loss is a concern, regardless of age
- Graph 8: hair concerns, by age, 2024
- Those with textured hair have additional hair concerns
- Graph 9: average number of hair concerns mentioned, by natural hair texture, 2024
- Limited in-store availability of textured hair products has consumers searching online
- Consumers with textured hair need more support
- Graph 10: 'I am satisfied with my current haircare routine' (% agree), by hair texture, 2024
- Personalized amendments add choice
- Texture-specific product lines offer solutions for all
- Provide guidance to help consumers achieve the best results
- Younger consumers are seeking guidance to help with product selection
- Differences with each race's typical hair texture pose a unique set of challenges
- Graph 11: hair concerns (select), by race, 2024
- Product usage
- Traditional formats are most commonly relied upon
- Graph 12: shampoo and conditioner products used, 2024
- Two-thirds of consumers rely on discretionary hair products
- Graph 13: hair styling and treatment products used, 2024
- Supporting category usage has increased
- Graph 14: hair categories used – NETs, 2024 vs 2020
- Conditioner usage skews heavily towards women
- Graph 15: shampoo and conditioner products used, men vs women, 2024
- Use of supplementary conditioning products is more prevalent among younger consumers
- Graph 16: shampoo and conditioner products used, by age, 2024
- Convenience and speed is valued by disengaged older men
- Graph 17: those who use 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, by age and gender, 2024
- Multi-purpose options move beyond the basics
- Men have stronger engagement with stylers and treatments than stereotypes would suggest
- Graph 18: hair categories used – NETs, by age and gender, 2024
- Hairstyle preferences and concerns inform product choices
- Graph 19: hair styling and treatment products used, men vs women, 2024
- Hair product purchase factors
- Shoppers consider multiple factors when selecting hair products
- Graph 20: important purchase factors when shopping for hair products, 2024
- Personalized products are of particular importance to women, regardless of format
- Graph 21: important purchase factors when shopping for hair products (select), men vs women, 2024
- Demands for product features grow among interested demographic groups
- Graph 22: important purchase factors when shopping for hair products, by age and gender, 2024
- Racial groups have differing hair product priorities
- Graph 23: important purchase factors when shopping for hair products, by racial background, 2024
- Haircare product interest and trial
- Three-quarters of consumers express interest in haircare innovations
- Graph 24: haircare innovations tried or interested in trying, 2024
- Women are more willing to disrupt their typical hair routines with innovative hair solutions
- Graph 25: haircare innovations tried or interested in trying, men vs women, 2024
- Addressing haircare concerns by life stage…
- …or hormonal phase
- Willingness to experiment declines with age
- Graph 26: haircare innovations tried or interested in trying, by age, 2024
- Sustainable innovations hold strong appeal among South Asians
- Graph 27: sustainable haircare innovations tried or interested in trying , South Asian vs overall, 2024
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Competitive strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Skincare ingredients take centre stage
- The appetite for natural formulations continues
- Focusing on skincare ingredients
- Blending skincare and haircare
- Anti-ageing claims are coupled with skincare ingredients to reinforce benefits
- Fermented haircare aims to balance the microbiome and improve hair strength
- Elevating dandruff offerings provides greater choice
- Scalp treatments are positioned as a way to combat hair loss
- Biotech ingredients improve product performance and sustainability
- Addressing concerns from the inside out
- Partnerships with adjacent categories promise a performance boost
- Protecting against environmental damage
- Planning for the future with climate-proof formulations
- There's still room for products in heatless routines
- Marketing and advertising
- Haircare goes beyond aesthetics to boost confidence and improve wellbeing
- Social media inspires and influences haircare choices
- Younger women look to beauty influencers for education, guidance and inspiration
- Graph 28: following beauty influencers and brand accounts on social media, overall vs women by age, 2023
- Wellbeing gets a boost from fragrance
- Consumers may need safety reassurance
- Consumers value quality and are willing to pay for it
- Performance over price
- Affordable brands promise multiple benefits and salon quality
- Offering unexpected benefits to add value
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The Market
- Market drivers
- Consumers struggle with their financial health
- Graph 29: perceived financial health, 2022 – 2024
- High cost of living has consumers seeking value and taking a DIY approach
- Graph 30: Consumer Price Index, 2020-24
- Remote work continues to impact daily routines
- Graph 31: proportion of employees who usually worked most of their hours from home, June 2022 vs June 2024
- Immigration trends are shifting consumer needs
- Graph 32: distribution of foreign-born population, by region of birth, 1996-2036 (projected)
- Canada's ageing population has evolving haircare concerns
- Graph 33: population aged 0-14 and 65+, 1988-2068*
- Keeping inclusivity in mind
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Appendix
- Consumer research methodology
- Consumer qualitative research
- Generations
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
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