Refined needs and the fluffy, voluminous aesthetic are reshaping styling experiences, while safety upgrades and product-service integration are driving a new era of at-home hair dyeing.
Daisy Tong, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
The hair styling products market covers any water- or tonic-based sprays, anti-heat sprays, hair styling gels, hair elastin/elasticiser, hair styling clay, wax, mousse and other hair styling agents for men, women and unisex usage.
The hair colourants market includes permanent, semi-permanent, temporary and highlighter products, and men’s, women’s and unisex products. This also includes products with conditioner attributes but where the main focus is colouring.
Market size is based on sales through all retail channels, including direct to consumer, but excludes the professional sector, including hairdresser sales to the consumer and C2C channels (eg WeChat Business and Taobao).
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Executive summary
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Continued growth of hair styling products market, with diverse demands driving innovation and upgrades
- Graph 1: best- and worst-case forecasts of total value sales of hair styling products, 2020-30
- Demand for convenience and personalisation drives rapid growth and continued expansion of hair colourants market
- Graph 2: best- and worst-case forecasts of total value sales for the hair colourants market, 2020-30
- Market factors
- New product trends
- Demand for home hair colouring and styling products is steadily increasing
- Graph 3: usage of hair colourants，2023 vs 2025
- Graph 4: usage of hair styling products，2023 vs 2025
- Keys to success
- What we think
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Market dynamics
- Market size and forecast
- Continued growth of hair styling products market, with diverse demands driving innovation and upgrades
- Graph 5: best- and worst-case forecasts of total value sales of hair styling products, 2020-30
- Demand for convenience and personalisation drives rapid growth and continued expansion of hair colourants market
- Graph 6: best- and worst-case forecasts of total value sales for the hair colourants market, 2020-30
- Market factors
- Hair style and colour express personality, and will continue to drive growth in the styling/colouring category
- Growing trend among consumers for dyeing hair black and for bleaching
- Graph 7: hair colouring and styling practices, 2021-25
- Ageing society continues to unlock market potential
- Graph 8: size and proportion of population aged 60 or above, 2020-24
- Thinning hair and hairloss are relatively common and bring new opportunities and challenges
- Graph 9: hair/scalp concerns, 2025
- Mass market products maintain a dominant position, premium segment showing growth potential
- Graph 10: year-on-year change in share of volume sales of different price segments on Tmall, July 2024-June 2025
- Graph 11: share of volume sales of different price segments on Tmall, July 2024-June 2025
- Brands
- Hair styling products on Tmall
- Hair styling products on Douyin
- UK men’s grooming brand breaks through on Douyin
- Hair colouring products on Tmall
- Hair colouring products on Douyin
- Emerging local brand focuses on bleach-free dyeing and offers a variety of specifications
- Innovation focusing on convenience is a bestselling formula
- New product trends
- Haircare leads innovation, with proportion of new hair dye products decreasing and styling products remaining unchanged
- Graph 12: proportion of new hair products, by sub-category, July 2020-June 2025
- Convenience is a key innovation focus for styling products, with odour neutralising and antibacterial claims emerging
- Graph 13: leading claims for new hair styling products, July 2020-June 2025
- Mousse is gaining popularity, convenience remains the key to strong sales
- Innovations in overseas styling products focus on combining convenience with hair care functions
- Traditional claims dominate in new hair colouring products, with hypoallergenic and aromatherapy claims emerging strongly
- Graph 14: most popular claims for new hair colourants, July 2020-June 2025
- Innovative product formats offer a convenient colouring experience
- Changes in consumption
- Hair style trends broadly unchanged, with women preferring medium-length hair and men short straight hair
- Graph 15: type of hair style, by gender, 2025
- Graph 16: type of hair style, 2023 vs 2025
- Temporary hair styling still the front runner, slight increase in hair dyeing and bleaching
- Graph 17: hair dyeing and styling (including at home or hair salons), 2021-25
- Increase in consumers dyeing their hair black, bleaching and doing temporary styling at home
- Graph 18: hair colouring and styling – at home, 2021-25
- Graph 19: hair colouring and styling – in hair salons, 2021-25
- Mild growth in penetration of styling products, reflecting diversified styling needs
- Graph 20: usage of hair styling products，2023 vs 2025
- Penetration of home hair colourants unchanged, slight increase in hair colour creams and sprays
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What consumers want and why
- Combined use of multiple categories and multidimensional needs lead to creation of a new hairstyling ecosystem
- Styling tools have a considerable adoption rate but combined use with products is relatively low
- Graph 21: usage of styling products and hair styling tools, by age, 2025
- Combining categories is the norm, with a base product and complementary product to meet daily styling needs
- Graph 22: cross analysis of hair styling product usage, 2025
- Natural hold, smooth shine and fluffy layers are mainstays, with diverse effects targeting specialised needs
- Graph 23: styling expectations, by users of different hair styling products, 2025
- Build a new synergistic ecosystem for home hair styling products
- Hair products combining styling and haircare benefits can satisfy the high demands of styling enthusiasts
- Tailored product combinations to create a unique look
- Enhance the fluffiness effect of styling products to alleviate hair volume anxiety
- Fluffiness for a fuller appearance is a rapidly growing styling demand
- Graph 24: hair styling needs, 2023 vs 2025
- Discussion of fluffy hair texture and hairstyles is trending upwards on social media
- Those concerned about hairloss or hair volume have a higher demand for fluffiness, visible hair volume and a high cranial top
- Graph 25: styling needs of those with concerns about hairloss or lack of volume, TGI index, 2025
- Hairloss/hair volume anxiety drives innovation in hair product categories
- Styling products that achieve an instant fluffy effect through different approaches
- Meeting diverse home hair dyeing needs with innovative basic colour palettes and colour care products/services
- 25-39s are main focus for hair colouring at salons, slight increase in over-30s dyeing hair at home
- Graph 26: changes in choice of location for hair colouring, by age (based on 2023 data), 2025
- Graph 27: hair colouring in different locations, by age, 2025
- Dyeing hair black favoured at home, while consumers experiment with more diverse colour palettes at salons
- Graph 28: colour preferences for dyeing hair at home, by age, 2025
- Graph 29: colour preferences for dyeing hair at hair salons, by age, 2025
- Use of home hair colourants is higher among over-30s, with creams the most popular
- Graph 30: usage of hair colourants at home, by age, 2025
- Graph 31: changes in usage rates of home hair dye products, by age (based on 2023), 2025
- Concerns about grey hair gradually increase with age, brands can strategically align with the needs of different age groups
- Consumers actively address grey hair, with non-temporary hair dye being one of the main solutions
- Graph 32: measures to address grey hair, 2025
- Graph 33: usage of hair colourants by people who have concerns about grey hairs, by age, 2025
- Focus on home-use scenarios, innovate on foundational colour palettes and colour maintenance products/services
- Provide a diversified basic colour palette, from essential grey coverage to personalised choices
- Provide flexible and diverse product/service options for at-home and salon hair dyeing scenarios
- Upgrade hair dye formulas to balance safety and efficacy and address consumer concerns
- Concerns about the safety of hair dye products are a major barrier
- Graph 34: barriers to hair dyeing, 2025
- Concerns about hair dye across different age groups reflect demands for safety and long-lasting effects
- Graph 35: barriers to hair dyeing, by age, 2025
- Natural ingredients, plant extracts, and organic certification increase consumer confidence in safety
- Graph 36: ingredient safety claims of hair dye products, 2025
- 30-39s value safety-related claims the most
- Graph 37: ingredient safety claims of hair dye products, by age, 2025
- Emphasise ingredient safety and hypoallergenic properties, alongside long-lasting effects and personal expression of colour
- Use ingredient claims to demonstrate hair dye products’ safety benefits
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology: consumer survey
- TURF analysis methodology
- Abbreviations
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