Ongoing segmentation of consumer demand is driving the haircare market into an era of specialised care.
Lynn Niu, Senior Research Analyst – BPC, China
Market Definitions
The haircare market covers shampoos, conditioners and hair/scalp care products for men and women and includes unisex products. Specific details are as follows:
- Rinse-off shampoo
- Dry shampoo
- 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner
- Rinse-off conditioner
- Leave-in conditioner
- Hair mask
- Leave-in hair oil
- Leave-in hair serum/essence
- Scalp cleaning products (eg scalp scrub, scalp cleanser/cleansing gel)
- Scalp treatments (eg scalp cream/serum/essence/spray)
- Hair growth products (eg hair growth ampoule/serum, anti-hairloss ampoule/serum)
Excluded
Hairstyling products and colourants are excluded.
Market value sales are based on sales across all retail channels including direct sales but exclude sales from the professional sector such as salons.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Market size and forecast for haircare products
- Market factors
- Current landscape and opportunities in the haircare market
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THE MARKET
- Market size and forecast
- The haircare market is expected to maintain modest growth
- Graph 1: best- and worst-case forecast of retail sales value for the haircare market, 2020-30
- Market segments
- Shampoo continues to grow steadily, while the conditioner category is recovering after fluctuations
- Graph 2: retail sales of the haircare market, by subcategory, 2021-25
- Graph 3: retail value sales growth of the haircare market, by subcategory, 2021-25
- Market factors
- Increased time investment in haircare drives market demand
- Graph 4: beauty and personal care behaviours, 2024-25
- Stable usage of haircare products supports the continuous development of the haircare market
- Graph 5: product usage, 2025-26
- Positive consumer confidence strengthens the growth momentum of the haircare market
- Graph 6: attitudes towards haircare – future spending, 2026
- Domestic brands’ cross-category expansion accelerates the reshaping of the haircare competitive landscape
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COMPANIES AND BRANDS
- Market share
- On Tmall, the leading brand landscape remains stable, while functional haircare brands are rising rapidly
- Efficacy-driven haircare brands further segment benefits and expand product lines
- On Douyin, competition among domestic brands is intensifying with cross-category players accelerating expansion into haircare
- Domestic brands dive deep into anti-hairloss differentiation
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THE CONSUMER
- As care routines become segmented, brands are expanding the haircare journey and reducing trial barriers to drive growth
- Haircare usage rates remain stable, while routine complexity exhibits distinct stratification
- Graph 7: product usage, 2025-26
- Consumer profiles by routine complexity
- Increased routine complexity correlates with a more diverse range of hair and scalp concerns
- Graph 8: hair and scalp issues, by complexity of haircare routines, 2026
- Consumers with more complex routines show a stronger willingness to invest in haircare products
- Graph 9: attitudes toward haircare – future spending, by complexity of haircare routines, 2026
- Expand product usage occasions and extend the haircare journey
- Willing to adjust routines and switch brands: advanced care users offer the greatest growth potential
- Graph 10: attitudes toward haircare – willingness in adjusting hair care routines, by complexity of haircare routines, 2026
- Graph 11: attitudes toward haircare – brand repurchase intent, by complexity of haircare routines, 2026
- Lower consumer decision barriers to increase their willingness to try new products
- As demands for haircare efficacy become segmented, precise care and skinification emerge as the main innovation directions
- Dandruff prevention, itch relief, root strengthening and oil control are core needs, while scalp soothing, damage repair and frizz smoothing are standard advanced efficacies
- Consumer expectations of haircare efficacy vary significantly across different decision-making logics
- Graph 12: product benefits, by attitudes toward haircare – preferences for choosing solutions, 2026
- Product examples delivering fast, perceptible, targeted improvements to scalp concerns
- Product examples delivering multiple benefits in a single haircare step
- Consumers with different efficacy needs all show strong interest in scalp microbiome balance and barrier repair
- Graph 13: haircare concepts of interest, by selected product benefits, 2026
- Product examples claiming to repair the scalp barrier and balance the scalp microbiome
- The trend of skinification is driving an upgrade in haircare ingredients, with collagen having the highest appeal
- Graph 14: attitudes toward haircare – trust in skincare ingredients, 2026
- Graph 15: haircare ingredients of interest, 2026
- Product examples using skincare ingredients
- Mild to moderate hairloss dominates the market, with scalp environment management driving innovation and upgrades in hairloss prevention
- Nearly 40% of consumers have hairloss concerns, of which over 90% are mild to moderate
- Graph 16: hair and scalp issues – hairloss*, 2024-26
- Graph 17: hairloss severity**, 2026
- Hairloss issues are diverse and often appear together, with widening parting lines being the most common sign
- Graph 18: hairloss pattern, by gender, 2026
- Graph 19: hairloss pattern, by hairloss severity*, 2026
- Anti-hairloss products for different types of hairloss
- Consumers with mild to moderate hairloss mainly focus on scalp care, while at the moderate stage, they begin to seek more advanced functional interventions
- Graph 20: selected haircare concepts of interest, by hairloss severity*, 2026
- Consumers with moderate hairloss show greater interest in ingredients related to scalp health management
- Graph 21: haircare ingredients of interest, by hairloss severity*, 2026
- Anti-hairloss product examples using different ingredients to support scalp barrier repair
- Anti-hairloss product examples using different ingredients to support scalp microcirculation
- Post-colour care becomes sophisticated, with equal emphasis on damage repair and colour protection experience
- The rise of at-home hair colouring expands the post-colour care market
- Graph 22: at-home hair colouring behaviour*, 2023-26
- Graph 23: selected pain points** for at-home hair colouring products, 2026
- Post-colour care routines are becoming more intensive and extended
- Damage repair is a non-negotiable need, while colour care experience offers new opportunities for brands to stand out
- Graph 24: selected product benefits, by hair dyeing behaviours, 2026
- Product examples addressing post-colour damage repair
- Product examples of experience-led colour protection
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NEW PRODUCT TRENDS
- New product innovation in China focuses on washing, while the Japanese and South Korean markets delve deeper into hair repair
- Graph 25: distribution of new haircare product subcategory shares, 2025
- In the Chinese market, shampoo remains the core battleground for innovation, while the proportion of hair treatments is growing and traditional conditioners are declining
- Graph 26: distribution of new haircare product subcategory shares, 2021-25
- Time-saving/fast and damaged hair are the fastest-growing claims among new shampoo products
- Graph 27: leading claims for new shampoo products, 2021-25
- Among new haircare products, claims for long-lasting, time/speed and aromatherapy show outstanding growth, showing evolutions in efficacy, experience and efficiency
- Graph 28: leading claims for new haircare products, 2021-25
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APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ABBREVIATIONS
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology
- Information on qualitative research respondents
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